6. Flight

Norma, my maid, runs a brush gently through my hair. "I heard it was quite a show last night. Chef says that you impressed our guest very much."

I sit still as she begins braiding my hair. "Mermaids don't even use magic; of course he was impressed." At the thought of his red eyes on me, a chill runs down my spine, and I feel indecent in my night gown.



"No dear," Norma's voice is hardly above a whisper. She leans in as she continues braiding. "There was another guest. One of our guests."


I turn my head quickly to look her in the eyes. Could it be? A true human rebel here in the castle? Norma has told me stories of the human resistance through out the kingdoms fighting for the freedom of all humans. But I could never fully imagine someone who would do such a thing. What kind of person would be so brave as to risk their lives for the impossible?

"Come. She will help you escape." Norma takes me by the hands and has me stand up and she takes off my night gown and replaces it with a course dress that smells of the scullery. "You must leave. You are powerful." She smooths my hair with one hand. "This dress will confuse his sense of smell long enough for you to get away."

There is a knock on the door. On the other side is the one who must be the "guest." She holds a tray of food which she quickly puts down. Her eyes have a glint in them that a normal maid would never have. She glances at me, taking in the sight of me in my course maid's dress with an unreadable expression.


There isn't much time. Norma packs the food the guest brought in for lunch and ushers us to a secret passage way with brisk instructions which she aims at The Guest who I assume will know enough about the outside to know where we are going.

My chest constricts as we run from everything I have known my entire life into a world I have only seen through windows.

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5. The Show of Your Life

The chef enters the large dining hall and gives me an encouraging smile. Earlier, he had said, "Just make sure to stay put, my dear." I was to be his "assistant." "You will see the most amazing show you have ever seen in your life. If only your father could have seen..."



The chef bows to the lord of the manner and the two guests nearest him. The face of the ruler of this land remains hard edged and stoic. I get the feeling he simply wants the show to start already and could do without the formality.


The chef sits down at the piano and begins to play a soft melody as the candle lights go out and we are left bathed in the partial moonlight filtering in through the large windows. My heart thumps as I stand in the dark, a strange crawling feeling rolls up my back. I do my best to stay as still as possible. Being trapped in the dark with a bunch of vampires and a mermaid requires a special ability to remain as un-prey-like as possible.

The music swirls around the large room as it begins to crescendo. As if on cue, a blue light beings to gently glow.


I suck in a breath when I notice the girl standing in the middle of the room. A small ball of blue light floats at her fingertips as if it were an animal she were gently coaxing back to the stable after the freedom of a pasture field.


The ball moves with her as she dances, twirling around her torso then her arms as she stretches out her perfect limbs in time with the music. She raises her hand into the air and the ball twirls up her arm and to her fingertips where it shatters shatters into small sparkles which appear to fall from her graceful fingertips to the ground.

Ever so delicately, her bare feet daintily prance across the floor as her arms gracefully arc away from her body. There is a light that comes down from the ceiling and falls down upon her and around her.


As she stretches out her arm, the light turns blue and envelopes her. It surrounds her as the music reaches its finale and, as suddenly as she appeared, she is gone. The room is in the dark once again, and my life suddenly feels dark as well. I have just seen the sun for the first time and I realize now that I have only been living in a dark cave this entire time with nothing but a campfire for light.

***********************

So I fixed up some of the storyline side bars. I'm horrible with names, but I like to keep things organized. So this current storyline is called "Connections." All the past Amberle and Henry stories are now all filed under "Embarrassing Amberle."

Oh and new background images. ^_^

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Amberle's Outsting

Just an FYI: There is a player at the bottom of this entry that will start playing music automatically.

The last time we saw Amberle


Time: About 20 years ago...



Amberle had waited all afternoon for word from the elven council. She wore the first fine dress she had ever worn in her life. The soft fabric gently rubbed against her skin as if to calm her.

The two sisters sat on a wooden bench cackling as they whispered softly. Leander’s mother looked up. “Have a seat dear. He’ll be here soon.”



Amberle sat down impatiently though she tried to keep a smile so as not to ruin the good mood of the ladies before her. It was unlike them to invite Amberle to have a seat. Her entire childhood was filled with memories of their horribly sweet voices ordering her to clean or behave. They had remained as distant from her as possible so that they wouldn't waste any energy or life force on Amberle-- "the little beast" as they often called her.


