Smoothie Sims, Inc. proudly presents…

Elle’s Bachelorette Challenge - Day 3

Immediately after the elimination, a glitch in the Matrix popped up, forcing Marinato fix it before the masses could continue their observation of the bachelorette house.

“How long wi ll i t take?” Azula asked worriedly, afraid a crisis would come up whi lethey were offline.

“Long enough for you to take a break and get something to eat whi le you’ re waiting,”Marina replied. “I’ ll get it done before they get too far into the tea date, Zuzu, sorelax.”

“Let’ s get some food,” Dominic agreed, preparing to drag Azula off so Marina couldget her work done in peace. “Azula, why don’ t you get the breakfast dishes whi le Ithrow together some sandwiches.”

“Okay.”

The two of them worked in si lence for a moment. Azula furtively glanced over at Domto see if he was as concerned as she was, but he didn’ t seem to be, calmly puttingtogether the sandwiches as if it were a normal day. “I don’ t want any condiments onmine!” Marina yelled in from the living room.

“Can do,” he called back. “What about you, Rhys?”

“Mayo, tomato, and lettuce, if we’ ve got it.”

“Okay. Azula?”

“Just lettuce is fine.”

The si lence finally got to Azula. “I’m worried about her, Dom.”

“She’ s your sister, of course you are,” he said soothingly. “Older siblings aresupposed to do that. I can’ t tell you how many times I’ ve freaked out over somethingKahlen did.”

Azula had to laugh a bit. “Yeah, but at least your sister knows how to get along withguys. I’m afraid I might have done the wrong thing, encouraging Elle to do this.”

“Azula, she’ s going to be fine.”

“How do you know?”

“Because my unfai ling optimism says so.” He tossed her a quick wink, and shelaughed. “It might be hard, but she’ ll get through it. This might be just what she needsto gain a li ttle confidence in herself.”

“Marina, I think another gray hair’ s coming in. Could you possibly hurry it up?”

“You are more than welcome to fix it yourself if you think it’ ll go any faster,fauxhawk boy.”

“Ha, at this rate I might have to. You are so inept with machines--oh hey!” Thescreen came back to life, focusing on Elle and the three men who had joined her at thetea set that day.

“Inept with machines, huh?” Marina said smugly.

“Oh shut up. Yo, lovebirds, it’ s back on! You’ re gonna miss the good stuff!”

“Go ahead and sit down,” Dominic said. “I’ ll bring the sandwiches out when they’ reready.”

“Thanks, babe,” Azula said.

“No problem. Let me know what I miss.”

***

If there was anyone less pleased than Azula about how the first two days had gone, itwas Elle, who spent the brief moments she had alone whi le she brewed the tea tryingnot to be very, very hurt, and not succeeding at all.

“’Try growing a spine’ ! ‘You remind me of my sister’ !” Determined that none of theboys would see her break down--a trait that made her more like her sister than sheknew--she shut her eyes tight, wi lling herself not to cry, not to show that she wasupset. They would think she couldn’ t handle it, and that was the last thing she wantedanyone to think. She could handle it, and she would if it ki lled her.

When she thought she had herself composed, she called down for the boys to join her.

She couldn’ t help perking up a li ttle when, after a brief scuffle, Akor, Ham, and Liamcame up to join her. “Hey, guys,” she said. “Sit down and grab a cup.”

“This smells good, Elle,” Akor said, making her happy that he wasn’ t ignoring herafter the awkward flirt date earlier.

“Thanks. I’d never actually tried to brew tea before yesterday, but it turned out to bepretty simple, so. How are you guys doing?”

Her answer was three variants on “Good.”

“What wi ll you be inquiring of us today, Miss Ellie?” Ham asked.

Akor looked confused. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“Yesterday I asked everyone a question that we all had to answer to kickstart theconversation,” Elle explained. “I figured we could do it again today since it workedwell. Of course, Liam took issue with the lack of interesting questions I came upwith yesterday, so today, I thought up a really good one.”

“Okay, what is it?”

She grinned. “Would you rather sing a ridiculous song like ‘ I’m a Little Teapot’ at thetop of your lungs in a very public place, or…bathe in a tub of mud?”

Liam immediately made a face. “You’ re kidding, right?”

“Nope. That’ s today’ s question. I’ ll start and we’ ll go clockwise this time. I think I’mgoing to go with the mud, because no one has to watch and I can wash it off when I’mdone. Akor?”

He grimaced. “Neither sounds particularly appealing to me.”

“That’ s the point, i t’ s supposed to be hard.”

“Well, if I had to pick one, I’d probably go with ‘ I’m a Little Teapot.’ It would beover with fast and I have better things to do than clean up the mess mud would make.”

