Gen 4 Ch 4: Snow Angels and Daredevils

 After Indi's passing, Darwin decided to foster dogs from the shelter until they could find a new home. There was Rascal...

 ... and Bluebell, who both found loving new homes within Hidden Springs after Darwin paraded them around town for days.

Finally, there was Zoey. That one, they weren't going to give to another home however, no matter how many of the neighbors asked.

'Tis the season for daredevils to show the rest of us what they're really made of.

Awesome! That's what!

Running into Trent was a more pleasant surprise to Dolores than she would ever admit.

But that day, something was off. His usual cheerful smile would not come.

"What's up? Don't be sad, your hair is growing back really nicely! At least you'll be a good-looking jobless slacker!"

"Oh Dolores," his chuckle turned into a dry sob. "Haven't you heard? Haven't you read the paper?"

"Nope. And crying men are not my thing, so pull yourself together. Tell me, what is it?"

"Remember Minzi Cho from a while back? At the gym?"

Dolores kept quiet. Trent continued.

"Well, she... she died. In a fire."

"And... and did they find out who did it?", she asked, not letting the tone of her voice betray her thoughts.

"... who? Wha? -- Oh. Oh no, Dolores. Apparently she had some torches burning out by a wooden gazebo and... well.  It was an accident. Or something. With an insane Sim, you can never be quite sure. But it's just so sad, you know? After that night at the gym, I kept thinking about how lonely she must have been, you know? Feeling sorry for her. But not doing anything. I guess I feel guilty now."

"Guilty?" Dolores looked genuinely surprised. "Guilty? But you weren't even there the night she died! ... uh... I mean. You weren't, were you?"

Trent shook his head, a small, almost unnoticeable movement.

"... and... you two weren't... involved or anything. Were you?"

Again, he shook his head, this time with more conviction. Alright then.

 Dolores was still a bit weirded out by what Trent had said. All her life, she had never had problems understanding even the most complex concepts or constructions. But other Sim's irrational feelings? They still mystified her. She stared into his eyes for a moment, looking for an answer. Nothing.

"Well then," she said, straightening up. "All you need is a little distraction, some fun!"

She grinned, and there was a hint of a smile on his face, too.

"My mom's throwing one of her parties tonight. Snowflake Day and all. Why don't you come by?"

 While Dolores had been out, Clover had indeed prepared everything needed for another epic party. This time her home-cooked feast included Dim Sum, porcini risotto and key lime pie, all of them looking and tasting incredible.

Darwin had supplied two kinds of drinks of his own invention again. Some people (Dolores) voiced their suspicions that they were really all the same drink with fancy new names, but Darwin insisted that novices at the ancient art of mixology simply could not appreciate the subtle nuances that made "Clover Lover" so different from "Rainbow Gem".

And so Trent finally got a chance to meet the parents.

They took an instant liking to him and hoped silently that this mild-mannered, polite young man would have a positive influence on their wayward daughter.

Trent, gentleman as he was, even brought gifts for his hosts.

"For me? Oh, I hope it's not an ugly sweater to match the one you're wearing!"

Trent laughed. "Nope, it's a book. I wouldn't dream of seeing you in anything other than that sweater you're wearing now. It's cute how the skulls kind of look like snowflakes."

Did Dolores blush? No, don't be silly. She would never.

He was such a great kisser, though.

They would start opening the gifts as soon as Bloom was done signing autographs for the gatecrashers.

 Dolores had to admit, this was kind of nice.

Clover provided the musical entertainment.

Later, Tyree joined in with his bass.

And for the grand finale: this Snowflake Day party also doubled as Darwin's birthday celebration.

Clover assured him of his attractiveness, even with white hair.

Not that there was any doubt about it. Bridgeport blood through and through, Darwin had always been destined to be handsome until the day he died.

Hot chocolate was had.

Some more snow angels were made.

And finally, Trent stayed the night.

All night.






_________
Author's Notes:

"Fostering" dogs... yeah. You know that was bullsh*t right there. I adopted Rascal and Bluebell (those most certainly were not their names, btw, but I just can't remember what they were really called) and then gave them back to the shelter again.
But seriously, there was no other way of completing Darwin's LTW of "adopting 6 strays". No space left in the household for more than 3 dogs at a time, what with all the other essential Sims around. And there was no way I was going to let Darwin have anything less than a huge gravestone! <3

So let's just pretend the fostering thing happened and they found lovely new homes, okay?


Also - A Party to Remember requirement check! That was number two, actually, if we're counting Dolores' YA birthday on Spooky Day. But we're not counting that, because her generation hadn't officially started until halfway into the party.
I've also been playing under the A Sim for All Seasons requirement ever since Dolores was born, just for the heck of it. It only counts after she's YA though.