She had an early memory of the particularly difficult time she had adjusting after Anthea (the elf who took her in) passed away. Amberle had often cried, and one day Honeydew Hazelbone looked at her and said in a voice that simply dripped like honey, "Amberle, civilized elves do not behave in this way. Which would you rather be? A civilized elf or a little beast?" Amberle had shouted, "BEAST!" then kicked her in front of her sister and her son, Leander.

Amberle had paid for it, but she had to admit now that she was older that it was the only response really.

The sound of Leander’s boots sounded securely on the stone steps of the hallway.

Leander stepped into the room, his bright white and traditional garment drawing all eyes to him. But his large green eyes fell only on Amberle.



********************



Amberle felt disheartened upon the sight of the little boat she was supposed to use to travel across the sea. “I’m supposed to go away in THAT?”

Leander used his calming voice on her. She hated that voice. “You'll be fine. I’ll cast a spell that will put you to sleep and protect you until you reach land.”

Amberle’s voice was hardly a whisper. “You won’t know… I could drown out there.”

“You will not drown.” Leander’s voice was suddenly strong and urgent. He wanted nothing more than for her to get in the boat. He wanted to be rid of her the same as all the other elves.

The anger welled up in her chest and spilled over so that the words that fell out of her mouth hardly sounded like her own. “You’re just SO glad to get rid of me, aren’t you?” She wanted to kick the boat, and she would have but for Leander’s suddenly stern voice sounding strongly over her thoughts.


“Amberle Silverring there happens to be plenty you don’t know. Quit feeling sorry for yourself and just get in the boat.”

He had never yelled at her before. Amberle hesitated. His yelling almost hurt worse than the abandonment. She thought back to the time he had snuck her out so she could play in the forest in the rain. After that, although they didn't sneak out again, she had felt closer to him than the other elves.

“Amberle,” his voice was low, “Get in the boat.”

She didn’t want to. She didn’t want to leave her home or the forest she had grown up in and loved since she was a little girl. But she couldn’t say so after he had yelled and then followed up with a low warning growl. So she climbed into the boat while trying to hold back her tears as Leander started to cast the spells.


Amberle's eyelids became heavy as the spells infused her consciousness with dreams of the forest. She lay on a bed of lady's mantle; the yellow flowers surrounded her, comforting her as the first few drops of a warm rain gently splashed her face, running down her temple.

The wind gently touched her face carrying soft words to her elfen ears. “… a new start…” Leander’s voice was but a whisper in her ear. “Good luck, Amber…” It seemed he said something else, one last phrase which drifted away with her conscious as she slipped completely into the dream state...



********************


What a weekend! I went to a local anime festival (Fanime) with my boyfriend and best friend. We had no internet though, so I'm still catching up on all the entries I missed.

Plus, I didn't get a chance to play before I left, so I just took these pictures. Phew!

I also had a little bit of trouble getting the words out for this entry. I've had it written, but it didn't sound right. I hope I managed to do it justice.

Here is the music I listened to while I tried to re-write and edit. The first is actually from my favorite game Final Fantasy 4 (on the Super Nintendo). The second is from the anime series Record of Lodoss war which also deals with magic and elves. *shoves glasses up nose*

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4. The Garden

Same morning as this entry


The sun shines brightly in the courtyard lighting up the dark stone of the castle walls. I remember when I was very little, coming out to the courtyard after my lessons was a treat. Lord Henry would bring me to let me play in the sun shine on the hot dark stones of the courtyard. Then one day he surprised me by having a small garden planted. They were the only plants inside the courtyard. The only other plants I had seen before then were the forest plants that I could see from my room widow on the third floor.


I bend down to closer inspect the flowers. They bloom so brightly that bugs from all over are attracted to them and seek refuge in their petals. I have often wondered what kind of life the bugs see outside. How do the other humans live who are not under the watchful eye of their vampire lords? What do they do when he must feast? Do they give up loved ones? Do they give up the poor? Maybe they simply give him the people they don't like.



