moralisims

The Starsine Legacy, 1.2

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:37:25 GMT

"My morning star," Ethan said as they topped the stairs together. His gaze was soft and he looked as familiar as ever. Inside, they tugged off the outerwear and moved to sit together at the dining table. Drinking each other in through lowered lashes, they watched each other's fidgety nervousness for several long moments before he told Aloria, "This place looks so great." The kitchen was small and comfortable and the house was ever-expanding.

Shyly, she smiled at him and wrapped her arms around herself, lowering her head. "I built it myself," she claimed; the house had cost about three times the cost of her inheritance by that point.

He looked shocked and smiled almost condescendingly. "All by yourself, eh? A big girl now. I'm proud that you're so tough. It's small, but I hope there's room for one more?"

Blushing slightly, she lowered her head. "You're thinking of staying, Ethan?"

"I didn't come all this way just to visit, darling. Isn't there room? There are two chairs, a sofa for two - this place was practically made for us! Just the two of us," he argued, seeming almost desperate...

and when she hesitated, he closed the distance and rested his hand over hers on the table. "My bags are in the car."

Her breath caught in her throat. Ethan was about five years her senior, and he always was able to charm her beyond belief. His soft eyes disarmed her, and in her vulnerability, he leaned slightly to pull her into a hug and wrapped an arm behind her knees. Easily, he lifted her against his chest and stood with her. "Where is the bedroom?" he asked quietly, squeezing her against his chest. Aloria closed her eyes tightly before murmuring that it was down the hall, where he carried her, unwavering and strong.

He lowered her onto the bed when they were through the door, and her protests started immediately. "You can't leave everything behind, Ethan. Not for me," she claimed, her brows meeting as he hauled his shirt off overhead and dropped his jeans, left in only in his boxers and a tank top. She started to speak again, but he hushed the words with his lips and quietly, gently overpowered her.

He was as gentle as ever.

It was so easy to give in.

*****

Being with Ethan filled the empty spaces inside of Aloria's heart. Each night was better than the one before it...

Not only in the bed, though they did find that they were quite the exhibitionists when they were reunited...

But emotionally.

Their nights, for nearly two wonderful years, were made up of extravagant dates and parties. With two money-makers, they were able to expand the house and practically throw away their money with no worries. It was the lifestyle Ethan was used to, though Aloria gained simpler tastes.

But their family was growing, one step at a time. Their charmed life was envied by the others in Aridia. They didn't hesitate to get engaged...

But they were not as ready for starting an actual family of their own.

Aloria realized the truth with dread, and fought with herself for ages about how to handle it.

"How could he not be happy?" she mused one day aloud while Ethan was at work.

"We have a beautiful house now, and more than enough room for kids. The desert is so warm and wonderful," she murmured blissfully.

"Our garden is doing so well. I've never seen healthier plants. It will be so easy to offset the cost of food if we're feeding them healthy things we grew ourselves..."

"Three," she said with a smile. "Three perfect children. We'll send them to college and have such a happy life. Three children will complete our family."

She never even considered that he could be less than ecstatic.

*****

"Aloria," Ethan snapped sharply one night as soon as she came in from work. "Sit down." The harshness in his voice was uncharacteristic, and she complied readily with a shocked expression, looking up dumbly at her fiance.

"I know you're pregnant," he said simply. His voice was sharp and steady. Relief washed over her and she immediately began into a desperate plea-

"I was going to tell you, Ethan! As soon as you were back from this business trip. I just wanted to be in the clear, so to speak - honestly! I was so excited. I have an appointment in two weeks and then we can know what we're having!" She seemed so excited that she didn't notice his lack of enthusiasm.

"No!" he shouted suddenly, cutting her off abruptly. "You didn't even think about what I wanted, Aloria! Maybe I don't want to be a father, not now! I wanted a life, not some brat with my slut fiancee. I don't want to be tied down!"

The words hit Aloria like an avalanche, but they had nothing on the impact of throwing his engagement ring at her. She leaned just in time for it to zip by and clink off of the glass window behind her. As soon as she realized what had happened, she wheeled out of the chair and turned away from him, beginning to sob inconsolably. "You... you're horrible," she whispered through her tears, burying her face against her hands.

He strode toward the door without hesitating and didn't look back.

Generation 1.1

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 05:02:59 GMT

Aridia was every bit as lonely as Aloria had heard. Warm and dry, the expansive desert stretched on before her defeated grey gaze. In the distance, giant cacti peppered the hills, but not a house was in sight. They were hidden behind the mountains, she knew; it was a good half-hour drive before anyone would reach her. With only 223 Simoleons in her pocket, she knew that she would have to enjoy town only when already there for work. Cabs were out of the question.

