48. THE RANCH LIFE

Ollie returned to work with renewed motivation after being greeted by a small promotion.

Olimpia: So, Tornado, ready for your first lesson with your new trainer?

Another employee: For now, you're just a trainer's assistant, and you'll probably stay that way for a long time.

Olimpia: Ever heard the urban legend...?

Ollie hoped she could at least scare that idiot properly.

Ollie wanted to say hello to Cayenne, but... something wasn't right...

Olimpia: Uh... you're not Cayenne...

Don: That's Dynamo. Cayenne's waiting for you outside. He's missed you a lot.

Olimpia: Oh, Cayenne, you've grown so much! I've missed you too, buddy.

Ollie threw herself into intense training sessions with Cayenne. Whether it was simply her love of horseback riding or a desire to prove she deserved to be the future heir of the dynasty didn't really matter. Results were what counted. But things didn't always go smoothly.

Wren: OH NO, Ollie! Are you okay????

Olimpia: Uhhh... I think so.

Wren: Can you move legs, hands? If something hurts, we can go to the hospital!

Olimpia: No, really. I mean, my butt kinda hurts, but I'll survive.

Wren: Are you sure??!!

Olimpia: Seriously, I'll be fine.

Wren: You scared the life out of me, girl! Well, thank Watcher you're okay. Just don't do that again.

At last, Ollie was ready to take part in her first competitions.

And together, Ollie and Cayenne won first place in both beginner competitions, Western Pleasure and Show Jumping, earning gold medals in each! An incredible start to the season. 

Don: Got a minute? I'd like to talk to you. Gotta say, kid, you did great. First competition and you got gold with such a young and stubborn horse, no less. That's no small feat. I think you're ready to become a full-fledged instructor now. Beginner riders only for now, of course.

Olimpia: For real???

Don: Real, real. And if you're serious about competing, you need to train with Cayenne whenever you can. So from today on, he's yours. Besides, he only listens to you anyway, haha.

Olimpia: Wait... mine?

Don: Yep. Yours.

Olimpia: OH MY GOD!!! THANK YOU!!

Don: Easy there, easy. Think of it as a well-earned bonus.

Speaking of promotions, someone else got promoted too, to Intimate Relationship Coach. Looks like practice really does make perfect, hehe.

At the intermediate level, Ollie and Cayenne won gold in Show Jumping and Barrel Racing, while taking silver in Western Pleasure and Endurance Racing.

Olimpia: So, buddy, ready to raise the bar? Let's show them what we're made of!

Things didn't go nearly as well with the burglar, even though Ollie was convinced she'd talked his ear off. It clearly didn't impress him, and he still took her laptop, which she discovered with absolute fury.

Olimpia: I can't believe I fell for that.

Wren: Well, he is a burglar after all.

Olimpia: Yeah, I know... So, how are things with Ninovan?

Wren: Amazing! We're going to prom together. What about you and Diego?

Olimpia: We're going together too! I can't wait.

That wasn't entirely true. Ollie wasn't really sure how she felt about prom, or about Diego. But those few days apart made one thing pretty clear - she felt a lot better being single.

Still, the Masquerade Ball was fast approaching. Everything was already prepared—she'd even bought her dress. Besides, the ball meant something else, too. Right afterward, she and Elena would be heading to Hazel & the Nuts concert, and that was something she genuinely couldn't wait for.

A few days before the Ball, Bas arrived in Chestnut Ridge with the rest of the family to visit Ollie, introduce the youngest Miss Drozd, Aurelia, and see what ranch life was like. They stayed at the Palomino Junction Inn.

While Ollie caught up on her archery skills, Nettie and Cyp went off to play with the chickens and other birds.

Nettie decided to feed and pet every animal she could find. 

Literally every animal. And Cyp assisted her everywhere.

Unfortunately, when you're having fun and lose track of time... accidents can happen.

Olimpia: Can't believe it, Nessy-Messy. You're way too old to be peeing your pants.

Nettie: It's not my fault! I just forgot... And could you please stop calling me that already?? I have a normal name, you know!

Olimpia: You're right. From now on I'll call you Nett-Wet, hehe.

Nettie: That's not funny! You better stop or I'm telling Mom!

Olimpia: Good luck with that. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear you wet your pants.

Nettie: Just stop, okay? It's not funny.

After her bath, Nettie discovered that the ranch was home to a few other critters too. Eventually, everyone gathered around the campfire for dinner. Little Cyp seemed determined to catch a fish, or maybe a frog. Good thing toddlers can't drown in this game :P

The next morning, Ollie got up at dawn before everyone else and went to milk the cow. Suspicious...

For breakfast, they headed to La Tavola Calda diner (because the day before, Laura nearly burned down the Inn trying to make dinner...). Little Aurelia revealed some of her quirks: Babbler, Self-Soother and... Gassy.

Olimpia: Can't believe this family. Another one gassy. Or messy and playing with food...

When Laura and Bas looked away, Ollie made her move.

Olimpia: Nettie, I owe you an apology. You're right, you have real name. And I got you something to make up for it.

Nettie: For me? Really?

Olimpia: It's special milk. I separated out the lactose. I know you've always wanted to try real cow's milk.

Nettie: Wow, this is good! I didn't know dairy tasted this amazing.

Olimpia: Yeeeah, real dairy is so good.

Nettie: Oof... my stomach's making weird noises... I don't feel so good... Wait! You said "real dairy"?? It was supposed to be lactose-free! YOU TRICKED ME!!!

Olimpia: Did I mix them up? Oops, silly me, haha. Just don't forget to make it to the bathroom in time this time!

Nettie: Dad! Ollie gave me real milk!

Bas: Ollie, you know your sister is lactose intolerant. What were you thinking?

Nettie: She did it on purpose! Ugh... I'm going to the bathroom.

Nettie couldn't understand why Ollie kept picking on her. She really wasn't messy anymore, and being lactose intolerant wasn't her fault. Only the Watcher knew why she got that trait. And now she was stuck in this gross bathroom. Life was so unfair. And with Ollie as a sister, it was even worse.

*Nettie got a Fear of Being Inferior and related to it tense moodlet.

While the kids played outside, Laura put Aurelia down for a nap and decided to try pottery. Lately was thinking a lot about time passing and her lack of major accomplishments. Unfortunately, a new hobby wasn't enough to help her escape her midlife crisis, although the vase turned out pretty nice.

Their last day at the ranch. Today they headed to the fair and market (though the market never actually opened for some reason, probably a lot bug, maybe...?).

Even if the market wasn't quite working, the amusement park section was working too well. Everyone found something fun to do. Little Cyp probably had the most fun of all.

Olimpia: I got something for you.

Nettie: More milk? You know I'm not falling for that twice.

Olimpia: It's not milk.

Nettie: IS THAT POOP?? Are you actually insane? What is your problem?? Do you seriously hate me that much??

Olimpia: It's not that I hate you. But I can't exactly say I like you all that much, either.

Nettie: But we're sisters! Normal sisters like each other!!!

Olimpia: Oh, come on, it was just a joke. Besides, we're not exactly normal sisters. We don't even have the same mom, and most of the time we don't even live together...

Nettie: You know what? You're right. You're not my sister. I only have one sister, and that's Aurelia. And I hate you. Hear me??? I HATE YOU!!!

And she ran off, leaving Ollie standing there in shock.

This time, maybe she'd actually gone too far.

But the kid would get over it eventually, right?

...Right?!

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