Today, he wants to speak. There is space for me to sit on the bench beside him, and so I do. I can feel the stolen warmth of his forearm near mine. When I was a little girl, I never knew. There would be times he would be warmer than others, and in my ignorance I would crawl into his lap like a cat seeking the warmth of a sunbeam. I know now that those times would be just after he had fed, when the hot blood of his victim ran through his veins renewing his own life and strengthening his body.

I try to smile, but I can see he is still scowling over the merman.

"Barbaric!" He speaks in a low voice, but the word spits from his mouth. "A cart full of young maidens. Does he think he is dealing with the werewolves?"


I try to sit quietly, staring ahead of me as if I were looking at my flowers. He is one to talk. Is he more refined simply because he uses young women like my mother and my grandmother, breeding them for his own amusement and fame? I suppose he's more refined because he has raised me and, instead of killing me, parades me me around when other vampire lords visit?

"Are the werewolves bad?" I ask as I try to channel the young girl I used to be. Though Lord Henry has said enough to make me understand that he does not approve of the werewolves, he has never said specifically what is bad about them. We share a border with one of the werewolf kingdoms, yet we have never had a visit from any of the werewolves.


He turns to me in a rare form. His teeth are plainly visible as he angrily tells me, "Very. I want you no where near a werewolf, do you understand? Even your magic would not be enough of a defense against them."

"Are they immune too? Like the vampires?"

"No, but they will not give you time to cast a spell once they have caught your scent." He looks away from me towards the flowers, deep in his own thoughts.

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Why yes, that is a vampire hanging out in the day. (Just so you know you're not imagining things.) XD

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3. Found

Last time we saw Joan


Just my luck.

We hadn't been sure where the gift was going, but our intelligence suggested it would most likely be an offering to a near by lord. Of course, that would mean that I could be facing a werewolf as well, and I don't want that either; it's just that none of us had been expecting that the gift would be carted to one of the higher vampire lords as well. I recognized his name when I heard it spoken by one of the guards.

Lord Henry's name had been carried to our little resistance group by a person who had managed to make it out of the Vampire Empire. Apparently, he is known to be rather eccentric (even for a vampire). He enjoys collecting art and throwing parties where the humans aren't the meal but the entertainment.


I saw the vampire lord with my own eyes in the courtyard. There was an angry scowl on his face as he commanded the gaurds to drop us into the cells. "Be sure to check their eyes," he added. A young girl stood behind him with her hands neatly folded behind her back. She looked young-- about 18 or so-- and yet she stood securely near him as if she knew that she was in no danger. Her exposed neck showed no wounds, and none of the guards so much as glanced at her.

It seemed clear to me that she was a kept human. Protected and cared for while the rest of us suffered. If I did manage to find a way to escape, I would be sure to steer clear of her. She would be the first person to turn in a human rebel-- of that I am sure.





I could hear boots scuffling on the stone steps. It was more than one pair, but I couldn't tell how many more. My heart raced. Were they already here to pick out one of us to go upstairs?

Two men stand before the cages looking us over. I do my best to huddle down and appear as unplesant as possible, but I can't help looking around at the young girls in various states of distress. I know they wouldn't do the same for me. If I were in trouble, they would not help me. They'd all just be glad it wasn't them.


I stand up and stare at the two men catching the eye of the one with the hat. He nods and points at me. Crap. What the hell was I thinking? I want to sit back down, but they're already unlocking the cage door and motioning for me to come out.


We end up in the kitchen. The guard takes his leave.

The cook smiles at me and says in a low voice, "Don't worry. You're safe. I knew your father."

I'm not sure what to say or do. Luck? Chance? Or was this planned?

"Come, I'll show you how to chop vegetables." He sets me up with a cutting board and sets me to work, explaining how to cut the veggies. Inbetween instructions, he explains more in a lower yet clear voice.


"Someone followed to be sure you arrived, and when it was noticed that you were coming here, they sent word to me to save you."


We work to make stew and gruel for the guards and the prisoners. All the while, he softly explains the vampire kingdom to me.



***********************

So I was looking over last week's entries, and I feel like I wasn't clear enough. Part of my problem is that when I write, I just start writing, usually from the middle of a story. So sometimes, there are details that I might not mention because it's something that's clear to me. (I do this a lot IRL too.)

