Saturday, June 9, 2012

Chapter 66: Inappropriate Moments


"You don't really want to go back," Shannon says.

"I want to be where you are," Rebecca answers.

"We could stay here."

"I hate L.A."

"No you don't," he laughs, "You've settled in here, just admit it. You've started writing again. You haven't given any real thought to moving on since you got here."

"I can't take you away from your home..."

"I'm not all that attached San Francisco, Beck. I can be just as at home here. At least the climate is more like what I'm used to. And I've got gallery representation down here already; I'd just have to move my studio."

"I don't know..." she sighs.

"Well, I do know," Shannon says, "I can't be on vacation forever, I need to work. We're staying."

"Okay," Rebecca agrees, "That actually sounds nice."


"You know, we could just blow this thing off and stay here to celebrate," he says, running a hand over her breast.

"Seducing me isn't going to work," Rebecca laughs, "It's your show, you have to go to the opening."

"I really hate these things," he protests.

"Too bad," she says, kissing him lightly, "It comes with being an artist."


"I don't know anything about art," Portia protests.

"You don't have to know anything about art, you just have to chat up the guests."

"It's your gallery," Portia points out, "Don't you have employees to run this thing for you?"

"Of course I do," Mercedes says. Her employee, Eleanor, is the reason she doesn't want to attend the opening tonight. She'll be there, with Justin, and that a little more than she can deal with, "But it's the Arthag gallery, and there should be an Arthag present for the show. And I have this awful headache, I just can't do it."

"Fine," Portia sighs heavily, "If I promise to do it will you please let me practice in peace?"


"So, you finally get a night off, and it's a night that I have to work," Kelly sighs.

"You could blow it off?" Alison suggests.

"No, I can't, Ali," Kelly laughs, "Bartending isn't the greatest gig ever, but I need to get paid. Why don't you come? They're sending me to a gallery opening in Beverly Hills."

"Because I love uptight rich people?" Alison quips.

"Because you love watching me work," Kelly laughs, "We won't have much time together, but we'd at least be in the same room. We don't get enough of that."

"All right, I'll go," Alison reluctantly agrees.


"Hey, French," Coby says when Rainier exits the elevator.

"It's French now?" Rainier laughs, "It's a step up from dick, I guess. I thought you moved out," he says to Stina.

"We were just looking the place over to make sure I didn't leave anything behind. I'm dropping the key off now. And then we're going to an opening at my gallery. Why don't you come with us?"

"You don't really want me tagging along on your date. Unless you're proposing a threesome," Rainier laughs, "That sounds lovely, but I'm afraid I'm too exhausted to take both of you at once."


"Dude!" Coby exclaims in horror.

"I wish you could see your expression right now, Sheffield."

"Behave, Rainier," Stina chides him, "I'll be mostly working all night, so Coby will be on his own."

"As much as I would love to escort your boyfriend for the evening, I really need some sleep."

"C'mon, Rainier, the sun hasn't even set yet. We'll have you home before midnight," Stina pouts.

"I haven't slept in days," Rainier complains, "But what's a few more sleepless, exhausted hours? As long as there's drinks, anyway."


Kelly shows off her bartending skills as Alison looks on.


The guy standing next to her looks familiar, she knows she knows him from somewhere. Probably an actor she's worked with. Then it hits her. "Oh, no fucking way!" she breathes.


"Of all the places to run into you," she says, her voice rising in anger, "You fucking thieving asshole!"

"Alison," Justin says, his voice low and even, "It's been a long time."


"That's it?!" Alison is close to screaming, "You stole my car and ran off with the rent money, and all you can say is 'it's been a long time'?"

"Do you want the money back?"

"The money isn't the issue," Alison retorts.

A few feet away, Eleanor has noticed the argument and excuses herself from from her conversation with Mercedes' daughter to see what's going on.


"Elle, this is Alison Riley," Justin introduces the women, "I owe her money."

"Eleanor Thorne," Eleanor shakes Alison's hand firmly, "Whatever you're owed, we'll pay you," she promises, hoping to end this scene before it gets out of hand.


