4.7 The maiden

warning NSFW, language 

     Yes, you're so purrrty.... so purrty.... In the background Aurora meowed all she could. Either she wanted attention, or she knew that something was up; she knew that one of her babies was going to be given away to someone else, and that she might never see her little baby again. Doing her best not to think about it, Aino kept grooming Persephone. Like yesterday hadn't been bad enough, she was giving away her cats. Well, some of them atleast.

     He won't be able to resist you, keeping her voice lighter than usual, Aino took all care she could spending as much time with Persephone as possible. She kept comforting herself with the fact that she'd be right across the street. And knowing cats, she'd walk over to her garden as often as she could. That's just how they were: You are so beautiful.... Soft fur stroked against her legs, desperate for a little of the same attention the other cat got. 

     Yes, she sweettalked the other cat: you're also so purrrty... As aweful as it was to think, giving away Persephone was a walk in the park. She was a beautiful cat, whilst poor Belsebub looked more like a rat than anything else. Finding him an owner would be difficult. Ofcourse she loved all her cats, but him and Avocado was lost causes.

     Her neighbour was getting married, and had figured the best weddinggift was a cat. Usually she wouldn't give away a cat to someone that was going to offer it as a gift, but he'd assured her that if his fiance said no; he'd get a new fiancee. Aino still hoped she would like the cat. Ofcourse she did, everyone liked cats.
     Persephone seemed to like him a lot to, which she got. If she were a cat, she'd love to be petted by Gustav to. He could totally pet her, with those big, strong hands, sweettalking with that deep voice... Wonder how he looked without a shirt on... No! But he was soooo hot. Look at those arms, she could see his muscles moving under the fabric...

     Look at those shoulders on that man, she wanted to rub them: If anything happens, or you won't be able to keep her; you can just come back with her. He nodded, she'd already said that several times. But she was tired after a long day at work, so she was allowed to forget things. She was even giving him the cats favourite toy. Persephone had to have her favourite toy with her. But it was still a lot easier than she'd thought.

     They were interrupted by a leggy, blueeyed casanova strolling down the stairs. Who could blame him? Someone actually got more attention! Everyone knew that he was the pretty one.
     Wow.. Gustav was clearly impressed by him: Who's that? 
     Fitzgerald. He's Persephones brother... The look he gave her, said it all. He wanted both of them to come with him. It was even better, because that way the two of them wouldn't be lonely atleast.

     But their last sibling, Avocado, also looked like a rat. She wouldn't be lonely either way. She was going to stay with Aino. Now it was just to wait for dad to show up, to part with the last for this time. It had been strangely painless. Maybe it was about time that she started bonding with other things than just cats. Not that cats weren't the best, but eleven had been a bit to many. But she still had nine! She was certain dad was going to like her idea though. Even if it was a bit hard for her. 

     Hi dad! Aino smiled. She'd heard him knock, but didn't want to make Ptah jump down.
     Hi. He looked at Ptah, him and the cat knew eachother. He'd been born when Aino was still a teenager, but she'd taken him: Come and sit down dad, I think you're going to like my idea. 
     What happened? Dad didn't sit down, but started asking questions instead, referring to the bruises: High heels, stairs and cats that walks around your legs. she lied. She just didn't want dad to worry.

      I'm fine dad. She was fine after all. The injuries weren't bad, and would go away in a few days. That didn't make Ian worry any less: Have you been to a doctor? You should see a doctor. 
     Dad, I'm fine. Nothings broken, I'm just a bit sore. Let's talk about the cats instead. Because cats were the best: I have a great idea.
     Okay.... But are you sure you're fine? Those look pretty bad. Ian just wanted to know what had happened to his helpless little daughter.
     Dad, I'm fine. I had an accident, that happens. Let's talk about my idea instead.

     Stroking Ptah again, she looked him deep into his eyes, blinking a few times to say "hello": How about you and Maya take Ptah and his girlfriend Aurora; That's the pile of fur rolling around next to me...
     Oh? What about a younger cat?
     Well, I'm not saying you and Maya are going to roll over and die the next week. But you're getting older, and so is Ptah. So instead of getting a very active younger cat; how about these two? Besides, you already know eachother. Don't you, she sweettalked the cat a bit more. Ptah would have a great life with dad and Maya.

     It was a sentiment Ian refused to admit: We're not that old... 
     I know dad, but Mayas not used to cats. Besides, she's a lot older than you. And you've always been a bit weak for Ptah anyway. So why not take him. He's got a long while before he ages, and Aurora has even more. She took a little theatrical break: besides, it would've helped me. I love my cats, but Aurora and Halo doesn't get along that well... she outright lied now, but she knew that dad really wanted to take Ptah with him. Dad had always been weak for him.
     Well, okay. If you insist.. He was just worried that his daughter was beeing to nice again, by giving away her favourite cat. But he really, really wanted that tailless freakshow.
     Great, that's settled then.

     Dad... It wasn't just a coincidence she wanted him in a good cat- mood: can I ask you a personal question?
     Sure, how many parents haven't fallen into that trap?
     Have you ever regretted anything with mum or Maya? She saw him getting uncomfortable, so she quickly added: I don't mean with... you know, or that you wouldn't have me if you didn't meet mum. I mean... do you ever wish that things hadn't moved so fast with mum? Do you ever wish that you'd taken it slower, like you and Maya did?

     Uhm... he hesitated a bit: No. No, I don't. She had hoped he'd confirm what she'd asked: If anything I wish I'd moved faster. Especially with Maya. I was so worried about everything and everyone, that I didn't really think about what would be best for me. Ofcourse, I didn't just think about myself, you were a lot more important to me. But you kind of made it clear all along what you thought...

