Stranger Things Happen, Bluesky 29

Skyday, Bluesky 24th 29 A.G.S.

Rommy zan-Ace (55), Zareb zan-Ace (6)

One year had passed since the Nuidya tribe had settled in Kulo Seeri; one year, for former chief Rommy zan-Ace, without the responsibilities of leading the tribe. For nearly thirty years, ever since the Great Storm, the Nuidya had looked to Rommy to get them through the difficult times that followed. Now that he had retired, those duties belonged to young Sena Seerijata zan-Avira, in whose honour the new settlement had been named.

Rommy had never seen himself as a leader before the Great Storm. He had always been the quiet, bookish type, preferring to keep to himself rather than socialising and chasing girls like his brothers had. Remy, his twin, used to call him... what was that funny city word he used to use? A dirk, or a dark, something like that. But the storm had changed all that, forcing the survivors - all seven of them -  to take on new responsibilities. Still, that was twenty-nine years ago. A new generation was growing up, and Rommy could enjoy his retirement... and there was one aspect of his new life in Kulo Seeri that he was particularly enjoying.

She had arrived at the village gates late last spring, saying she "wanted to meet her new neighbours", as if this was a suburban neighbourhood in SimNation and they had just moved in next door. She introduced herself as Jill Taylor, and spoke of strange, mystical things, great power and how to use it for good. Rommy's niece Soleil had even begun to learn some of these skills from the elderly woman, and more recently, so had Rommy himself.

He had to admit, he did look quite good in the hat and coat.

Mostly, though, he wore the fancy outfit to impress Jill. It was almost as if he was under a spell himself. Neither of them were young any more, but he was beginning to feel like a lovesick teenager again. The more they saw of each other, the stronger the feeling became, and over the next year, the sense of loss that had been with him since his ex-wife Manewa left began to fade.

Rommy now spent every spare moment studying, as he had done in his younger years - this time, though, knowledge itself was only half the motivation. This time, he mostly wanted to show off in front of a woman. Remy would have been proud.

Zareb, Rommy's young alien son, was equally fascinated by the newcomer. Whenever she visited, he would rush to meet her and immediately let loose a stream of questions ranging from "how do you make the brush fly?" to "where can I get one of those hats?"

She seemed to have infinite patience with the small child, although she couldn't always explain things in a way his six-year-old mind could easily grasp.

It was easily the most excited Rommy had ever seen his son, too - mostly Zareb, the only child in the village, was alone with his toys and books. Maybe he would develop similar powers when he grew older. Stranger things have happened, after all - Rommy still remembered his parents howling at the moon.

He had known what he needed to do for a long time, but was only just beginning to gather the courage to put his plans into action.

On Jill's next visit, the twenty-fourth of Bluesky by the new calendar, Rommy invited her to his home for the evening. Nothing unusual about that, he thought, she was around often enough. Nothing unusual about the visit, either, at least as far as there can be nothing unusual about a witch, a warlock and a half-alien child sharing sandwiches. As she was about to leave, however, Rommy prepared to take things to the next level.

"Wait - before you go, there's something I need to ask you."

(Zareb crouched in the vegetable patch behind them, under the pretence of pulling weeds)

As Jill turned around, Rommy made his move - city-style, with a ring and everything.

"I know this is a little sudden, but... but I love you, and I want us to be together... will you marry me?"

The words came out much more easily than they had thirty years earlier, when he asked Manewa the same question. There was a greater fear of rejection this time, but he couldn't put it off any longer. Trying to keep calm, he waited for the answer.

"Rommy, you are crazy..."

Oh, no... is there a rock I can go crawl under?

"But you are the sweetest crazy man I ever met. Of course I will."

Rommy leapt up to embrace his new fiancée.

Did that tomato plant just say "eww"?

*****

VT says: I actually wasn't planning on having any NPCs in the hood at all. I just forgot to tell the Visitor Controller to block them, and when Jill showed up, I thought I might as well have a couple of my Sims learn a little magic... and I certainly wasn't planning on her having two bolts of chemistry with Rommy, but what can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic, and (IMO) they are the cutest elder couple I have ever seen in four and a half years of playing the Nuidya.