"I don't care about the money," Alison repeats, and then puts a few pieces together, "Okay, wait...are you two...you're straight?" she asks Justin in bewilderment.

"Did I ever give you any cause to believe I wasn't?" he asks.

Alison's brow furrows as she thinks that one over. Her roommates Lance and Jacob were obsessed with Justin after they'd seen him in some fetish show at a club, and they offered him their couch to sleep on. "I just assumed..." Alison says, but now that's forced to think about it, Justin never gave any indication of being gay or straight beyond hanging out with gay guys he never so much as flirted with. The only times she ever saw him make physical contact with another person was when he was beating the crap out of guys who tried to threaten Lance or Jacob. They would go out to straight bars together to deliberately provoke straight men into attacking them; that's when Justin would come out of the dark corners he'd lurk in and turn the tables on anyone who thought small, pretty Lance and Jacob were easy prey. With some shame, Alison remembers tagging along with her camera, filming while Justin delivered what she thought of as righteous punishment on these homophobes. She was as fascinated with him as Lance and Jacob were, his casual brutality, his fearsome and terrible strength, like an avenging angel. She was as happy to offer him a roof to sleep under as her roommates were. And then one day, he was gone, along with the money for the next month's rent and her piece of shit car.


"Assuming anything about a person is always a huge mistake, Alison," Justin says, "You didn't know anything about me, but you let me stay in your apartment. You assumed I wouldn't steal your rent money and take off with your car. Look where that got you."

"Thanks for the life lesson, asshole," Alison says bitterly.

Justin laughs roughly, "There are bigger assholes than me out there, who'll do a lot worse if thy get the chance. You don't want the money back, and the statute of limitations is long passed, so you can't press charges. So, what do you want from me, Alison?"

Alison glares. "A fucking apology would be nice," she says.

"I'm sorry it was your money I stole, Alison. I actually liked you, which is pretty rare for me. But I needed to get the hell out of New York, and I was broke."

"That's a pretty shitty apology," Alison grumbles. She didn't really even want that from him, but she didn't know what else to ask for when pressed.

Justin shrugs, "It was sincere. Anything else would have been a lie."

Eleanor watches the exchange in silence, absorbing these new facts coming to light from Justin's past, not sure what to make of it.


"Dude, that chick over there is totally eyeing you up," Coby points out, nodding his head in Portia's direction.


"Portia is anything but subtle," Rainier says, trying not to look at her, but unable to turn away, "At least her father isn't here."


"Dude! That's her? Right on!" Coby gives Rainier an appreciative fist bump.

"Somehow, I don't think congratulating me for sleeping with a teenager is appropriate," Rainier laughs, "But, whatever."


"You're looking a little messier than usual," Portia observes as she approaches, "What's up with the hair?"

"It kept getting my eyes. I had to do something with it," Rainier answers, "Are you by yourself tonight?"

"Totally unsupervised. I'm working the gallery for my mother. Or I'm supposed to be, anyway."

"I'm going to go...over there," Coby says, unheard by either of them.


"Where have you been?" she asks, "I'm completely outleveling you. I'm ready to start Act 3, but I've been waiting for you."

Rainier leans on the wall beside her, longing to bury his face in her neck, or better yet, to lay down with her and just sleep wrapped around her. "I'd love nothing more than to enter Act 3 with you, but don't wait up on me if you want to go forward. We're going gold in less than a week, and I'm running on less than two hours of sleep a night; I haven't had time for gaming. This is the first time I've left the office in days; I should be in bed, but those two dragged me here."

"You are looking a little ragged," she says, her lips smiling but with real concern in her voice, "I want you to take better care of yourself."



"As soon as the disk is with the publisher, I'll sleep for a solid week," Rainier promises, kissing her hand.

"I'll wait for you," she says, "I don't want to do it without you."

"Are we talking about Diablo?" Rainier asks, exhaustion making it hard to focus.