     He had all of Ainos attention, this was the opposite of what she wanted him to say: It's as you say; we're getting older. If I hadn't waited, we'd have a longer time together. It's not like I sit and think about that, but it's a fact.
     But what if things had gone wrong? I mean... She never finished the sentense, so Ian took over. He might be an old man now, but he was far from dead: If things end bad, they will end bad either way. By all means, waiting wasn't bad. But I strongly doubt that we'd be less happy if we'd moved faster.

     But, Aino remembered how scared dad had been, but didn't want him to know that she knew: Weren't you scared? 
     Ofcourse I was scared. Ian decided it was best not to mention anything about her mums gaslighting, he didn't want to invalidate her experiences: Why wouldn't I be? Skuld poisoned me, and she mistreated the most important thing in my life. Aw... Dad had indirectly called her the most important thing in his life: But...

     Do you know how low the odds are for something like that happening? Ian kept going: It's almost impossible, I doubt anyone would've believed me if I'd told someone from out of town. 
     It is? Aino wasn't so sure about that. She'd met plenty of boys and men that she found pretty mean, but ofcourse mum was of a different caliber.
     Yes. I mean, the chances that you'll meet someone mistreating you; especially violently; is a lot higher than mine, atleast according to statistics. But the chances are still small.

     I know that the unknown can be scary. But you've done it before; you went to university, you bought a house and live on your own. You take in cats you don't know anything about. Waiting, in any term, isn't going to change the outcome. Atleast that's what I believe. He felt very intelligent at that.
     But how did you know that Maya wasn't going to turn out like mum? Wasn't that because you waited, or because you knew her from before? She wasn't believing that his first thought had been "it's statistically unreasonable". No way that had been it. 

     Honestly I did something that I hadn't in a while. I decided to trust my gut- instinct.

     As much as Aino could relate to listening to a part of her body, she wasn't sure her gut was a reliable source for safety advice: How do you know it's telling the truth?
     You can't. But the worst case scenario about listening to your guts is that you're wrong, and the sim was harmless. Worst case scenario if you ignore it, is that you end up dead. Obviously listening to your guts isn't a guarantee for safety, because sims can be very manipulating. But it tends to be right more often than wrong.
      Oh... maybe her gut wasn't working properly. Or maybe it was.

     After dad took Ptah and Aurora with him, Nefertum went searching for his brother, and Gilbert seemed to be angry with her. It hurt, but she knew that it was for the best. Besides, it wasn't like they'd never meet again. This way she could give her remainding cats more attention. Gilbert usually wasn't angry for long, so he'd come around eventually.

     It was easy to forget what had happened just the day before, when daylight was fresh; and sims came and went. Now that they were gone she was reminded of another thing she liked about the cats; someone was always there. Or atleast, she never had to go far before one showed up. Now she just felt alone and scared. The small thunderstorm that washed oved the city didn't make things better. Atleast it was over almost as soon as it started. The brusing wasn't all to painful, it was a bit swollen and mainly hurt if she squeezed them. She was supposed to stop squeezing them, but she kept poking them either way.

     It usually helped a bit to drink a glass of water, or to wrap a blanket tightly around herself. She just really didn't want to be alone today. She didn't want to call dad, because then he'd just worry about her. She didn't want to bother Daniel either, because she was terrified that Hans had told her mum was a murderer.
     Maybe she should visit mum again? She wasn't supposed to, but it was probably good. Because mum was smart, mum knew everything. She'd completely forgot about how wrong her mum had been in everything, for now she just stood like a shining light of everything she'd wanted to be as a child.

     Taking another deep breath, she wondered if she should take a bottle of nectar from the unused garage. But she was scared that she'd become an alcoholic if she did. Yet she found herself walking downstairs. It was to get the nectar, wasn't it? Ian had never told that her mother hid her tokens from the victims amongst the bottles made by her great- grandfather. She wasn't going downstairs to go outside...

     She could see Daniels house from here. Wonder if Hans had told him? Dad had said he regretted waiting; waiting with Maya; waiting for everything to get better, waiting to be sure. She kept finding new places to be; she avoided the swimmingpool because of sims she didn't want to meet. She avoided the arborway hotel because of sims she didn't want to meet. She stayed indoors as much as possible, to avoid sims. But they showed up either way. It was unfair. But it wasn't, because she could have done something.

     Sometimes she wondered how life would've been if mum hadn't killed anyone. But she tried not to, because it had happened. Maybe her, mum and dad would've lived together, in one of the fancy appartments. No, they would've travelled the world; france, egypt, china... maybe especially France and Egypt, because that was where mum and dads ancestry was from. They wouldn't go the little places, but the large metropols and cities. No doubt it would've been a highend life. No, they would've gone to the small places to, on vacations.

     They'd go to monte vista on holidays, eating at the lazy bistros; then they'd go to Lucky Palms and live the good life. Maybe they'd stay a while in Starlight shores, with the celebrities. Mum would no doubt become a famous moviestar, because she was so pretty. Dad would be a famous chef and own a lot of restaurants all over the world. And mum and dad would take her with them, on the red carpets, and the awardshows she'd be attending.

    And she'd live a privelidged life, relaxing on the side of the pool; they'd live in a large house and everything would be great. They'd probably have a sexy gardener and pool- help to. That would be nice, really nice. Atleast they'd be together... with the sexy helpers... maybe she'd have a sexy boyfriend to?

