#nsbsims4

[ponderingpigeonsims]

MT: “hahaha, as poetic as that sounds, well, writing that would technically be lying, and that is a nono in this line of work, so I can’t really write that word by word. So I said I will try to make it look like it was years ago, without actually saying it. Hopefully they’ll buy it and you won’t have to worry about a thing. It did sound pretty literary tho. Have you ever considered becoming a writer or journalist yourself? Your blog posts were beautifully written. If you’re looking for any extracurriculars or job experience outside of the academy you might consider doing an internship with us. We could definitely benefit from 1. Having an insider to keep us updated on this case 2. Having an art critic correspondent who is currently within the hub of what is considered valid and trendy. It would be very valuable if you wanted to go into art critique later.”

C: *not very confident* “hehe... yeahhh... that does sound quite amazing… but I think I’ll pass for now. I have to concentrate in my classes and get myself immersed in their world first, before I can look at it from the outside with a critical eye. If everything goes as planned I’ll try to keep you posted on anything that happens”

[ponderingpigeonsims]

True to her word, Aminta lost no time in remodeling the upstairs floor into her own personal lab. Any sentimentality towards keeping the girls´ things went out the window at the possibility of continuing her research away from prying eyes and regulations.

[ponderingpigeonsims]

A few days later, the trap had been set. Cerise had gone out for posh tea time with Grandma Silvia and craftily asked if she could maybe talk to her connections in the academy. Of course, she had humbly begged Grams not to mention that Cerise was really her granddaughter, just the daughter of a dear friend that Silvia felt was overlooked in the first round of interviews. The old lady was so excited at the prospect she quickly and easily pulled strings during her weekly brunch with the charity circle the next day, and promptly called Cerise to excitedly inform her she’d gotten her a second interview with one of the SMH Academy board members, Mdm Bechard. And there she was, waiting outside Mdm Bechard’s office, panic setting in.

C: “Hey Rowan, can you remind me why I’m doing this?”

R [over the phone] : “Because you’re there to gain back your honor and crush the bastards, like the super star you are. Now, I wanna hear you say it. Who are you?!”

C: “ Do I really have to...? Fine… I'm CherryPopz…*sigh* …conceptual artist extraordinaire…”

R: “Great! And how are you gonna go in there?!”

C: *sigh* “…back straight, shoulders back, confident smile… I own the place, this audition is just a formality, I’m already in…but Rowan, what if they see though my pl…? ”    -    R: “uh-uh SHUSH! keep.going!”   -    C: “UGH FINE! …Imma go in there, accept questions gracefully and thoughtfully, respond in an eloquent, yet nonchalant manner, throw some trivia in to show I know my stuff and compliment the bitch even if she doesn’t deserve it. I have the skills, I have the knowledge. I got this. Bitches are going down.”

R: “I’m so proud of you. Now go burn them to the ground. And don’t forget to turn on your voice recorder AND mute the notifications on your phone before you go in!”

[ponderingpigeonsims]

C: “Are you completely, absolutely certain, that it won’t be traced back to me? Isn’t it too soon? Couldn’t it wait for some weeks, lie low, get me settled, let me gain the confidence of key people inside, like Mme Bechard, so that it won’t raise suspicions when it hits?

MT: “Nah, it will be fine! And the sooner the better for everybody. This is a big issue with big players involved. If this leaks it could cause trouble for us, or worse, another paper could get hold of the story and publish it first, or be carrying out their own investigation and publish it first, then ours would be irrelevant. No, definitely the sooner the better.”

C: “But.. but.. What if…?”

MT: “Hey, don’t worry about it! There is no mention of your name or even gender. Also, the lady said that asking those kinds of questions is standard procedure, so it could be any kid with a famous sounding name. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll try to make it sound like this was years ago, and that somebody finally got the courage to come forth and expose the truth. Does that sound better?”

C: “Yes! That sounds wonderful. It also makes it sound like it's a deeper darker secret they’ve kept hidden for long. You could say that now the student has finished their career and are no longer under the scrutiny of the Academy, or their family, they have decided to finally break their silence and seek justice for all the rejected kids with great potential…”

[ponderingpigeonsims]

R: “Hey, we should probably head back, grab some great canapes and another drink. We could even try to put in practice your famous Presence Switch, to test if I can still pull it off with my… excess punk-rock.”