There had been a time when even limos were not out of the question. In fact, stretched white limos had driven her to and from her ritzy private school in Riverblossom Hills for her many happy childhood years on the Sterling estate...

the estate that her sister inherited.

After the death of her parents, Aloria was given two weeks to leave with her measly 20,000 Simoleon inheritance. She was surprised to learn, very suddenly, how little that amount would buy. There was nothing to prepare a formerly rich girl for the realities of life.

The 20,000 had bought only a wooden shack and a mattress; the outhouse, crewmen building her shack had joked, was free. Bastards. It would be difficult to make her remaining finances stretch until she could afford basic things in life such as food, but she would have to make it work. Hopefully, she thought, her two years at Academie Le Tour would help her find a good job, and soon.

All the really wanted, however, was some company. More than anything, she truly did miss the people she left behind.

*****

"Ethan..."

Aloria murmured fitfully, overheating in her stuffy, windowless shack.

Waking with a slight start, she whispered his name once more as though he may answer before sitting up groggily. She climbed off of the low-lying mattress and held her head briefly before standing.

Her eyes stung with tears, and she squeezed them shut, thinking of the man. Her lips curved into a slight smile as she remembered his tousled black hair, his charming green eyes, the feel of his hard body against hers.

Before she had left Riverblossom Hills, they were a perfect match. She knew they would be married and enjoy fabulous lives, both being from upper class families. Sadly, her sister, Helena, had gotten married first; that move secured her firmly as the heiress apparent. There was not enough time for Aloria to even tell her only love where she was going before she left.

*****

The stars had been lucky for Aloria since she moved to Aridia. A full year had passed and her tiny shack had grown into a full-sized home. She was a hard worker, which surprised her more than it surprised anyone else that knew her past. Only two friends frequented her humble little house: her boss' cousin, Shea Johnston, and bumbly, business-minded blonde Marielle Woodrow. She spent many nights relaxing and gazing up at the stars shining over the desert valley,

or reading and relaxing in her cozy kitchen. For the most part, things went well...

She overcame the hardships of outdoor bathing, of burglars, house fires and alarm failures, of loneliness and of heartache. The months stretched on with failed dates and harsh weather.

But in the way that things always did, as soon as one gets settled into one life, a wrench was always thrown in. When a doorbell woke her early one morning, Aloria knew something was amiss. No one ever visited uninvited. She dressed swiftly, pulling on a gigantic sweatshirt from a former life to block out the icy winds, rare for the desert but present nonetheless. When she reached the door and went to step into her shoes, she noticed through the window who had rang the bell and strode out the door swiftly, barefoot in the snow.

"Ethan," she breathed when she saw him, and he only smiled wordlessly.

When she leapt at him, he opened his arms and swung her slightly, laughing merrily and resting a hand on the back of her tousled braid. They embraced warmly, clinging desperately to each other as if they could squash the distance that they had felt for the better part of two years.

A single tear slid down her cheek as she held him. "I came as soon as I found out where you were," he admitted croakily, eyes shutting.

Notes

That thing in the picture with the burglar is my disguised burglar alarm not-going off. Also, the reason everything happened so quickly is because I got a genie lamp within the first 5 or so days! One wish ("wealth") yielded 21k. :D I also now know the problem with upturned lips. She looks happy in every picture. Aloria is named after my best friend.

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 04:55:44 GMT

Late-night legacy starter to play in the time that it takes me to do Prosperity entries... which are usually either huge or complicated.

1.1 comin' atcha.

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:15:33 GMT

(Sorry it's a bit boring, disjointed or off to a slow start. This is my first real story.)

Trapped. It was not so bad, Esme mentally consoled herself, as she carried her son to the fields and extended a free hand to pet one of the cows, her only son resting on her hip. Her father had never been a cause for trouble. Loving and gentle, probably the result of being surrounded only by women for his entire life, Esme's father welcomed his eldest daughter and her son back into the household with open arms.

Though the grief of Ethan's passing had been harsh, especially because it was his own money that paid for the voyage that killed him, it had drawn the Silvestres - a trio of daughters, two of them spinsters - closer than they had been since before Julien was born. And Mathis was happy to be the only father figure that Julien would ever have, despite the cost.

When raising his three daughters, the butcher had never had much involvement; their mother was a doting and loving woman, so it simply was not his place.

That, of course, didn't stop them from pestering him during work. Though Fabienne helped him frequently, evidenced by her bloody bustle skirts, Ariane had always been inordinarily selfish. Unable to have children, the woman never bothered to conform to the strict ideals adhered to by most of the colonists and all of the natives...

