18. NEIGHBORHOOD GANG IS BACK

It was a beautiful day in Ciudad Enamorada. Perfect for a wedding.

For Romuald and Cristian, it was one of the most important days of their lives.

Theme: Pink. Every guest had to wear something pink.

Guests already gathered. Of course, family: younger sisters, brother, parents.

Maja and Jace were there too, their families were always close.

And of course, all the friends from the Treehouse Gang: Barb, Mary with Orion Michaelson, Laura, Paul with Karmine Luna, and Bas with Sofia.

Rose: What are we doing here?

Malcolm: It’s your family, after all.

Rose: Barely. We're like tenth cousins at best.

Malcolm: Still, Romuald Huntington III is your cousin. They may not be wealthy, but the title still counts. You never know when that could come in handy.

The flower girls did a fantastic job. The whole ceremony went smoothly, in a warm and joyful atmosphere.

The guests were delighted.

Not sure why Rom’s dad, Dominik, looked so grumpy. 

But everyone else clapped enthusiastically.

Well, almost everyone.

Rose: Is this going to take much longer?

Malcolm: Just a little while longer, darling.

Rose: Our wedding was way shorter.

Malcolm: Our wedding was just fulfilling a family agreement. Not really the same thing.

The reception began! Many of the guests hadn’t seen each other in ages, so there was a lot to catch up on.

Karmine turned out to be a huge fan of Maja, it was nearly impossible to peel her away.

Barb and Mary had lots to talk about too, since Mary was still living in Foxbury, finishing her degree.

Maja was thrilled to hear about her grandchild-to-be and the engagement.

Even if she still couldn’t quite picture herself as a grandma, she was glad that her son was this happy. 

Meanwhile, the newlyweds stepped away from the party for a bit to rest and enjoy each other’s company.

Bastian and Laura also decided to catch up. This time, Bas felt a lot more relaxed around her. [Wonder what Laura’s really up to.]

Bas: Woo-Who? Are you sure?

Laura: Haha, why not? Could be fun.

Bas: Where’s Augustyn? Didn’t want to come?

Laura: Augustyn? He’s probably playing his own Woo-Who with Theo right about now. They're on their honeymoon in Tomarang. He probably would’ve come if he knew I was going alone, but I wasn’t about to ruin their vacation.

Bas: Huh. I thought... When he sent me that wedding invite...

Laura: Don’t tell me you thought he and I were together. I told you, we’re just friends.

Bas: Yeah, I know, but... never mind.

Bas: I'm really glad we all made it. The Treehouse Gang, together again. So Rom was the first of us to say “I do.”

Laura: Not quite. Paul didn’t brag about it, but I found out he actually got married ages ago, through some Neighbourhood Stories situation.

Laura: But now he’s getting a divorce. Apparently, his wife told him he disgusts her... Horrible, right? And today he showed up with Karmine Luna, but who knows if they’re back together or what.

Bas: Whoa. Got any more tea?

Laura: Only the ones we’ll uncover once we start playing.

Bas: Haha, right, we haven’t even started yet. So how does it work?

Laura: We ask each other risky questions. About woo-hoo experiences, what turns us on, what turns us off. That kind of stuff.

Laura: Though I’m not sure there’s much left to discover in our case. We’ve known each other forever. We've been through some things. Has much changed over last few years?

Bas: Maybe a little. Not a lot.

Sofia: Bas, sweetie, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?

Bas: Sofia, love, this is Laura. From our Treehouse Gang. I must’ve told you about her.

Sofia: Doesn’t ring a bell.

Laura: Uh... hi. Oh wow, you're pregnant!

Sofia: Yes, Bastian and I are expecting. Surely he’s told you, since you're such good friends. Also about our engagement.

Bas: I was just about to share the news.

Laura: I think I’ll leave you two alone. I need to catch up with Barb and...

Rom: There you are! We’re doing a group photo with the whole Gang, just need to grab Mary, but she’s currently busy with Orion.

Laura: I wish you both the best. You must be very, um, happy.

Sofia: We are. Very happy.

Bas: So, do we go take that picture?

Sofia: Go ahead. You probably won't be seeing each other again anytime soon, so it migh be the last chance to catch up. Lovely meeting you, Laura.

Laura: Likewise, Sofia.

The Treehouse Gang, together again. What else awaits them? How will their paths cross again?

And here's the Gang through different life stages ;)

Meanwhile, in another side of the party...

Malcolm: Maja Drozd. I can’t believe we’re meeting here.

Maja: Malcolm Landgraab. I think I'm dreaming... [to herself: my nightmare]. What a surprise.

Malcolm: I don’t believe you’ve met my wife, Rose, of the Villareal family.

Maja: So you finally settled down. Nice to meet you, Rose. Tell me, what was it about Malcolm that stole your heart?

Rose: His bank account.

Malcolm: Haha, classic Rose. Never sugarcoats a thing.

Malcolm: I was just telling Rose how you went to school with my cousin, Arthur. Good times. I heard you ran into him again some time ago, some awards show?

Jace: Was that when you won the Starlight Accolades?

Maja: Yes, we bumped into each other there.

Jace: You never mentioned that.

Maja: Because there was nothing worth mentioning.

Malcolm: Arthur said otherwise. Apparently, you two even appeared in an episode of Project SimStyle, and he got you a follow-up contract.

While Maja was answering some uncomfortable questions, Orion was answering a very different kind. And gave exactly the answer Mary had hoped for.

Meanwhile, Paul was reminiscing about school days with Barb. (Though maybe it was more than that?)

And everyone forgot that tonight was a full moon...

Maja: Happy now, Malcolm? You just had to ruin the evening, didn’t you? Isn’t being a motherllamer every other day of the year enough for you? I truly pity your wife and future children.

Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be heading home before my husband rips out your throat or something.

The rest of the guests noticed nothing and kept dancing the night away.

Rom: So, what do you think? Interested?

Laura: Rom, it’s a great offer. But are you sure you want someone like me? There are a lot of other pros out there with more experience.

Cristian: Rom says you’ve always had an eye for detail. And he trusts you. Why hire a stranger when we’ve got a friend we believe in?

Rom: So? Want to do it?

Laura: Renovate your whole house? When can I start?

Rom: That’s the spirit!

On the way home through the park, Bas spotted a blue bear sleeping on a bench.

Bas: See? Told you he was real, and you didn’t believe me.

Sofia: Well, I stand corrected.

Bear: Oh, it’s you.

Bas: Mr. Bear, there’s still one thing I don’t get. Why are you even dressed as a bear?

Bear: I think I started dressing like this after my fiancée gave the ring back. Might’ve been cursed... And when I was a kid, I used to dress as a bear when I was sad. Guess it’s time to take the costume off.

Former Bear: Anyway, my name’s Sammy. Thank you, my friend.

Bas: I didn’t really do anything.

Sammy: On the contrary. You reminded me love’s worth fighting for. I’m going now to propose to Miss Llama.

Bas: Oh, that’s... lovely. We’ll just... head home now. Right, Sofia?

Bas decided he would never talk to any bear ever again. And yet, even though Sammy was clearly erratic, he’d said something Bas couldn’t forget.

That the ring might be cursed.

But there’s nothing to worry about.

Right?

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