     But it wasn't like that, it never had and never would. Because her mum was still in jail, her dad had been in a coma and she'd been that creepy little girl that imagined she saw dead sims all over the place. They wouldn't have lead a life like that at all. Dad would never be a highclass chef, and mum wouldn't... well mum could've been an actor. But she'd never bring her to anything. Because mum didn't love her, she didn't even like her. She hadn't noticed how long she'd been standing outside, not remotely dressed for the cold. She hadn't meant to be outside for this long.

      Aino. Are you okay?
     He looked at her like she was crazy. Which she likely was. She was cold, really cold actually. Why had she gone out to begin with again: Yes. Yeah, I'm fine. I was just lost in thoughts... You startled me.. Good thing she wasn't still creepily staring at his house...
     Aren't you cold?
     Yeah, I'm cold. What was the point of waiting again? If everything was going to go down the drain anyway, why did she care? No one else waited, so why should she?

     She didn't notice how he rolled his eyes at the rerun. This was pretty nice, and she'd gotten heat back in her body to. He hadn't said a word about why she kept doing weirds stuff, which was good because she did that a lot.
      He'd even wrapped a blanket around her, and turned on the tellie. The sound was so low that they couldn't really hear what was beeing said, but that was okay to. Turned out he'd seen her as he'd come home from somewhere. Then he'd noticed that she'd kept standing outside, and didn't move. Good thing she didn't have it in her to be embarassed. 
     What the fuck are we watching?
     Ssshhh.... It's really good.... Stupid men didn't get a good movie when they saw one.

     Luckily he didn't ask any more questions, not about her weirding out atleast: How are the bruises?
     Their fine, they are happy that you asked. He tried not smiling, but only partially succeeded: Good to know... I was wondering if they hurt a lot.
     No, not really. Only if I poke them. She had to be some form of idiot, but she was feeling weirder than usual today: Daniel... Can I ask you a question? If waiting wasn't better, why should she?
     Sure. Wait, he'd meant to say no. Damnit!
      Ehm... You.... Just it was so hard to start. But maybe if she just asked it was easier; like ripping of a bandage: You seem to like women a lot.

     He wasn't sure where this was going, and wasn't sure if he wanted to: Well, yes... Why? They liked him to, but that was because he was so damned charming, not to mention smoking hot.
     Without thinking about it, she mimicked what Stein had said to her once: Why not me?
     What?
     Well, with all the women you... you know... why not me? I mean... This had sounded a lot better in her head...
    You said you were only interested in beeing friends.
     Oh, she had said that hadn't she: But I just said that because you had a girlfriend.

     Who? Maren? She wasn't my girlfriend. We had a little... thing... going on. What the hell? Why was there a dancing goblin on tv? Who invited a goblin to a wedding?
     But she said she was your girlfriend...
     She wasn't. Wait a minute; was that a kid?! That was one ugly kid! He'd never known kids could be that blatant ugly.
     Oh... I kind of wondered why you broke up... you seemed so happy together. She probably shouldn't ask him the next though: What happened with you and Marlen then?

     Nothing special, he lied: We just didn't match. Oddly enough she hadn't appreciated that he'd spent the night with another woman, when she was waiting for him at his house.
     Oh. Best not to mention anything about the other two, then she'd be the creepy stalker: Do you want to... She didnt' want to be scared of trying anymore, but she wasn't able to ask what she wanted. And she didn't even get why it was so hard with him, when it was so easy asking everyone else if they wanted sex.
     What? Do I want to what?

     Taking one deep breath, Aino decided to take the chance. If it ended badly, it would end bad either way. Waiting didn't do any difference: Do you want to have sex... then she remembered to clarify: with me, I mean.
     Okay, he hadn't seen that coming: Are you serious?
     Well.... yeah... She'd probably never been more sure in her life. This was different.
     Are you sure?
     Yes... Why not? She seemed to be drawing bad luck all the time, so she might as well ruin everything as soon as possible.

     Leaning over and pulling her close, he even dragged the blanket off her so he could stroke her thighs and hips. Well, that had been easy- Not that she'd really thought any differently. Well, maybe she'd assumed it would be a bit more difficult.

     Daniel.... Aino tried staying focused; she didn't have any curtains: I don't have any curtains.. It was probably best to take it out of the livingroom. He answered surprisingly quickly with a thick voice: No neighbours either...
     ...Are the cats here? she could've sworn she'd heard a cat, but it was so difficult to keep her head clear: Nono, no cats... He kept on kissing her neck, making her forget why she was worried to begin with.

     Pulling away from him a second, he looked as high as she felt: What was that sound?
     What sound? He hadn't heard a sound. Like a robber sound, a cardoor sound? What sound?
     It sounded like a cat... 
     Oh, that sound: So? It's a cat. It poops in a box. They don't care about what we're doing. He was right, she knew that. It was just a cat after all: Okay... 
     How about you take that shirt off instead of worrying about cats... Stupid cats.

     Fucking trick- bra, he'd hoped she'd be completely topless... he pulled her closer, burying his face against her chest. Carefully stroking her thighs and rear, once and again kissing her breasts.
     Wait... Aino had to stop him after a while: I can't do it here. The cats...
     Again with the cats: Screw the cats. They were just cats! They licked their own rears.
     And my neighbours....
     Screw the neighbours. He was her neighbour, so actually he was hoping the neighbour got screwed.

     Eventually she interrupted, sliding off his lap: I'm sorry I can't... The cats are really freaking me out... They stood staring at them, she could see they wondered what they were doing, and if they could sit on their laps to: Your cats are pervs.
     Can we take it to the bedroom instead?
     Yeah.... Why did she get the feeling he'd agree to anything she said?