For Ham, the question was easier to answer. “To be honest, I should much prefer thesinging of a song,” he said, “and anyway I quite enjoy music of all sorts. And anyway,bathing in mud is by no means dignified…or sanitary.”

Liam disagreed. “The mud. Definitely.” He shuddered. “I agree with Akor. Neitherone is something I’d enjoy. However, the mud would be infinitely less humi liating. Idon’ t have anything against music, but the last thing I want to do, ever, i s get up infront of a bunch of strangers and make an idiot of myself.”

“You’d never see them again,” Akor pointed out.

“I don’ t care, they’d sti ll see. I don’ t want to be known as ‘ the weird guy who actedlike a dumbass in public and sang about as well as a cat’ to anyone.”

“So you’d rather be known as ‘ the weird guy who bathed in mud’?”

“It makes sense in my head, okay?”

After that highly amusing conversation, Elle headed downstairs to set up the buffetfor dinner. She was busy wrestling with the gelatin when she heard footsteps and asoft throat-clearing behind her. “Ellie?”

“Oh hey, Abe, I’m almost done,” she said casually. Maybe a li ttle too casually. “Missedyou at tea.”

“Yeah, uh, sorry about that,” he said, sounding sheepish. “Maybe I should have got outthat baseball bat after all.”

“It’ s okay. Maybe tomorrow, yeah?”

When she was done, she turned to see him standing behind her. “You’ re not mad, areyou?” he asked.

“No, I already told you I wasn’ t,” she said seriously. “Please don’ t worry about it.”

“Okay. I’ ll try not to.”

The arrival of the other guys defused the tension somewhat, and both Elle and Abetook a plate of food and sat down with the rest.

“So, what are we doing tonight, Elle?” Liam asked.

“Fishing,” Elle replied. “Right after dinner I’m going to head out to the pond out back,and then each of you gets to fish with me for forty-five minutes and we can talk aboutwhatever.”

He looked a bit dubious. “Fishing?”

“I’ ve never done it before either, don’ t worry.”

“Why, fishing is an excellent idea!” Ham exclaimed. “And it is not terribly difficult,either.”

“I love fishing,” Akor agreed. “My brother and I enjoyed going together from time totime. We took my sister once, too.”

Ham turned to Elle. “If one of us were to make a catch, might it be possible tosubstitute it for the buffet at one meal? Not that this food is not delightful,” he wasquick to add, “but when it is all one eats…”

Elle smi led. “Tell you what. If you catch it, we’ ll find a way to cook it.”

Dinner was soon over, and Abe took it upon himself to go around collecting plates.“Thanks,” Elle said, smi ling up at him.

“No problem. I’ ll take care of these, you go ahead and get started with the fishing,since I’m sure it’ s going to run late.”

So she did, and Stuart, who was first up, found her on her rear after wrestling withthe rod and losing miserably. “I am so going to have words with the guy who said thiswas easy,” she grumbled.

“Do you require any assistance?” he asked, unable to help a smi le.

“Ugh, no, it’ s just that the ground is wet and casting really threw me off balance.”

“Please allow me to help you up, at least.”

“Yeah, that’d be great.”

Stuart helped Elle get back on her feet and to recast her line, then got to work fixingup his own. “Have you ever done this before?” she asked.

“Not that I can recall,” he said, “but it seems fairly straightforward. I suppose Ishall find out shortly.”

And find out he certainly did.

“I told you,” Elle said, glancing down sympathetically.

“I should say you did. Well, now, that was not pleasant in the slightest. I supposethere is nothing left but to collect what remains of my dignity and try again.”

“I would help you, but I think I’ ve got something and I’m afraid if I move it’ ll drag meinto the pond.”

Neither of them got on very well after that, though. They spent more time pickingthemselves off the ground and detangling their lines than holding any actualconversation. Finally, Stuart sighed and reeled his in to pack it up. “I should go backinside whi le I am sti ll in one piece,” he joked. “Wi ll you be all right?”

“I’ ll have to. I sti ll have dates with four more guys.”

“Well, much as it pains me to wish any of the others better luck than I had, I do hopeyou get on all right unti l they are all over.”

“Thanks, Stuart. I’ ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, Miss Ellie.”

To Elle’ s dismay, none of the rest of the dates went much better.

“Why are you all the way over there, Akor?”

“I want to see if the fish are biting any better over here.”

“Oh.”

“’Not terribly difficult’ , huh?”

“Oh…I think I might have injured my tai lbone…”

“Okay, so the line goes through the loops like--OW! DAMMIT!”

“Let me guess, it smacked you in the face again.”

“I am telling you, Elle, this thing hates me.”

Abe was last, and actually seemed to do the best of the five in regards to how well hetook to the activity, but he seemed to pay more attention to doing it well than to theperson he was doing it with.