Her habit of sneaking off with men of any class and creed was easily ignored by the townspeople, most especially by the wives she was saving trouble by satisfying their husbands for her. Such things were, in fact, lauded among the general populace - provided they could not be proven. Everyone knew about Ethan's affair with his own sister in-law... Everyone but Esme.

Everyone but Esme... until the night that she caught them in the barn and, anguised and horrified, learned that two of the people nearest to her had betrayed her.

Pulling Julien closer, she nudged his cheek with a kiss before returning her attention to the cows.

~~~~~

"She's always judging me, you know." The accusation was abrupt, but Fabienne knew who Ariane was talking about. She asked to be polite.

"Esme is - ever since the accident," Ariane responded, looking away almost guiltily.

"I don't think it is only because of the accident, Ariane." Fabienne, almost shyly, did not continue; Ariane knew it was more than only Ethan's untimely death.

Angrily, the middle child narrowed her eyes at her sister. "I don't need to be reminded. I don't see why she can't live alone, is all. And it isn't as if she married him for love. What I did with him... that was love. She was in it for the money."

"Ariane! What a vicious thing to say," Fabienne said in a rare outburst. "You know that isn't true... I won't stay and listen to you say these things!"

"Fabs," Ariane said weakly, brows meeting. Her sister paused as Ariane rose.

"I miss him, too."

Fabienne nodded, frowning sympathetically. "I know," she said quietly, and turned to point out toward the fields. Ariane stood, moving toward the window to look out. "But this isn't about you any more, Ariane. Don't be selfish. Julien needs us... All of us."

~~~~~

It was said that it took a village to raise a child, but with Ariane treating him as if he were her child with Ethan...

Fabienne being her usual, caring self...

And Esme lovingly teaching him all that she could...

The baby mostly stayed out of trouble.

The aging Mathis came to realize that he enjoyed living with two generations of his family. Having the child brought a sense of peace. He enjoyed taking care of the baby when Fabienne was tending to the farming aspect of the butcher's shop...

And when Esme was busy with the other chores.

But it was never very long before there was a rush to tend to him again.

He learned to walk,

Which that was a relief for his aunts, who looked forward to time alone to enjoy each other's company.

Even with Julien to occupy everyone, however, farm life was very quiet. Other than the Nikolics, an elderly couple, there was no one. Despite the joys of raising little Julien into childhood... life was empty for all of them.

Colony and Family

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:13:38 GMT

From left to right:

Mathis (Father of the women), Julien, Esme (Julien's mother), Fabienne, and Ariane.

After her husband perished on the ship that would take the settlers to a new colony, Esme took her young son, Julien, to live with her elderly father and spinster sisters. Will her more outgoing siblings be able to settle down with husbands of their own, or will the raging hormones drive Mathis to his grave?

Shea and Taliesin Geraghty.

When the adventurous young Shea saw the opportunity for prosperity in the new colony, she convinced her bookwormish older brother, Taliesin, to leave behind their native lands in favor of a new life. Will the two be able to combine her drive and his wits to make a wonderful new life for themselves, or will they be unable to make it in the new world and regret leaving their childhood home behind?

Eithne, Rhiannon, and Bragnae.

Rhiannon and Eithne, raised by their grandparents since birth, have promising futures as some of the few upper-class citizens in the new world. Has age dulled Bragnae's once controlling and manipulative ways, or will the old woman fail to live up to the image of the loving grandmother in the aftermath of her husband's death?

Dmitri, Dominic and Roman.

After the mysterious death of his wife, the wild and fun-loving Roman took his twin sons to make a new life among the other colonials. The boys were spared the rumors that their father left behind, but if the whispered accusations were true, will they be spared his secret nature?

Danilo, Nada, Mila, Branislava and Radomir.

Branislava and Radomir waited to have kids to give them a good life. Will the overbearing yet loving couple be able to raise all three into adulthood, or will Danilo, their first-born, have to raise hard-headed middle child Nada and the precious youngest, Mila, when they pass?

Yexenia (Jess-en-ya), Analeigh

Yexenia (Jess-en-ya) stowed away with her younger sister, Analeigh, to flee an abusive father before being welcomed with open arms by her fellow colonials. Will she become empowered by her attempt to save her sister and herself, or will she find that no person is as safe as they seem?

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:11:52 GMT

This is the Sims journal of dienaid. Fiction and other stuff will be posted here. :D It will carry in to the Sims 3 and beyond. I'll post my 'current works' (read: two posts) now, and once I'm able, just pick up where I left off. No one should be surprised if I don't finish a project. You've been warned.