N: “Sure. Maybe you can even run a covert mission spying in the bathrooms to see if there is gossip about us going around..”

*They start to head in*

N: “Hey, before we go back in… I know we’re both that kind of people, and we’ve been throwing labels around playfully … but if you haven’t realised yet…. I’m going to say it now... I feel like I’ve known you forever, and luck or destiny or whatever is out there has been quite fickle in bringing us together under the strangest of circumstances… and I’ve never depended on anyone before, not even on Mother, because, well, you’ve met her. And yet, after such a short while, I’ve found that I now depend on you for so much… and you have not let me down, unlike so many others… what I’m trying to say, in a very convoluted manner and blabbering on like an idiot because for some reason you make all my training in public speaking worth absolutely shit… is that I love you. And I don’t expect you to say it back. But I just have to take this off my chest. I love you and I want nothing more than for us to move in together away from any controlling influences and keep working on this amazing team we have going on and take the world by storm. *sigh* Again, you don’t have to say anything. Just think about it.”

R: *quietly* “Ok… I’ll think about it.” *smiles shyly and kisses his cheek sweetly*

----------

R: «Fuck.fuck.fuck.fuck.fuck.fuck.fuck.shit.fuck» 

[ponderingpigeonsims]

♬ ♪ ♫ These noisy voices, phony They say I'm not really for you 'Cause I slept around before you And I had fun, but now I am done So put your arms around me And I'll put away the snowflakes And you'll be my only, only And no three-to-five, you're doing life, so

Please don't knock over my heart 'Cause my heart is full of you Yeah, my heart is full of you I don't worry 'bout tomorrow 'Cause my heart is full of you Yeah, my heart is full of you

Ah, ooh ooh ooh ooh Woah hungry arms Woah, the hungry arms Give me all the love After a while I fanned the fire Then I knew that you were wild I think that the time is now I think that the time is now, so

Please don't knock over my heart 'Cause my heart is full of you Yeah, my heart is full of you I don't worry 'bout tomorrow 'Cause my heart is full of you Yeah, my heart is full of you ♬ ♪ ♫

-  Heart Is Full by Miike Snow, cover by  Jon Bellion

[ponderingpigeonsims]

C: * raises finger and babbles noiselessly for some seconds* “...a bit of both I guess? I hadn’t thought about it like that, to be honest. Like yeah, I know I haven’t been the most social flatmate lately because of the academy thing...and now that I’m gonna be a little less stressed I was looking forward to exploring the city with Rowan like we’d planned….and now it seems she’s gonna be more preoccupied in both climbing the ladder and her BOSS.  And, don’t get the wrong idea, I love my sister, but also like, out of ALL people, the ONLY person I’ve had a real connection to, the one I could totally be reconnecting with and making amazing art and totally helping him reconnect with his old self… is now under her terrible influence and eating out of my sister’s palm like a…. Ughhhh! WHY IS IT ALL SO COMPLICATED AND CONFUSING?!!!”

L: “Welcome to the wondrous and woeful world of love and life!”

C: “Thanks. I hate it….”

[ponderingpigeonsims]

R: “Heeey how did it go?! Why didn’t you call me you idiot?!”

C: “I´m sorry! It was a whirlwind! First I had to call the journalist I told you about to get all of that sorted out, and then I had to call Grams to thank her, and then she had me talking forever… well, mostly she talked, I just listened and replied with hums and ahhhs….”

R: “So…?”

C: “...so what?”

R: “HOLY MAKER CERISE!  ARE YOU SERIOUS...?”

C: “...OH OH! I’m sorry! I’m in! The lady took that bait with hook, line and sinker like I was the president’s daughter or something. It was, frankly, disgusting, but a little bit exhilarating as well. It was just so easy. I felt… powerful. To have a name that can open any door for you... No wonder the rich and famous turn into a-holes. To think this could have been or could potentially still be our lives if we turn to the dark side… it’s scary.”