Basically what's going on here is that Supernatural creatures once ruled this land. To my sims (excluding Amberle), this is a new land. They came over from the old land, so they know none of the history. (Heck, how much Amberle and the other elves actually know is questionable too.)

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Battle

Present day-- Last time we saw Amberle

Leander didn't even bother to ask Amberle if she was in distress before he tossed a magic spell at Henry. Amberle heard herself beginning to growl an insult just as the spell dissipated against Henry’s chest. The words sat unspoken on her tongue when she saw Henry's glare and a flash of teeth.

Henry leaped, using his larger body to knock Leander to the ground.





"You should know something about your enemy before you try to attack," Henry had a hand to Leander's throat. "Vampires are immune to magic."

Amberle could only think to do one thing. She pounced on Henry, knocking him off Leander and onto the ground.

As far as Amberle could tell, Henry was surprised. He did not fight; he only put one hand gently on her arm and gazed into her eyes.

“Whoa Amberle…” Leander’s voice came shakily from behind. "It's okay. I can handle him." Amberle recognized that tone of voice right away. It had been the tone he would use when she was a little girl and she had become angry at one of the other elves who had mistreated her.


“What? Don't use that tone with me! I just rescued you in case you didn’t notice.”

Henry rolled his eyes, though Amberle wasn't clear at who. “You haven’t told her, have you? You haven’t told her why they and you fear her for something she didn’t do and has no control over.” Henry growled so his fangs showed purposely. “Tell her.”

Amberle looked over her shoulder to Leander even as she still straddled Henry, “Yeah, tell me.”

Leander opened his mouth to sigh and, hopefully, begin to explain when he gasped at a shadow that stepped out from the tree line.


Amberle was too surprised to fight Henry when he gently moved her off of him so he could gracefully stand up between her and the hulking form. Amberle fell back on her behind as she watched Henry make a graceful bow to the large creature with the wild hair.

Henry sounded exasperated. “Ah, now you appear. I’ve been waiting.” Henry stepped to the side just enough to reveal Amberle and still stay close enough to step in front of her in case the creature attacked. “I suppose it’s Amberle you really wish to see. Amberle,” Henry hardly turned towards her. “Meet your father.”

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2. Anna

Also a long long time ago (around the same time as last entry):


I stand at my place behind my lord's large wooden chair. The maid said we were having a special visitor this morning and that our lord needed me today-- not only to show me off, but also as protection. She picked out one of my rarely used gowns, a deep purple one which exposes too much of my neck. "It brings out the color of your eyes," she had said. But all I can think of it is that my neck is too exposed.

Boots loudly scuffle on the stone just outside the door. My stomach churns anxiously at the sound of his arrival.




Lord Henry sits down in the seat before me as I try my best to smile the way I used to when I was a naive little girl. The look on his face is stern. Once he is in the seat before me, he says, "A mermaid visit today, Anna. If he should attack, use fire."

I simply nod and pray that the merman doesn't attack.

My lord leans back so that the wood from the back of the chair creaks from holding his weight. I can feel his agitation. Mermaids are not the friends of the Vampires.

A messenger announces the arrival of Lord Pollonios shortly before he walks in through the door. He wears no clothes. My eyes dart away quickly. From my first glance, I can tell that he is much smaller than my lord, shorter and slimmer. His skin appears to be blue like the ocean he comes from, and he looks very much like a human, but for his flat nose and large red eyes.



From the corner of my eyes, I can see him moving to a seat motioned to by my lord.

"Good day, my lord. I have come bearing gifts." The merman's voice is deep and low but carries far. There is a vibration to his voice; it rumbles as if deep within his chest he brought the water from the sea.

"You are quite a way away from home, are you not? Don't tell me you came all this way to bring me young maidens."

The merman gurgles. I can only guess that he is laughing. "I am sorry, my lord, but my land, unfortunately, does not have much else to offer to one of your calibur. Unless, perhaps, you were needing strong workers."

My lord's voice becomes deep and menacing. "What is it you are hoping to get in return?" I can imagine his dark eyes glowering.


The merman maintains his calm. Quickly, my eyes scan for his face and I catch him glancing at me before I look away again. He is curious about me, but because my lord hasn't brought the subject up, it would be rude for the merman to ask about me. "Nothing at all, my lord. Simply, your goodwill. The previous lord met an untimely demise, and I have stepped in to take care of his lands. I thought it might be a good idea to meet my closest neighbors."

