Starlight Shores comes into view.
Leo Vargas' worries about his financial security creeps up again, and he is THIS close to getting out of the police car and take the bus back to Sunset Valley.
Not that he's in trouble for being in a police car in the first place. His friend just happens to own one.
It looks like an exciting amount of worries opportunities are in this city.
"Are you sure this will be okay?" Leo speaks out in a tiny voice. He has already been offered to stay at Ermilinda's place for an indefinite amount of time, and will be asking her sister to help him get a spot in the music company where she's working.
Too many favours on his part, and he doesn't want to hassle Ermilinda or her family anymore. He doesn't think he should continue this in the first place.
The car comes into a halt in front of his friend's sister's house. Ermilinda Sanchez checks the time on her phone before turning to Leo, who looks uncertain about everything else.
She reaches over him to grab his shoulders, which startles him. "I am absolutely sure that this will be okay." There's either a hint of confidence or irritation in her tone, but she is smiling. She's actually excited about this.
Ermilinda steps out of the car, went over to where Leo is sitting, and gently pulls him out of his seat. "Cresalina won't be giving any second thought about this," she reassures him.
Cresalina is having second thoughts about this. Definitely not sure how to pull the strings for this one, especially when Cresalina is least popular among colleagues.
Fortunately, Leo doesn't know that fact, so he won't feel more uncomfortable than he already is while standing in the corner.
"Maybe you could suggest one of those auditions again?"
Cresalina scoffs. "And then they'll use the new recruits as an excuse to get me out of the way. Right."
"Or," Ermilinda starts grinning. "You could use it as a chance to try again as a singer."
Her sister always wanted to be a singer. Ermilinda knows that, and is one of the reasons why she is excited to have Cresalina help out Leo.
"Did you play the guitar Ermi threw at you?" (Ermilinda rolls her eyes)
The question throws him off guard, but he recovers quickly enough. "I...yeah. I did."
"Was it the reason why you started playing the guitar?"
Ermilinda shoots her sister a look, which Cresalina dismisses. Leo looks down and hopes they won't notice the faint blush creeping on his face.
"Yes," he admits sheepishly.
Ermilinda interrupts to warn her not to bring up the subject again, saving Leo from more being asked more questions.
Her sister shrugs in response.
"I'll definitely make you my accompaniment when I'm going to be singer." Cresalina snuggles.
Ermilinda attempts to pry her sister's arms off her back. Leo finds this amusing now.
They go back in the car and drove a few meters to the next house, where Ermilinda and Cresalina's older sister lives with her family.
"I get Cresalina, but Felicita? I don't think she would want to see me again," Leo frets. He also wants to add that she scares him, with the way she seems to judge everything he does.
"I just have to show her that I'm not marrying you or having some kind of affair in front of my kid," she explains. Felicita didn't take the idea of Leo living with Ermilinda lightly.
"Ah. Right. Hello, Leo."
Leo tries to smile back.
It got awkward. But at least it's not as hostile as Leo thought it would be.
Not as awkward when Felicita's wife Sammantha started flirting with Ermilinda.
As part of her police training, Felicita somehow managed to snuck behind them without having to go through the back door. Or the window, for that matter.
"She's already not in a good mood," Ermilinda hisses at Sammantha. Her sister-in-law just winks at her before going inside the house.
Leo tries to think of a way he could slip outside without anyone noticing, but Sammantha notices him and it's too late.
She introduces herself as Sammantha Devon-Sanchez. They could hear some exasperated voices outside. "You know, I just flirted with Ermilinda to tick Feli off."
Leo thinks it's unfair to drag Ermilinda into this. "Why? Were you fighting?"
Sammantha giggles. "No, I just want to see her reaction."
He finds that reasoning confusing, but lets her be. Doesn't want to tick off Felicita himself.
Leo compliments their house before leaving for Ermilinda's house.
Lucida goes home from school only to find the guy she has only seen in her mother's old photo albums helping himself to the kitchen already.
(He offered to cook dinner for everyone)
She ignores him altogether and goes straight to Ermilinda to talk about this new lesson they had.
"Is it true that Earth will eventually run out of resources and fall out of its place in the orbit?"
It's a rather dark thought, but Ermilinda slowly replies, "It's a possibility, but it's likely we won't be there to witness it." Lucida is fascinated by this answer.
In drama class, they have been told that one's facial expressions get to show the person's true thoughts and feelings, unless they are good at masking it.
Lucida isn't good at masking hers, so she shows her complete displeasure at Leo's presence, now that he's actually here.
Here, Leo has enough experience to be able to mask his nervousness by plastering on a big smile.
Everyone chews slowly.
Lucida is already halfway to finishing hers, because it's actually very good. She lets the best of her taste buds and seems to forget her irritation at Leo using her bedroom for a while.
"Did you use a special frying pan or something? Mac and Cheese usually tastes normal!"
Leo smiles a real tiny smile while Ermilinda explains that there are people with the ability to make normal food into really good food.
Then the adults start talking about work. Looks like this he's in the same field as her Aunt Cresalina.
Lucida munches on a couple of spoonfuls to get away from the table as quickly as she can.
Ermilinda watches as he turns on the faucet gently. Her tone is gentle, but careful. Just like how she picks up the bowl of Mac and Cheese that he has cooked for them. "You don't have to feel obliged to do the chores, you know."
"But I still do," he admits. The rush of water on his soapy hands calms him down.
She pats him on the back as she passes by. "I know."
Ermilinda sets up some rules for her daughter while she stays in this room. Like not reading when it's already past midnight. As her mother, she knows.
Lucida is too sleepy to properly listen to her mother, but she nods to make her stop.
Cresalina calls Leo to tell him where the audition will be held at, whom to greet, whom to avoid. She trusts his skills enough to tell him to do as he like for tomorrow.
Meanwhile, back in the main bedroom, Lucida decides to bring up Leo's crush on Ermilinda. Or as Ermilinda puts it, 'an old flame.'
"I bet he's happy to be living here and all," she teases. "He even cooked for you! And offered to wash the dishes."
Ermilinda rolls her eyes. "It was for both of us. And by the way, that was a poor attempt to compliment his cooking. Go and thank him properly."
Lucida marches into her former bedroom and startles Leo, who was changing into his pajamas.
"You're a good cook! I'm looking forward to the stuff you'll be making."
He stares at the kid, understandably confused. "Thank you?"
As Lucida marches out of the room, Leo wonders if Ermilinda had told her daughter to do this.
He hopes Lucida won't continue to resent him for letting him use her room.
______________________________________
And there you have it. *dying fanfare*
This is the third time that I have written something for this family. Well. I guess that counts for the experience that I got from all of that.
Welcome to another Sims 3 Random Legacy Challenge. Fortunately I'm just here to make use of the rolls, and make something out of the rolls. If I sound confusing, I'm going to leave all the explanation here.
The rolls for this generation are: couple, 3 children, music (rock star), artist, opportunist, and half-siblings. Lucida is already child no. 1, for the half-siblings requirement, so all that leaves me are two more. Despite a not-so-positive reaction from Ermilinda, these two will end up eventually. Because this is a legacy, and I have rolls to follow.