     Atleast there were curtains in her bedroom; ugly curtains; but still curtains. She didn't have time to close them shut though, as they'd gotten most of their clothes off before even getting up there. Her mind kept drifting a bit though. Not that he did anything wrong, he actually did everything right. It was her fault, but she'd gotten used to it: Daniel...

     Giving him a gentle nug, she was able to get some contact with him: Can we have the lights on?
    Yeah... Lights on was good, very good. Better than lights off: Are you going say yes to everything I say? He took a very long break, trying to kiss her again, before eventually answering: yes... 
     It's just that I really want to see you...She was going to be death of him if she kept this up: I mean, I have to see you. Yeah, he was officially going to die.

     Wait... They had gotten the blanket over them, he'd rather have it off so he could see all of her. But he wasn't complaining; they could do that another time: what? He was already laying between her legs, stroking their backside carefully. She had some pretty nasty bruises on the back of her thigh, and an enormous one on the rear. So he had to be a bit careful. She kept looking at him, caressing his face and hair: I just want to look you in the eyes when... you know... When had she gotten all shy on him?

     But atleast he was right; she was trying to kill him: Yeah, I can do that, he grinned at her. She noticably relaxed, which wasn't all that surprising. He'd noticed she was a bit nervous, but that happened at times. He always got them relaxing quickly. Moving his hands over her body, they stopped on her soft hips dragging her under him: Like this? Judging by the sound she made, it was just about right.

     Aino ended up laying on top of him, completely exhausted. She kept on stroking his chest abit, but wasn't really sure why. She was supposed to worry, and plan on something. It was just that her mind was so empty and calm at the moment. Daniel seemed to be the exact same way as her, his breath still heavy with a hand on her lower back. Was she supposed to say something? Should she have done something differently?

     Aino was ripped out from her sleep. Nothing unusual about that, she was a light sleeper but she hadn't noticed she'd fallen asleep to begin with. Why wasn't he gone? Wasn't he supposed to leave or something? Was he going to lie that close to her the rest of the night, it was like he was glued to her! Not that she wanted him to leave, but something had to go wrong, right? Something always went wrong. What was she supposed to do now? Why hadn't she thought this one through?! What was wrong with her?

     What was he going to think about her now? Had he just been interested in sex all along? What was going to happen? Why hadn't she waited until they were at his place, that way she could've snook out before he woke up; or trip over the dogs and die of a broken neck. Strangely enough her worrying woke him up, and he kissed her lightly. Eeew... morningbreathkiss...

     Pulling the blanket over them, he groggily said: Go back to sleep. We'll talk later.

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pose:imho, yumi, addie, nova, simsimi, k2m1too, fairsteadsim, mypalsims, extraordinair, lelina90, fanaskher, sgisims,

Drastically shortened for true awkwardness. I just can't write the naughtier parts of simlife, but I'll keep working on it (unfortunately for you)- It was almost not nsfw, right? On another note: I found blankets! Glorious blankets for sims! It's sad that sim- blankets can make me this happy.

Anyway, I've been playing a bit, then writing, because I've been a bit sick of playing. But Aino finally started rolling romantic wishes; like hugging, kissing and woohooing. I was starting to wonder if she'd never start rolling wishes to be a bit frisky with other sims. Maybe she was exhausted after uni. Now it's time to cross fingers for wishing for babies. (Babies damnit)

Thanks for reading

4.6: Shining darker

     Let's see.... Sekhmet was at her usual spot on the table, and Gilbert desperately tried getting her attention.

     Ptha was sleeping on the kitchencounter; keeping it sanitary over here.

     Aurora was sitting in the chair, and Halo.... Oh, that was so cute, she was meowing at the radio. But, if Halo was there, where was...

     Stressing around, Aino looked for the rest of the cats, just to find Nefertum hiding under the sofa. Okay, now up in six of them.

     Fitzgerald and Avocado were sniffing eachother. How had they gotten up here? Mummy Aurora or Daddy Ptah had probably carried them. But they were lacking one sister. Where was she? There wasn't enough time for this right now.

     Morgot was sleeping peacfully, whilst Belsebub kept himself busy scratching. Nefertum and Halos two boys had come out very alike in patterns. But where Morgot was a beautiful cat, Nefertum looked more similar to a rat. It didn't change the fact that a cat was still lacking.

     Sticking her nail into her mouth, Aino chewed on them. The nailpolish did nothing to prevent it; she'd lost a kitten. That was unforgivable! Persephone was nowhere to be found! What if she'd gotten out and ran out into traffic? What if she was flat! What if.... the doorbell interrupted her thoughs, and a familiar face stood outside.

     Looking smugger and more satisfied than any kitten should be allowed to, the neighbour had found her, again. Persephone was a little troublemaker and how she got out was a mystery. But she kept disappearing none the less
     All her cats were chipped ofcourse, but that didn't stop them from getting run over by cars: Did you loose something by any chance? It was good that Gustav was so nice about it, because the kitten had really fallen in love with him, and ofcourse he kept letting her into the house and fed her. Which made sure the kitten kept visiting him.

     Gustav... I am so sorry. I don't know how she keeps getting out. Persephone was a regular Houdini.
     No worries, she's absolutely adorable. I think she likes me. She was a kitten, they generally like everyone, but Aino didn't want to make him feel bad. Everyone needed to think that one cat found them special. Nothing was as amazing as a kittens love.

     Is she up for adoption? He looked so hopeful that it was difficult to answer: Uhm, no. She's a bit young at the moment.
     Oh... then he looked so disappointed that it was almost painful to watch. Persephone seemed to like him better than her, so maybe it was for the best? It would be the right thing to do, and Gustav seemed so sad all the time. Maybe he'd lost someone close to him: But... It's not long until she's old enough. If you want her then, you can have her...