"Silly," she laughs, "I have to go mingle now. Take care of yourself, I mean it."


"Becky," Coby says as he squeezes her in greeting, "How've you been?"


"Shannon, this is Coby. He's Heather's step-brother," Rebecca introduces the men.

"Shannon!" Coby gasps, finally meeting the dude Rebecca was so hung up on, "Becky has told me...uh, nothing about you. Nice to finally meet you." After a moment of awkward fidgeting, "I, uh, have to...do something...over there..." he says vaguely, and wanders off.

Rebecca endures it all with a wooden smile.


"That's him, isn't?" Shannon asks, not really needing confirmation. "So, how much 'nothing' did you tell him about me?"

"I called out your name a few times at inappropriate moments," Rebecca answers, "He asked about you, but I didn't want to talk about my personal stuff with him. So he'd go on and on about the girl he was in love with... why are you smiling like that?"


"Because if that's my competition..."

"There was never a contest," Rebecca says, "I was so stupid, Shan. I'll never--"

Shannon quiets her with a kiss.

As the show finally comes to an end, Stina gets a minute to spend with Coby. "I'm sorry I was so busy," she sighs, "I thought I'd at least get a break."

"It's all right," Coby says, "It's been...interesting. Now, let's go home."


_______________________________________
There are some new pics in the Breaking Immersion section today. Becky, there's one in there just for you. ;-)

28 comments:

  1. It was great to see (almost) everyone in one place! The way they interacted with each other was AWESOME.

    Portia/Rainier = Seriously the cutest couple ever. Although Shannon is quite a doll, I just can't quite bring myself to like Rebecca.

    Breaking Immersion: D'aaaaaw. My gosh I love these characters so much.

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    1. Thanks, Cece. This scene was a real bitch to shoot, but it was fun to do a big group scene and get different characters together.

      Portia and Rainier are the current favorites (they are cute together) and I don't think anyone really likes Rebecca, lol.

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  2. Oh, I love this chapter. I don't know why but seeing them a lot of them come together, some without knowing the other but finally meeting, it just makes me smile.

    I love Stina's pink hair and that sequin top. Wherever did you find that pattern??? Rainer is still my favorite. It's strange because I didn't want to like him, at all, but I do.

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    1. Thanks, heaven!

      The sequin pattern is here:
      http://beechnutbaby.blogspot.com/2012/05/beechs-sparkle-pattern.html

      I wasn't expecting to make Rainier likable, either, but he really has started to shine.

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  3. Very lighthearted, except for Justin and Eleanor. Well Justin was, but I hope Elle doesn't think too hard about things. She has THE prize of all prizes. (I think anyway ^_^)

    Poor Frenchie... haha that was so funny.. Coby is so Coby. Rainier and Portia are perfect for the other. Shannon is quite the looker. :)

    I hope the showing goes completely well. Can't wait to read more :)

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    1. Thanks, Zhippidy! Justin's past is starting to come out, slowly but surely.

      I really enjoy writing Rainier and Coby, and Rainier and Portia. Really, anything to do with Rainier is fun for me. =P

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  4. Portia really likes playing with fire. I wonder if she will find him still so appealing once she turns 18.

    Justin has a lot of stuff in his closet. Wonder how El will feel when she gets a full view of it all.

    Still don't really like Stina, but so far she has been good to Coby so I will cut her some slack.

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    1. Thanks, Jaz,
      Portia does like to be dangerous, that is true.
      Justin's got a lot of stuff he keeps secreted away, and it's all going to start falling out on him, bit by bit.
      Stina still has a little (or a lot, lol) of growing up to do, but she is becoming a little less self-involved and more aware of other people's feelings.

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  5. I enjoyed this chapter very much. It was great seeing all the couples in one room, I missed Heather Ulysses though.

    I really thought Allison was going to get into full bitch mode. I'm glad Eleanor came over when she did.

    I love Coby's and Rainier's friendship, it's amazing how far they've come considering their history.

    And yay to Becky and Shannon staying! They are so cute together!