My lord sits quietly for a moment. Both the mermaid and I hold our breaths as we wait for a response. I can't help glancing up again, and I see the merman's eyes on me. It becomes clear to me that he knows the blow will come from my hands, not the guard who stands near by.


"Quite daring of you to appear before me as a new lord." My lord's voice suddenly changes into something more like the purr of a cat. I wonder if he is smiling and flashing his fangs as I have seen him do sometimes. "In a few days, some of the other Vampire lords will be visiting to partake in a show quite unlike any thing I dare say you've seen. I would like you to come."

The merman has no choice. "Thank you. The art of this kingdom is known far and wide. It would be an honor to be a witness."



The merman bows his head, then rises to take his leave. My lord stands, blocking my view of the merman. I peek one eye around my lord's large arm to watch the merman bowing deeply. When he pulls himself up, he glances at me again, clearly still curious. But my lord says nothing.

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I haven't said it at all so far, but Henry is actually William Carfax by Atomic Space Kitty. He is simply awesome. The second I saw him, I thought he would make a good bad guy.

Also, although I keep thinking it, I refuse to ask if I've gone too weird. XD If there are people out there going, "Whaaaat?" Then I can only point over to my "About me" section and stress that I really love the X-Men, comic books, science fiction and other odd things. (In particular, I love the late 70 and early 80's when Chric Claremont did the whole Space Opera thing which began the Dark Phoenix storyline.)

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1. Joan

A long long time ago...



The other members of our small secret group watch me expectantly. The second in command (now the leader) has just read my father's last testament.

"Well, will you, Joan? It won't be easy, and we will do our best to prepare you for your journey."

I don't see that I have a choice. It would be impossible for me to say, "No. The human race can rot, I'll take my chances living with the mermaids."

So I nod like an idiot.




I had seen magic. My father preformed it for us and had us practicing in the basement under his pub after hours. We had to be sneaky. If other humans saw us, there was always the possibility that we could be turned in and severely punished.

We live in the Kingdom of the Mermaids. For the most part, the mermaids are very hands off. They could be as cruel lords and masters as the Vampires and Werewolves, but often they don't care to be so. It is only when they want something that we are called to do something for our masters.

To the mermaids, we are nothing more than a commodity. They use us as they please. More than once, whole cities of humans have been lost to attacks from the neighboring kingdoms. The Mermaids simply forget to check on their humans.


Our own mermaid lord recently died. We are only aware of this because the new lord (we assume it is the son of our old lord) has been seen wandering the land, checking production. The last sighting was the small community next to us. One of the merchants traveling back and forth trading goods heard this and passed on the news to us. It is now or never.

We are all certain he will want a place to stay. During the night, he is fine thanks to the cold moisture in the air and the water he carries with him. But after sunrise, it will be too warm for him to continue his tour. He will want to stay at the inn above my father's pub. The one I now run since his passing away.

The new lord has been seen gathering a small group of women who go with his human guards when they were picked. A gathering of women means most likely one thing. He is planning a gift for one of the neighboring kingdoms' lords. We are guessing that it is most likely for the Werewolf King who could properly appreciate the maidens.

The new lord would be here tomorrow night. Somehow, I am to get myself included in his gift. My mission: gather magic users to help fight for the freedom that we are rightfully due.




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So, here's where I get weird. This storyline is something that came out of a playful free write.

I don't want it to be confusing, so I am trying to make sure everything you need to know will somehow be mentioned in the posts. (Because you really won't need to know everything yet.) Feel free to ask what you want, but I reserve the right to not answer. ;) At some point, I will put up a detailed post that explains what I've got worked out so far, but for now, to hopefully cut out the confusion, I will let the story carry what info you absolutely need.

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Campfire

Amberle stared at the fire as it jumped and sputtered throwing sparks into the air before her. She sat in the middle of the woods alone with a blood-drinking vampire and in front of a fire no less. She didn't like any of it one bit, even though it was to such a point of absurdity, she was almost ready to laugh out loud at her own luck.