     That would be great! He seemed all happy again: You know where I live, so just give me a holler then! Aino didn't want to part with her cats, but it was probably for the best. He'd be nice to her, and it would give her more time to spend on the cats she had left. After all, Persephone kept on running away without her noticing, crossed the streets and bugged her neighbour. It was better to have someone that could keep an eye on her.

     Sundaylunch at the families place, was usually a nice event, especially when dad cooked. Aino liked Maya, and she seemed to like her to. They'd moved from their appartment into a more suitable house, and it was probably for the best since they'd get old eventually. This way it was less stairs to walk up and down for them.
     They were sweet together, but no longer in that overly- in- love way. Which was good, because frankly it was a bit weird having a dad that acted like a giggling teenager. Good thing she wasn't in a position of giggling because she was in love with someone.

     She'd missed dads cooking, the sweet aromas filled the entire house at the moment. Aino was a pretty good cook herself, but it was something about dads homemade meals. She hoped there would be leftovers for her to take home. Maya seemed to like it to. With the way she kept shoveling it into her mouth, more fell back onto the plate. It was a hypnotic sight.

     Yet, one of her favourite things was that there were no nagging about grandchildren. She bet that both of them knew she was unlovable. Which was why she wanted to talk to dad about something. Not that she needed his blessing, but she did value his oppinion. And if anyone could advice her on it, it was him: I'm thinking about having a baby! It didn't have anything to do with mum at all. Really it didn't. It wasn't like she wanted her to be proud or anything. Even if she bet that mum would love to hear that she'd be a grandmother.

     Dad nearly choked on his food: You're thinking about it, or are you pregnant?
     Thinking about it. It wasn't like she'd just told someone that she didn't want a family. Actually it was, but she was allowed to change her mind. It didn't have anything to do with mum at all.
      Ian nodded, still eating: Okay. You have a boyfriend?
     Aino shook her head, which made him ask another question: You're thinking about artificial insemination with a spermdonor then?

     Maya interrupted them: I thought that was illegal...
     It's illegal to perform the prosedure here, but I can just go to Bridgeport and have it done. It's legal to do in another town. She'd already checked it up ofcourse.
     Oh okay. I just thought there were rules that you had to be a couple and such...
     Not in Bridgeport, or Starlight shores. They were the closest she knew of. Well, there were other places to ofcourse, but getting information hadn't been that easy.

     Isn't it expensive? Ian was levelheaded about this. He would love to have grandchildren, and a lot of them; atleast five. But he didn't nag her about it, they would come when time was right.
     Aino nodded again: It is. But I sold the house, and got a smaller one. So I have a really good profit now. It wasn't why she'd sold the house, but it was done either way: It was to expensive to keep in the end. She still lived on the same street though. Ian was impressed at his daughter. She seemed like an airhead at times, but there was nothing wrong with her intelligence.

     The new one is still big enough for a baby, and the cats. 
     Ian nodded yet again: You know you have to give some of the cats away then, right? She had 11 cats at the moment, like the crazy catlady she'd always dreamt about beeing. Well, until she gave Persephone away ofcourse. 
     What?! She didn't want to get rid of more cats: I promised to give away one already! But dad was without mercy: You still have to many. A baby is a lot of responsibility, and there's a chance you won't be able to take proper care of them.

     In addition, it's the pregnancy in general. You're not going to be as mobile as you are now. It's going to be hard just to clean their hairballs from the floor. Maya chipped in, she'd been pregnant three times and knew what she was talking about.
     She hadn't thought about that: I want what's best for the cats...
     You have to many, and should give some more of them away. Dad was absolutely clear on that.
     Hanging her head in shame, Aino knew he was right. She loved all her cats. They were well fed, tame, clean and healthy. But she noticed that it qucikly got out of hand, and took away all her ability to be spontaneous. And it had been easy to give Persephone away, she knew that she would have a good life.

I do. I'll start working on giving them up for adoption. Ian looked a bit hesitant for a moment, before saying: I wouldn't mind a few cats....
     Me neither. Maya chipped in: I'd love to have a couple of cats. 
     Aurora just had kittens and there's Belsebub and Morgot to. You can have one or two if you want. They would really have a great life with dad and Maya.
     I'll come and pick them up in a few days, okay? Well, that was easy. Maybe she had kept all those cats for other reasons.

     They finished eating before she asked again: Is it that difficult having a baby?
     No, not really. It can be very little sleep in the beginning. And you can become dehydrated, or worst case you can get problems with your pelvis, making it difficult to perform certain tasks.
     She didn't want to have problems with her pelvis! What was she going to do if that happened: That doesn't sound like it's "easy"...
     Don't worry about it, Maya said: We can talk about that if you decide to go through with it.

     With all the family time, Aino thought it would be a good idea to take a little trip and meet Daniel. Not that she was infactuated or anything! They were friends, and beeing friends was the best. And she didn't want anything else! Nope, not at all. Standing outside the liquor store, she thought about maybe getting some wine, and they could have a drink together. Just outside in the garden, or inside his house. She could see his house from here. They were so lucky to live close to the liquor store. Ofcourse she had a cellar full of nectars, but they were a lot sweeter than wine.

     Who was that? An attractive woman came out from his house, which was odd because he wasn't seeing anyone special right now. It wasn't like she wanted to be that special someone! But, who was she? Probably just a co- worker. Good thing she was only interested in beeing friends, or else she'd might be jealouse right now. Which she wasn't...