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    1. Thank you, Val!
      Heather and Ulises didn't really have a reason to be at this event, so they were left. I am working on developing their story more, though, so you will see them again.
      Alison was pretty upset, but I guess that's natural when you run into someone who was supposedly a friend that stole your car and rent money.
      I also love Coby and Rainier as friends, they are fun for me to write.

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  6. Heh, neat chapter. I like all the detail. The hair changes (lol Rainier), the new outfits. Everybody being generally happy. Random flash from Justin's past.

    Is the pattern on Stina's dress attached to the dress? Or from the store? It's very pretty.

    Outtakes: neat golf course scene. Also thanks for the one pic. ^^

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    1. Rainier's hair change is temporary. That's just his even messier than normal look, lol.
      The pattern on Stina's dress is part of the dress. The only CC pattern is on the vest (I linked to that in the reply to heaven's comment above.)

      Bill is thrilled about the new golf range, I'm sure. I'm happy they gave us that, though I'm not into golf myself, it's a nice new hobby for Sims.

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    2. I figured it was temporary, but I thought it was a nice touch, to show how overworked he is right now. Thanks for the link to the sparkles.

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  8. I hope that Elle can handle Justin's past and it doesn't come back to bite them in the ass. They belong together, they are my favorite couple.

    Hm, not sure what to think of Shannon and Becca yet.

    I wonder if Portia will get bored of Mr. Sexy Belgian, I mean Rainer when she hit 18.

    Coby and Stina <3 awww.

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    1. I haven't even got started on Justin's past. He's going to need Elle to hang in there with him. Hopefully she can do that for him.

      I personally can't imagine getting bored with Rainier, myself, lol. But we'll see.

      And yay, someone likes Coby and Stina!

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  9. ~ "Dude!" Coby exclaims in horror.LMAO @ that!( & the classic face!)
    ~ Coby is a very laid back guy I love that he is now friends with his one time rival!
    ~ Wow,That fight that nearly happened could have got her girlfriend fired!If Mercedes was there instead of Portia,her ass would have been grass!
    ~ I loved that Shannon is moving to Becky!Things should be interesting with them I hope she keeps writing!
    ~ I agree with every one else I think Stina is finally growing up!
    ~ Love it & want MORE!(",)

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    1. Thank you, Karima!
      I really really love Coby and Rainier playing off each other. They wouldn't be able to be friends if Coby weren't so mellow, but he is. I'm happy for that because they work really well together.
      I haven't decided what I want to do with Shannon and Becky, yet, but I do want to keep them in the story, so I will have to think of something.
      Stina is growing up finally, so hopefully she will be good for Coby. LOL< if she isn't I'm sure people here will want to see her hurt for it.

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  10. An awesome chapter, caterpillar! I smiled through the whole chapter. I would have commented to earlier chapters too, but was too lazy to login...

    Please please arrange some troubles for Rebecca, she is getting out too easily now!

    I loved the story of Justin's past and having everybody get together. But I cannot keep wondering if Portia will get more like her mother when she'll grow up.

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    1. Thanks, misu! I'm always happy to hear from you.
      Some people are happy for Rebecca, some people just don't like her, lol. I have not made up my mind on that yet.

      Portia more like her mother? Maybe she'll ask Rainier to spank her? lol.

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  11. Alison finally caught up with Justin huh. You know she wasn't liking the apology to well but she had to admit she wasn't sure what she wanted from him. I'm hoping this run in doesn't effect the way Elle sees him , they are my favorite couple at the moment-=).
    I will have to say my favorite male character is Shannon, he's such a sweetheart and such a hottie......whos hooked up with my least favorite person, Becca, I can not for anything make myself like that girl, sorry=/.

    Coby and Stina are just the best=).I do have my reservations about Rainier and Portia, she's still very young. But rest assured, if she ever breaks his heart you can send him to me!...edenz~

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    1. Yeah, alison was of course angry at seeing Justin again, but at this point she doesn't need the money or her piece of shit car, and there's not much else she can get from Justin except to just yell at him a little.
      Elle is going to be learning a lot about Justin in coming chapters.