"I would explain if I thought you would listen," Henry said softly. So far, he had kept his distance from her, but she could feel his eyes on her as if he were waiting for her to make a get-a-way.



"Why wait? Can't you just 'suggest' that I listen?" She cringed inwardly at the childishness she heard in her own voice.

"There are some it will not work on."

She dared to glance at him to see if he were watching her, but his eyes remained fixed on the fire before them.


Did he mean that she couldn't be dazzled? It made her curious, but as her own voice refused to co-operate with her stubborn tough elf image, she refused to ask anything about it. Instead, she tried to remain angry. Henry left her to her angry silence; this time he didn't bother to try to small talk her as he had on the ride up.

The silence helped her anger stew. It wasn't long before she finally blurted, "What is it you want from me anyway? Why am I here? That's the only reason why you even started bothering with me, isn't it?"

He glanced guiltily at her. "In the beginning, I did try to suggest to you. I had hoped to avoid stretching things out. But you are surprisingly-- refreshing."

For a moment, she worried he might be referring to her scent. She tried to keep the horror off her face.

"I think you are quite unique and for more than just your eyes."


The direction of the conversation was making her uncomfortable, so she jumped on the new conversation topic despite it being the weakest thread. "What's that about my eyes?"

He looked at her in surprise. "You haven't noticed how unique your eye color is, even among the elves?"

Amberle shrugged. "Not really."

Henry sighed. "How often have you seen lilac colored eyes besides when you look in the mirror?"

Amberle scowled. "I don't know! Who cares? What is this all supposed to mean anyway?"



"It has to do with the most sought after commodity that very few are aware of-- magic."

Amberle was thoroughly confused. She had no magic. Her teacher and every adult had told her so and had refused to train her. When ever she used magic, it often backfired on her and anyone near by her until she feared to use any innate powers she did have. "What are you talking about? I have no real magic, and any magic I do have is cursed."

Henry raised an eyebrow. "None at all? I have heard that you created a home out of dust and dirt when you first arrived across the sea. And that when you needed it, you created an entire nursery set for your special guest."

Amberle threw her hands up in the air. "That wasn't me. That was a magical place. It had a wishing well."

It was clear that Henry did not believe her despite her protests. "Who gave you the idea that you have no magic? Was it the adult elves? The ones who should have taught you?"

Amberle looked into the fire, but she said nothing.

"Amberle," Henry's voice became low even as his eyes sparkled with surprise. "Have they never told you?"


"Told me what?"

"Who your father is?"

There was a golden glow that errupted behind Henry, almost blinding Amberle with the sudden brightness cutting through the dim light from the campfire.

"Let her go." Leander stood with magic crackling at his fingertips. "Now."



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I have to admit I'm kind of excited about this storyline. It was really fun to take the pictures, and the sims (in general) were pretty co-operative. It was the game that was not always working with me.

I hope these pictures aren't too dark. If they are, let me know so I can fix them because the next four Mondays will all be part of this one night.


I also thought this random picture was cute, but didn't fit in anywhere. Doesn't Leander look thrilled?

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Gabe & Alberta's first official date

Gabe’s such a romantic. What’s the first thing he does with Alberta on their first official date? Plays punch me punch you. I was rather sure this would not end well with him being a mean sim and all.





Wait for it… Is this is?



No, they continue playing. Either Alberta is really easy going, or (as I prefer to think) he really worked hard not to hurt her like he would his brother.



Afterwards, they played some darts.

Don't worry, Gabe was only teasing.


Alberta's stomach growled, and Gabe couldn't have that. So he grilled up some burgers for everyone.

(Really, where do they keep the ground beef? If it's in the same back pocket as the mop, then no thank you!)




It started to rain suddenly and mysteriously.

But that didn't stop Gabe from working his classic moves on her.


They did head inside eventually. Where Gabe pounced on her and gave her a big squeeze!

I just love his face in this one.

Unfortunately, I missed her first kiss. She seems to have gotten it sometime around the beach party. Gabe totally snuck it in there while I wasn’t looking! (I do have a bad habit of leaving the game while a lot loads. I suppose missing her first kiss is what I get.)

But it’s ok, they need lots of time to practice anyway.



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Just a bit of filler so that the new storyline starts on Monday. :D

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