     And why was there another attractive woman coming out from the house? Not that she was jealouse..... Because that would've been very sexist, to be angry with two beautiful women. They didn't owe her anything, and it wasn't like she owned Daniel, and she was just a good sim... acting all correctly and decent... Because if she was jealouse her jaws would've been hurting right now, from clenching her teeth together in anger, which she didn't...It was probably just dads food that had gotten stuck in her teeth!

     Oh, that was definitly not co- workers. But still, she was totally not jealouse....Gah, redheads were the worst...

     Well, that was modern. Was he making some simoleons on the side?! Did fortunetelling pay that poorly!!! Not that she was jealouse! She was just... Couldn't the redhead talk a bit louder, so she could hear what this was about? Not that she wanted to know... Wait, what if he saw her! Then she looked like some stalking freak!

     Hiding at the topfloor in the liquor store, Aino hoped the clerk wouldn't come and nag her about buying something. That would've sucked; because it wasn't like she was jealouse, or that she'd scream in someones face if they talked to her right now. Good thing she wasn't in love, or bitter, because this would've felt really bad then. And she was not bitter, not at all.

     The illuminated track was a pretty good place to jog. Not only was it safer there than running on the pavements. It was also no cars that made tons of noise, and there were usually other sims present. Wether they were there alone, or just to spend some time with their family. For a safety point of view, she was never able to decide wether it was safer to be alone, or with other sims; because noth were potential safe and unsafe.
     For now she was just just jogging; not because she was mad. Nope, she'd just remembered that it was about time that she took a longer run. Because she did, a few times a week, just usually not here.

     It wasn't at all her mothers influence either, that made her do something as boring as jogging. Aino preferred swimming, but it was getting a bit to cold for that. So now she jogged instead. She definitly hadn't run from one side of town to the other in a share fit of rage, and kept running to try to calm down.

     Damned useless piece of dung men... she hated men. They weren't usable for anything! That didn't include dad ofcourse, he wasn't a man; he was dad, that was different. Some old fart shook her way across the track forcing her to slow down for a second, so she wouldn't run her over. Bet she wasn't married or had kids, or she'd be dead a long time ago! Bet that stupid blond dude with the perky nose had left his wife at home with three.... no, ten screaming kids!! Because she hated men! So there!!

     Wow, would you look at that. Old fart was here to play.... throwing the ball into the hoop over and over, whilst blondie kept failing. Go, old fart! It was guaranteed then, she was single and had been her entire life! Good for her that she kept humiliating way younger guys. Ainos jaws were slowly unclenching, leaving her increasinly less angry. She didn't really have any reason to be mad. What was wrong with her? Why did she keep reacting this way? She had to stop beeing so jealouse. It was unhealthy.

     Old fart was unstoppable. Wonder why she'd had a cane to begin with? Probably to trick blondie into thinking she was useless. it was so typical men to. As soon as a woman got older, they thought she was useless because the only value they saw in women was that they still thought they were fuckable!! Not that she was bitter or anything.... Drawing breath through her nose, the chill was starting to get to her. She hoped she didn't come down with a soar throat. It was something about cold air, and jogging that gave her a light cold. But probably not this time, because it wasn't that cold.

     Running around and around in circles, the taste of iron started filling her mouth. She wasn't planning on going until throwing up, she wasn't terrified of gaining weight. Well, maybe a bit. But she just wanted mum to be proud of her. As promised, she hadn't visited mum again. Because she was still trying to get over the fact that she'd been wrong about her doll. She'd always really knew that he wasn't a doll. She'd just clung on to any excuse she could to stay in her little imaginary world. Which she still did, but atleast now she had an awereness about it. But she still struggled to know what was real and not. Maybe she always would be this way, wondering what part was real and what wasn't?

     The playset looked inviting. Aino loved playing with toys, but rarely did anymore. Because it made sims thinks he was a weirdo. For some reason grown ups weren't supposed to. Maybe if she did go through with an artificial insemination, her and her kid could play all the time! Not that she wanted to destroy her pelvis, but that rarely happened according to Maya. But with her luck it would probably split in half or something
      Wonder if Old Fart would join her on the swing? She seemed cool enough atleast.... did she dare take the chance of exposing herself like that to another sim?

     Where was Old Fart and blondie at? Had they left? Looking around, Aino realised that she was all alone; at night, in a park... Okay, there's no reason to be scared. It wasn't that remote, it was houses and workplaces very close by, but it was far away from home. This is just a location where no sims are at, and no one knows you're here... Yeah, that did not help at all... Did she hear a sound? What was that? Was it a zombie?!

     No, this was real. That sound wasn't all in her head. Someone was here!! Someone was lurking in the bushes, ready to ambush and kill her! She was going to die. She was going to die in sweaty clothes and without any makeup on! Breathing heavily and biting her nails, she tried staring into the shadows, desperately trying to make them look like something scary that she could panic over.

     At full speed, a deer came jumping over the lawn. It was so quick that it nearly fell on those skinny legs. It hadn't been in her head, it just wasn't a murderer. It was an animal that nearly made her crap her pants. She'd never seem one that close before! What an experience. She couldn't wait to tell Daniel! No, wait. She was mad at him, but she could tell dad! Wait? Were deers dangerous? 