R: “You’re telling me… Nigel is sweet at heart, I get why you liked him… but he’s a bit of an a-hole himself sometimes… I’m trying to teach him a better path… but he’s not making it easy. That mother of his, ugh… don’t get me started there… Hey, I have to go now! But we’ll celebrate your master plan later! Dinner is on me! I just got my first official promotion! And pretty sure it was NOT because I’m the boss´ girl! See ya, sis!”

C: *stares as the elevator closes behind Rowan* *sigh* “...but I’m sure being the Boss’s girl sure doesn’t hurt either… *snort*  ...trying to teach him a better path my ass… she’s just going to de-posh him and possibly corrupt him to her ways. I could do so much better that her….” *sigh*

[ponderingpigeonsims]

C: “Oh, I asked her not to. You see, I wanted to go through the process, as a personal challenge. I even lied to the interviewer when she asked about my surname. I did think it quite curious they asked about that…”

MB: *waves hand nonchalantly* “...oh, it's standard practice around here. You know, just in case we can… ehem… accelerate the interview process. You know how these things go…”

C: *eye starts twitching* “Oh, I completely understand… so many candidates to go though. The thing is, I wanted my art to speak for itself… and I was pretty confident I was gonna get it… but that interviewer… by The Maker…”

MB: “...what?  What’s wrong?”

C: “Well, I wouldn't want to damage her reputation… but frankly she was entirely unprofessional. Her “constructive feedback”... how do I say this delicately…would be worthy of a lawsuit for intentional infliction of emotional distress…”

*Mdm Bechard pales*

C: “...if I was someone less resilient and actually cared what a mere routine interviewer thought of my art, which, I will accept, is quite… conceptual, and not everybody has the background to understand its… ah…. essence....”

MB: “...I don’t know what to say! I will personally find this inept and will fire her, you have my word. Now, let me get an acceptance letter for you to sign…”

C: “...aren’t you gonna go through my portfolio again? Did you even see it before this interview?”

MB: “...Oh, dear, no need! I’m pretty sure that it’s wonderful, but even if there were any details to poslish, our masters here will teach you in no time. And we can’t forget about dear Silvia, it would just not do to pass up the opportunity of having her granddaughter in our fine establishment. It would be an honor to have you here with us… now, if you would kindly sign on the line…”

[ponderingpigeonsims]

Meanwhile, back in the Spice District...

Cerise has tried to cover her tracks by eliminating her presence online, starting by deleting or changing her name in all the complaint articles and blogs she started. If her carefully woven plan was to work, she needed to eliminate suspicion. That’s how the journalist got in touch with her. 

He’d been keenly following on her story, trying to gather up a case and suddenly noticed all the sources were disappearing. He got concerned the SMH Academy might be threatening her if she didn’t take the publications down, or worse, that they had bought her silence. The nerve! To remedy this misunderstanding Cerise swallowed her shyness and got back in contact with him. She ran him through her plan…and  he was on board immediately.

[ponderingpigeonsims]

A: “...so I put my clothes through a ridiculous amount of test last night. I even ran them through the cloning machine to have plenty of samples. And finally, after close analysis, I think I’ve found traces of something... new. It wasn’t quite what I was looking for... but opens a completely new window. The particles that I recovered... they vibrate Robbie. They’re emitting some kind of waves. Waves with a particular direction. I’m sure I can use this for something.”

*exited clanking noises*

A: “...yeah I know, I could trace its source or its destination and I could use it to establish a connection back there and send a message. But I wanna think big Robbie... and thinking big got me thinking about... what if I combine the clone machine... with the rocket...?”

*confused clanking noises*

A: “...no, I don’t mean clone the rocket... I meant what if I could clone myself...using that guiding wave to adjust the travel direction... into Sixam! Get it? Get it? If I modify the cloning to just transferring matter, the original matter, I could travel there... just like I would do with a freaking portal to Narnia! CALLUM YOU BRILLIANT FOOL! That’s it Robbie! EUREKA!”

*determined clanking noises* 

Flashes, bangs, smoke and several hours later...

A: “Thanks Robbie, ... it’s perfect. Just what I had in mind... let’s start playing with our toy, shall we?”