      Shannon is getting some popularity here. He is a really great guy, and maybe more than Rebecca deserves after what she did. It's really okay to not like her, I didn't make her very easy to like.

      Yay, another vote for Stina and Coby!
      Rainier and Portia will have to deal with their age difference. It still bothers him, though he's agreed to give it a try when she's legal.

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  12. I don't know if you wrote this chapter to be particularly humorous, but I was rolling on the floor at Coby's reaction to Portia (the fist bump was adorable) and Justin's introduction of Alison to Eleanor. Justin is nothing if not direct and succinct. I envy people like that - verbosity is good for term papers but tends to get in the way in real life.

    Also, kudos for pulling off what appears to have been an enormous party. I hate throwing parties in the game because everybody tries to go through the door at once and inevitably my poor host has just gotten out of the shower, so everybody goes into into the bathroom...what a nightmare. It was fun seeing 90% of your characters all in the same space! So many adorable couples - Coby and Stina, Rainier and Portia, Justin and Eleanor, and Shannon and Rebecca. Adorable.

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    1. Thanks, Hayley! This was a mostly comedic chapter. I especially enjoyed writing the Coby/Rainier interactions.
      Justin does like to get right to the point, and I always enjoy writing him.

      That was actually not a party. Parties are way too out of control when you want to shoot particular scenes (though the chaos can often create scenes for you). What I do when I'm shooting is to use master controller to move all the players into the same household so I can control them all.
      There's also misukisu's add on for pose player that allows you to pose Sims who aren't in your household.
      Still, even with having control of them all, it was still a very difficult chapter to shoot. I put Kelly on the bar and forgot about her, and she ending up peeing herself and walking out on me. Luckily I didn't really need more than one shot of her, lol.

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  13. HOLY FUCKING HELL MAN! This chapter was just one colassal cluster fuck and AMAZING palely describes my opened jawed stunned expression right now.

    "Assuming anything about a person is always a huge mistake, Alison," Justin says, "You didn't know anything about me, but you let me stay in your apartment. You assumed I wouldn't steal your rent money and take off with your car. Look where that got you."

    HAHAHAHA Ok that shit was hilarious and too true for words. I loved every second of this chapter and trying to break it down as much as I can. I loved the way everyone was shown gearing up for this huge gallery event and how all of their worlds were about to collide on this one moment in time!

    Alison and Justin's past is very interesting and very energetic the way they interacted. He was so casual about stealing her money and car I just I couldn't stop laughing about it. DUDE! HAHA too fucking funny. His apology was real and made me smile. I'd accept it...then again I'm a whipped bitch lusting after him so I'd accept a dog bone if he threw it in the dirt at my feet **blushes shamefully**

    Rainier and Portia /sigh. I love that she scolded his ass lol "take care of yourself!" (Love his hair by the way but again that might just be the fangirl in me :() Coby made me laugh though fist bumping as he saw the chick from "French's" bed!

    Shannon and Rebecca have worked it out and that's beyond awesome! He is moving to be with her and that makes her happy. It's like this unspoken thing...like Justin and Eleanor, Shannon KNOWS what Bec wants even though she has no clue herself (or can't admit it).

    HA Mercedes...fucking bitch.

    All in all, one of the best chapters yet. It's great seeing the drama bombs when most of the main cast is in one room LOL Absolfuckinglutely perfect!

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    1. Justin does tell it like it is, without shame or regret.

      I love any minute I can get with Rainier and Portia. Counting down to their birthday...though they'll be having one or two major chapters (depending how that splits up) before that.

      I love doing big group chapters, but it's also such a hassle. As you know with your 24 person wedding party...

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    2. OMG Yes! But I have such a internet romance with Misukisu for creating that mod haha I'm gonna stalk her until she calls the police and have me arrested :P she made my life so much easier she has no idea!

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    3. I know! I'm in love with misu, too! That one mod, in addition to pose player itself, made storytelling so much easier.

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