      I can't even go for a jog without running into you.That was not the deer.... Aino hadn't seen him in ages, and to be truthful she'd hoped he'd moved. He might not have gotten a lot taller, but his frame was wider than most sims that walked around: Hey Kol... She whispered it, so he wouldn't notice that her heart just stopped beating. She'd rather it was a zombie that came to eat her brain.
     Shut up! His voice had gotten a lot darker to; he sounded like the grown man he was
     Yes sir.... Why had she run all the way here? Her legs were tired, a sensation of tiny muscle contractions nibbed inside her body. She should've just stayed on the road and taken the catcalls and groping: Why are you still here? Kol kept his voice low, even if no sims were around: The river is right behind you.

      Wouldn't it be fitting if you ended it in the water, like so many of the ones your mum killed? Was he going to kill her? Was this how it had felt for the sims mum had murdered; a sensation of loosing time around you? The only view left was the world twirling, twisting itself around the darkest places of your mind: Do you ever wonder how it feels like to die? Aino did her best to pay attention, but her head kept wandering; he was going to kill her: Drowning has to be one of the worst ways to go, don't you think? Water filling your longues, not beeing able to draw a breath. All the time knowing salvation is close at hand...

      What was going to happen to her cats? What if her neighbour didn't want Persephone anyway? What if dad didn't show up to pick up a cat? Then they'd starve to death! Her poor little babies: I've always fantasised about killing you; especially drowning. It's something about the thought of holding your head under water, whilst you fight to get away.... You wouldn't be able to put up a fight anyway. It had to be hard for him though. he'd just been a little kid and seen his home and dad burn. Wonder if he'd smelled his fathers burnt flesh in the air, and if he still did? Like she smelled mums potions sometimes?

     Maybe he didn't understand that his dad had been dead before the fire: I'm sorry. Or that he'd been dead before mum cut him open. Wonder if he'd gotten the tokens mum had taken from his corpse back from the police? Aino felt a bit sorry for him, even if he was scary.

    Do you have nightmares? He all of a sudden asked. She didn't. She rarely remembered what she dreamt at all, because she had trouble sleeping, so when she slept it was usually no dreaming involved. But the few times it happened, it was very vivid: No. I barely dream at all.... Are you going to kill me? Maybe it was for the best, that way he'd feel a bit better. And she'd be dead, so she wouldn't notice anything.

     Kol took forever to answer, like he was thinking it through: No, I'm not going to kill you.... yet. Didn't I tell you that I wouldn't be satisfied before you have nightmares about me? Oh, she'd forgot. It wasn't his fault, it was just that she barely slept. If she slept well, she'd have nightmares all the time, about him and her mother, and zombies ofcourse. Because zombies were scary: You'll wish I killed you tonight instead. Maybe the living dead would've been better to meet. Atleast they'd just eat her.

     There's no way you've gotten that much stubble in such a short time! The game- on club wasn't the hotspot today, but it had a pooltable and hopefully some women. It was still a suitable place for meeting up with a new friend: Well, as you can see; I have more stubble. So I win.

     Every man needs a stubble contest with another man at some point in their life. It was the manlyman way to bond: No. That's to much facialhair in that time

     Well, it's right here on my face, so what other evidence do you want?

     It didn't take a scientist to figure this out: I don't need evidence. There's no way some palearsed ginger have gotten more stubble than me, in the same ammount of time. 
     It's not ginger, it's brown. He was not ginger! It wasn't red.
     Completely irrelevant. And it was ginger: My hair is dark, yours is light. You wouldn't have seen it that well. That thing on your face, is not a twoday stubble! Did he think he was born yesterday? He might not be the king of stubble, but no one got that much in two days.
      It is a twodaystubble. He kept on with the charade, so Daniel answered: You cheated. 
     I didn't cheat!

     Grabbing Hans' face, Daniel performed a reading that suited him: The spirits disagree with you... the spirits are saying.. they are saying that you are a liar- that you already had stubble by the time you sent the dare. Not that he'd thought Hans wouldn't cheat, but that was beyond the point.
     Mumbling into his hand, Hans sayed: What are you...
     Sssshhh... don't interrupt the spirits. Especially because you might as well lick my palm if you talk. Not wanting to know how his palm tasted, Hans wisely kept quiet.

Pretending to focus, Daniel continued: The spirits are saying that blondie that pretends that he's a brunette, needs to pick up the tab for his lies..... and that the sexy darkhaired guy that nailed two women automatically wins the bet...
     Please! Talk about lying: You haven't....
     Palmlicking..... The spirits are wise in this one; you cheated, so I win either way. Winning on walkover was the sweetest victory! 

     Daniel finished the reading, and Hans finally admitted: Fine, I lied.... I had almost a week of stubble... His facial hair wasn't the most prominent one.
     Really? That's more than a week of not shaving! I'd look like a yeti if I didn't shave for a week.
     Let's just go downstairs and get the damned tab, okay. He had hoped he'd looked a bit more impressive. Everyone knew that the ability to grow facial hair, was what separeted the men from the real men. Or something like that.

     Elegantly avoiding Maren, she either hadn't noticed him or she ignored him to, Daniel stared at the old man shaking around at the dancefloor instead. A while he'd been worried that he was actually having a seizure of sort, but he didn't collapse. Fascinated, waiting for the old raisin to fall over and die, he took a long while before noticing the phone vibrating in the pocket. Wonder how long it had been ringing? If just Hans stopped hitting on the poor bartender, they would've been out of here by now.

     A strong light exploded, throwing a short confusion his way. It would probably been a bit more efficient if he were drunk, now it was just annoying: Hello? What?! he didn't hear anything other than some mumbling: You have to speak up, I can't hear you. Even pressing his hand against the other ear didn't help, so eventually there was only one thing to do: Just stay on the line, okay. I need to get to another room... 

