Chapter 16: Spooky Day

Spooky Day is here! Ida has just slept over Marlin's house for the first time. No, nothing naughty happened. They slept in sleeping bags in the kitchen, like a real slumber party.

Pauline supervises, but she needn't bother; the kids are out like a light.

There is a bit of suggestive hugging in the morning, though.

She's not wearing a shirt, Marlin thinks. She's not wearing a shirt and she's hugging me. This. Changes. Everything.

The couple decide that the Wan house isn't really the best place for hugging and necking and such, what with the presence of younger siblings, so they head over to the Hand residence to continue their smoochfest.

Rain is definitely not jealous.

Whoa, mister! Watch where you're putting that hand!

....Ahahaha. Hiding something in your lap there, are you? Just kidding, I know Sims don't have genitals. Or at least, mine don't. I can't quite remember if I've seen a Sim sit like that before, though.

Anyway. Yes. Spooky Day. The Hands decide to visit the festival this year, because last year they threw a party and didn't really get to experience the apple-bobbing and haunted house and things.

Excitable Sim runs ahead.

They're barely at the festival five minutes before a Sim falls ill. Shanti passes her new friend Jody Jett-Gabriel on her way to provide medical assistance. Apparently Jody is not a fan of showers, or something; she still hasn't changed out of her Martial Arts gear. Maybe she's hydrophobic?

Ida has the brave trait, so she autonomously visits the haunted house about six times until she finally comes out looking like this:

"Haha, Marlin look, I'm a ghost now! Still love me even though I'm dead?"

"Love you no matter what, Ida."

All right, enough with the sappy romance shit already! What's Alex up to?

Ah yes. A pie-eating contest with his oldest daughter and, if I'm not mistaken, Boyd Wainwright. Sorry to break it to you, Boyd, but the prize is in tickets, not cash.

I'm actually very surprised that Boyd is still alive; he's very, very old now. He gets two pies, for some reason.

"Yes! I won! I'm the best pie-eater ever, suck it Boyd! Suck it, daughter! I'm outie."

Okay, Alex, whatever makes you happy.

Rain is rather less happy about the whole thing. The Sekemoto dog provides medical assistance.

In the afternoon, the girls decide to go trick-or-treating. Maybe they are a little old for it, but they've never been, and it's a Spooky Day tradition, right? The Hands are all about seasonal traditions.

Rain takes the opportunity to have a small heart-to-heart with her younger sister. "I know I never told you before because I was too busy sulking about not having a boyfriend of my own, but congratulations on nabbing Marlin. He's a really great guy, you know. I'm very happy for you."

Ida grins. "Heh, yeah, he's great. It's all great fun. You should really try it out sometime, the boyfriend thing I mean. Hey, don't sulk, I'm only teasing!"

Candy! 

Alex and Shanti have the house to themselves. They take the opportunity to reminisce.

 It's been a while since they last had a peaceful moment to just sit together.

Spooky Day is declared a rousing success. In fact, it leaves Shanti in such a good mood that she buys Ida's inventor's workbench for her. Ida's well on her way to that A, is doing well in shop club, and has done a ridiculous amount of chores around the house; and there are worse things to want to spend your time on, Shanti supposes.

She also adds a little room to the basement to house the thing.

Ida thanks her mom by letting Shanti beat her at video games.

Ida may have been joking during her little talk with Rain, but she really does want Rain to find happiness in love. She's hanging out with her old friend Aubrey when she gets an idea.

"Hey, Aubrey, you're not seeing anyone right now, are you?" she asks him.

"No, I'm not... you're not asking me out, are you? I mean, not that you aren't pretty and all, but I thought you were with Marlin..."

"Oh, I am with Marlin. Hey, what's that over there?" Ida takes advantage of Aubrey's distraction to whack him with a pillow.

She just needs to distract him long enough for her sister to come home from work...

Her plan works amazingly well. There is an immediate attraction between Rain and Aubrey, and they have compatible signs to boot. Ida gives herself a pat on the back for setting up her sister and her best friend; Rain congratulates herself for persevering through loneliness and waiting for the right Sim.

Finally! Her first kiss.

Ida quizzes her hapless boyfriend in trivia while her sister makes intense eyes at her new romantic interest.

Crossed eyes? Cheering? Looks like someone's having a birthday!

Shanti feels surprisingly okay with becoming an elder. She ages quite gracefully, and she's accomplished everything she wanted to do and more. And it's not like she's planning on dying tomorrow, but, well, if she did, she'd die happy and fulfilled.

Alex is next.

He's happy to be an old man, too. As long as his family is happy, he's happy.

On the next episode of "Play the Hand You're Dealt"...

Shanti may be old, but she can still kick anyone's ass in Martial Arts.

Marlin works on impressing Ida's dad with his artistic knowledge.

And Ida finds that inventing is a lot more difficult than she expected.

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Notes -

The teen stage always seems to take too long for me. Not that I'm not enjoying it, it's just... yeah, too long. I probably should have changed the length of the teen stage but it's too late now, oh well. 

I don't think I've had a family that autonomously pillow fights as much as this one does. It's weird, but I like it. I think it gives them character. :P