[ponderingpigeonsims]

A: Whaaaa...?  Noonononoono...!! WHAT THE HELL?! Did the file have a security trap? Did the system detect a virus?”

[...]: “Oh, hey! Sorry about that Boss… I think Kurt said something about a peak in current around this time so he could charge the batteries for the emergency power cells… that might have overloaded the system and shut down your program. But don’t worry, if your files were in the most current backup they should be fine… Older files on the other hand… there is a slight chance they could have been corrupted...”

A: *slowly break the fourth wall* “WHO.DID.WHAT. AGAIN.??!!” (click here for dramatic effect)

[ponderingpigeonsims]

C: “Oh, Tofu, what are we gonna do ‘bout Minta? I’m seriously worried that 1. she’s overworking herself (for real this time) and 2. she’s definitely not living in the here and now. She’s living for the future. Well a future. One that might not even happen.  And yes, in that future she might have her most brilliant invention yet, and even her revenge… but what kind of revenge will that be? Will she tear the place apart? Watch it burn to the ground? Or will it be an eye for an eye? Will she strip an alien of their … reproductive system? Can she even do that? Will that make her even with them? Would that make her feel whole again?

*sigh*

But what she seems to be oblivious to… is that in the here and now she still has a family that loves her and wants to spend time with her… that doesn’t see her as damaged goods… that worries about her mental state...and wonders if she would really cross the line, this time for real… just to get back at them... I don’t know what I can do to protect her, Tofu... from herself.”

*deep sigh*

C: “But I guess you do’t really wanna hear me moping do ya? You just wanna play... fine. Let’s give Minta some more time to figure her stuff before we hold an intervention... and now let’s play!”

T: «Alas, hooman! Tofu thought you were gonna go on forever.  Now call the  magic red bug! We have a score to settle»

[ponderingpigeonsims]

A: “Also, weren’t you the one having separation anxiety from your plants just the other day? Now you wanna pop-by to a different city out of the blue? Who’s gonna plant-sit for ya?”

C: “Ok. First of all, I’ll have you know I’ve perfected an controlled irrigation system with a nutrient administrator according to pH. Also, I’ve set up more cameras than you could imagine in that greenhouse to track growth patterns, and keep me informed if a single bug flies in there. But second, I really meant doing something fun, Minta. You’ve been holed in that blasted lab almost every second you are here. And judging by the noise and fumes that leak under the doors and from the windows, I’m pretty sure you’ve kinda tried everything under the sun on those poor samples. Maybe you’ve hit a … science-block? You need to air out, change your perspective, look for other sources of inspiration outside the lab. Who knows, maybe in one of your jogs you’ll stumble across a magic portal that transports you to Sixam, like the one you claimed took you to Narnia a while back…”

A: “Yeah… the chances of that happening in this forgotten corner of Windenburg are zero. Maybe after my first breakthrough I can take a little rest from it… but until then… you’re gonna have to be happy with video game breaks in which I pawn you. Like now. BOOYA! Ok, so see ya later. I’m gonna go tinker for a bit. Call down me for dinner!”

[ponderingpigeonsims]

A: “Sup, you adorkable plant-dweeb?”

C: “Why, hello! And to what do we owe the pleasure of your company so early this evening, oh darling Empress of Mischief of mine? Weren't you supposed to be working your ass off for that promotion? Not that I’m complaining, it’s getting a little bit lonely here lately with only Tofu to talk to…”

A: “Well, first of all, if I’m Empress of Mischief, then it’s your highness, ya peasant. Second, we got that promotion today, thankyouverymuch, so we’ve earned myself a free weekend!”

C: “Great! Do we get to do something fun for change this weekend then, your highess?! Maybe we could pop down to the city to see the girls?”

A: “...excuse you? I’m gonna spend all this free time experimenting on a bunch of stuff I stole from the lab. Locked cabinet and all. Bound to be useful, somehow, or at least interesting to mess with.”

[ponderingpigeonsims]

It does mean she has to sneak stuff home from the lab, but she’s been doing that for ages, so it’s no big deal. Having no colleagues to impress (or report her or dissuade her) and no supervisors watching over her shoulder for worthy investment of lab material also means she gets to play a little with stuff... even if the results are not meant to be handled in civilian grounds.