     The mens room could be used for so many things; including but not exclusively to talk on the phone. And then he wouldn't risk running into Maren either. Not that he thought she'd say something, but she'd broken up with him because of Aino, and now he was on the phone with her: Okay, what were you saying? I'm at the Game on club. It was still a bit difficult hearing her; she was talking with a low voice as if she worried someone would hear: You're not interrupting.

     Don't hang up. It's okay, you're not interrupting anything. I'm here with a friend. I won a bet, so he had to pay for snacks and all. We were just leaving... Where it's at? It's across the arborway arena. He had to ask her to repeat herself a couple of times before hearing: You're at the park, running? At this hour? Okay, fine. It wasn't that late. But he'd always assumed she went to bed early. Atleast it was close by: No, it's okay. You're not interrupting anything. No, I'm not mad.

      He really had to learn how to say "no" to beautiful women. It was just something about Aino that made him want to take care of her; kind of like a little puppy. Then ofcourse there were things he wanted to do with her, that was just nasty and wrong if you thought about puppies in that way. But right now it was just the first part: Just stay where you are, okay. I'll be right there. My friend might come with me, okay? No, it's no problem. I'll be right there. No, I'm not mad...

     Maybe there really wasn't any magic. Maybe the so- called supernaturals weren't super in any way, but just sims with diseases. Diseases they could be cured from. Maybe Steins unicorn that she remembered from childhood was just a horse with an illness. Could it be that it was all a dream, her imagination gone wild, or the thoughts of a child gone wrong. Was she even an adult? Could it be, she was still a child, and she'd wake up and mum and dad would be together and it was all a nightmare? Or maybe she was just on a fast trip to the loonie- bin. That was probably more like it.

     She should just tell; if she told him about her mother, he'd leave and then she could just lock herself away with her cats for the rest of her life. He was busy having a couple of girlfriends at the same time anyway, so why did she even bother?
     What happened? She didn't really remember that much. It was probably something wrong with her head: I fell. 
    You're clothes are clean.
    Inside the clubhouse...

     She was really one for keeping secrets, and also kept imagening that no one was able to see through it: Good thing the fall didn't break your neck. She seemed more removed from reality than usual to: What?
     There's a bruise on your neck. Wondered what had happened to her? She could've been mugged ofcourse, that was always a possibility.
     Oh... I probably bumped into something when I fell. Maybe it was just him, but the whole thing was suspicious: How did you fall?
     Tripped over my own feet.

     Well, atleast she hadn't tripped on her own feet; it was a lot more likely she'd been mugged. Or evven just randomly beaten up: Okay.... Don't tell me if you don't want to.
     I'm beeing honest. She just didn't want to tell. Because she couldn't talk without telling to much, and then everything went downhill anyway.
     No, you're not. But it's your choice. You're a grown up, you can decide for yourself. 
     I'm not lying... It shouldn't be classified as a lie; it was self- preservation.
    Okay, whatever you say.

     Was he mad at her? She didn't want him to be mad: I'm not lying.... 
     Stop it, he sounded tired: Just stop it. Okay? It's cold, we're not dressed for the weather. My friend's waiting for us. Let's just get out of here. He wasn't angry or anything, but it would've been so much easier if she just told things as they were.
     He was mad at her. She really didn't like angry sims: But.... 
     Daniel was really just tired. How was he supposed to take care of her, when she didn't tell the truth: Just stop, please. It would've been so much easier if he actually could read minds.
     Okay. I'm sorry. she whispered, making him feeling guilty about the whole thing: It's okay...
 

     Was this some kind of joke? Was Hans his "friend"? Oh, he was definitly going to tell him about her mum! With the way she'd treated him, he was probably still vengful. Ah well, maybe it was for the best: Hi.
     Hey... he looked as awkward as her. This was awkward. He was another sim that she'd never imagined she'd see again: You didn't tell me that we were picking up Aino... saying it to Daniel obviously.
     I didn't know you two knew eachother.
 

      From school! Hans quickly said: We went to the same school, and she was the only one that ever wanted to go to a museum with me. We were kind of friends! He was also a terrible liar, and Aino wasn't any better: Yeah! Museums... and snowball fights! Right Hans? 
      He nodded. Not that she got why he lied about it. But maybe that meant he wouldn't tell about mum? Why was he beeing so nice to her anyway? She didn't deserve it.
     Daniel just looked from one of them, to the other: Okay.... And obviously didn't believe them either.

      It's really getting cold though! Hans said way to loudly: Yeah! Aino mimiced him: It's really getting cold! 
     Maybe it's about time we leave! He said, just to have Aino repeating it: Yeah, maybe it's about time we leave! Daniel on his hand just wondered why he always ended up knowing oddballs. But as long as they could get inside again, he was happy.

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pose: billsim, ersel,

There's no reason to get rid of the cats, but it's a bit to many at the moment. I just needed a valid reason to get rid of some of them. But the cats are actually a lot over at the neighbours, and especially that cat and that neighbour. And Daniel's the town gigolo (which is why he's slept his way through town), so it suited so well. Which means he is making simoleons on the side. The ladies both bought the services, and the pop- up about it was to close actually they were three, but that seemed a bit extreme. So not what happened, but it was to funny to pretend otherwise ;) Because of my extremely immature sense of humour

NB: all stubble will disappear. I'm just trying to get better at giving male sims facialhairs, and female sims makeup. But these two just looked bad with it. Daniel rolls tons of romantic wishes towards Aino, and she had rolled a few flirt wants, but still nothing to exciting from her part. Seems he's more into her than the opposite. Stupid heir... Roll wants to have babies already!! She just wants more cats.

Thanks for reading