12. WEREWOLF THINGS

Bas returned to Foxbury. The meeting with Laura shook him a little. He didn’t want to think about it, but he caught himself remembering her voice, her smile. That feeling he thought he had buried long ago suddenly resurfaced. It was silly,  after all it had been so long, just a teenage crush.

Sofia: What are you thinking about?

Bas: Nothing in particular. It’s a relief that the funeral is over.

Sofia: Was it that bad?

Bas: Could be worse. But let’s not talk about it anymore.

When she kissed him and he felt the taste of her lips, he thought he was a complete idiot. Sofia was here, with him, real and wonderful. Not some idealized memory. He can't ruin it. He has to pull himself together and stop thinking about that silly meeting.

Bas: OMW!

Sofia: What happened?

Bas: I got a job as an engineering technician at the SimTech Industries in Ciudad Enamorada! I dreamed about this job!

Sofia: Ciudad Enamorada? That’s right next to Chestnut Ridge! We’ll be even closer to each other. That’s wonderful news. Congratulations!

Bas reached Ciudad Enamorada the same day.

Atlas: Welcome, roommate! I knew they’d hire you — they’d be idiots not to.

Atlas works at the same center but on something completely different. He’s a technician in the space department.

The guys settled in quickly ;) A new chapter in Bastian’s life begins.

Right next door Rom moved in with Cristian :) Cristian works at the hospital. Rom has one semester left and has to think about opening a veterinary clinic… [I don’t yet know how I’ll arrange that…]

For now they admire the views — the ones from the apartment roof, and the other views too.

It's Bastian's first day at new work.

Panya: Welcome to SimTech Industries. This is our server room.

…On this floor are our labs — I advise you not to enter alone, things sometimes explode. The space division is completely closed to visitors.

…And here is our kingdom.

Bas: Everything looks great.

Panya: Then welcome to the team.

 

Winterfest arrived. Maja can’t wait for the holiday and time with family. And finally a break from work! Being a stylist was always her big dream, but a demotion to career level 5 after having been an Internet Superstar was a bit of a slap in the face. Maja is experiencing burnout.

Maja: Get yourself together! Sebastian and his girlfriend will be here any minute!

Jace: I can’t help it, everything plumbs me up.

Maja: Can’t you use that trick of yours? With the howling?

Jace: I already used it once, I can’t do it too often.

Maja: You just have to get through it, darling. You can’t lose it during winterfest dinner.

Even Bea with family arrived this time. The twins, Felicja and Bernard, are already teenagers! And of course Bas is there with Sofia.

Maja: I’m glad you made time for us. Is everything tasting alright?

Sofia: Actually, I’m a vegetarian.

Maja: What? Bas, why didn’t you tell us??

Bas: There you are!

Sofia: I was looking for the bathroom and found this room. I see you were quite the geek!

Bas: Well, a little.

Sofia: So many memories! You must tell me all about your childhood someday.

Bas: Someday. But now let’s go back to the table.

Though not all of Jace’s jokes landed with Sofia, and she could only eat the cookies because the rest of the meals were meat-heavy (for Jace), overall there was no drama and no incident (apart from one uncontrolled howl). Jace stayed Jace, and everyone more or less liked Sofia.

After the holiday rest, Maja returned to work with a clear head and immediately earned a promotion to Dedicated Dresser. Her workaholic lifestyle came back too…

Maja is the only one who can tame the beast.

Maja: Honey, don’t worry. If we survived Winterfest, we’ll survive your rage too. Go hide in the treehouse. Everything will be okay.

So while Maja spent New Year’s Eve watching the countdown on TV and watching over in general, Jace was trying to fight his inner beast by eating his fourth bacon sandwich. Unfortunately, the pack’s warning about breaking the rules didn’t help. Jace tried to take a nap to calm down.

In the end the rage won. Jace vented his fury on everything he could reach. Eventually he calmed down and returned to human form. This time he didn’t hurt anyone, so he unlocked the Transformation Mastery perk! Too bad the headache was worse than a New Year’s hangover…

Jace then had to face the pack leader and apologize for breaking the pack’s rules. Unfortunately, Kristopher was unmoved and demoted him within the pack. Jace had been almost a delta! Now he had to work his way back up.

Jace feels now more comfortable as a wolf, but I still wonder if the pack is right for him. All those rules don’t quite fit him. Maybe he should be a lone wolf?

Kristopher gave Jace several tasks, including exploring tunnels. This time he found an enchanted room, solved its puzzle, and obtained a new Mooncaster Pot shard.

Sparring with Kristopher added a lot of werewolf experience to Jace and he’s now a veteran. He may now also mentor other werewolves.

Kristopher: Be careful. Your final temperament will soon reveal itself, and the full moon is approaching. Go home. You must be extra cautious now.

Maja: Where have you been all this time?!

Jace: I had some pack matters to deal with, but I’m back now.

Jace’s final temperament revealed itself and it turned out to be the worst possible scenario. His fury level rises when he feels excitement and amusement. A Cringe Sim! Feeling playful no matter what he does! Jace became a walking, destructive fury…

Trying to calm himself by fishing was another failure and a very bad idea, because Jace forgot it was the full moon.

But every cloud has a silver lining. Jace discovered a new power - the Will to Resist, which lets him regain control after losing it. Additionally, the night he spent away from home during the full moon completed his aspiration and, as the first Sim in my game, he completed the Soul’s Journey! 

Maja isn’t aware of what Jace is going through, but it’s understandable. Not being a werewolf, she’ll never fully understand that burden. Plus her childish personality doesn’t let her worry about such things. And now she has other things on her plate - she started her own brand - Rising Style.

To celebrate small successes and their wedding anniversary, on Love Day they went to Ciudad Enamorada, partly to stop by Bastian’s for a moment, although that wasn’t a priority ;) They stayed at the Casita del Amor hotel. What they didn't expect was such a smog in Ciudad Enamorada!

Upon arrival they had to quickly move into the hotel because a paparazzo had already spotted them. Not that it bothered them. They used the hotel time productively.

Then they enjoyed the hotel amenities. Although the foot masseuse didn’t show up, Jace handled the task like a pro! He also made use of the bartender’s absence and played mixologist, fulfilling Maja’s whims.

The next day they managed to meet Bastian.

Maja: Beautiful place. But why is it so cold here?? San Sequoia doesn’t have winters this harsh! And that smog...

Bas: We don’t know where it came from. It must have been some kind of accident at the SimTech labs. In any case we’re trying to fix the situation.

Jace was impatient with the paparazzi’s behavior and tried to chase them off in his “own” way. It didn’t help :/

Paparazzi: Are you okay? It’s not normal to snarl like that.

Maja decided to diffuse the situation and gave everyone her autograph. After all, it was the Kindness Day. The fan was thrilled.

Maja: We’re going to head off now. And seriously, do something about that smog. Your father will choke if we visit you again and it persists. Is that Bea calling? She never calls me… Hello? Wait. Bea. Slower. Wait. Once more time, and slowly.

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