When his turn was over, Elle sent him inside ahead of her and took her time reelingin her line. “What time is it?” she asked her earpiece.

“Past one,” Marina replied. “You can sleep in tomorrow if you want, though.”

“I might have to,” she said, with a yawn.

“I’m sorry that didn’ t go better.”

“Yeah, you and me both. Good night, Marina.”

“Night, Ellie. Sleep well.”

***

Because Elle slept in the next morning, everybody at the observation house was awakewell before she was, and Rhys and Azula passed the time getting acquainted with eachother whi le Marina monitored the bachelorette house.

“So tell me how things are now,” Rhys said. “You’ re what, generation 5?” Marina shothim a Look he didn’ t notice, or pretended not to.

Azula did a quick finger count. “Uh, I’d be the fifth generation from you, yeah.”

“And are you the heir?”

“Hell no.” She snorted. “Heirship i s about the last thing I want. You couldn’ t pay meto take it.”

Rhys blinked in surprise. “Why not?”

“Because it controls you. You have to do what’ s best for everybody else before you cando anything at all for yourself, and stupid Raikov watches everything you do, so if youslip up, he knows instantly. My parents are terrified of him.” She shook her head. “Ican’ t take that pressure.”

“Well.” He cracked a wry smi le. “Heirship certainly isn’ t what it used to be.”

Azula snorted. “When was it any different?”

“Oh, a long time ago, when I was a kid growing up in Authorland, which is where ourfami ly came from before I left for Sierra Plains. I was part of what’ s called a Legacyfami ly, and heirship i n one of those fami lies pretty much consists of inheriting thehouse and the fortune, and making sure the line carries on.”

“Huh. Interesting.” Azula sat back in contemplation. “See, that I could do.”

“It does sound pretty simple, doesn’ t it?”

“So were you the heir ever, or…”

Rhys shook his head. “No.”

“Why not?”

“I was a late-in-life chi ld born after the heir for that generation had already beendecided.”

“Is that why you came to Sierra Plains, then? To start your own Legacy or whatever?”

Rhys glanced at Marina, who was typing furiously in an attempt to ignore them. “Notquite,” he said. “It was an opportunity to start over, yes.”

“And it went wrong when the power plant blew.”

“Exactly. You’ re catching on.”

“Hey, just because I’m a Popularity Sim doesn’ t mean I’m dumb.” They laughed. “Sothen, why us? Why do we have to be the ones to fix everything?”

Rhys hesitated. Azula was getting dangerously close to the kinds of questions he didn’ twant to answer. “Because no one else could, really. Sierra Plains was not a big placewhen I first arrived there and I’m wi lling to bet it sti ll i sn’ t. The mi litary personnelwere too busy trying to protect their own interests, and they had almost everyoneelse completely terrified of what could happen next.”

“So what about you?”

“Well, I’m Rhys Fitzhugh, obviously, and I do what I damn well want to.” He flashedher a small grin. “I don’ t think Raikov liked that about me, but I couldn’ t really say forsure. We didn’ t talk much. I didn’ t need his permission anyway; I did what I had to,to survive. Somehow that ended up helping everyone else too.”

Azula laughed. “I always knew that guy was full of hot air.”

“Oh yes. Please tell me you know the zombies are harmless. That was the biggest loadof crap he tried to sell everyone back in my day.”

“Yeah, everybody knows that now. My aunt’ s actually working on a way to fix them.”

Rhys brightened. “Good! That’ s the way a Fitzhugh does it.”

Marina glanced down briefly at hearing his reaction, surprised. She hadn’ t realizedRhys had been so invested in the fate of the zombies, even though they were fami lymembers. Most had been people he’d hated, or who had hated him.

Turning her attention back to the screen, she saw Elle stirring. “Okay, she’ s up,” sheinformed the other two.

“Finally!” Rhys hopped up from the floor and brushed himself off. “She sure took hertime about it.”

“You are such a pain in the ass,” Marina muttered.

“You love it,” he quipped.

She shook her head and turned on her mike. “Good morning, Elle. How did you sleep?”

“Yeah, I did,” Elle murmured groggi ly. “Wha’ time’ s it?”

“Almost nine. I suggest you get up and dressed and start on your flirting right away.”

She blinked rapidly. “Flirting? Again?”

“Yes, again.”

Grumbling, she pushed herself up and out of the bed. “Right, because that went so wellyesterday.”

“It did, Ellie. For one thing, you did well despite it being your first time consciouslytrying. For another, it helped you decide who to send home. I’m sure you’ ll feel morecomfortable doing it today.”

“But what about--”

“Any issues the guys may have are their own. That’ s not your fault.”

“I guess that’ s true. It doesn’ t make me feel too much better though.”

“You wouldn’ t be such a nice person if it did. After flirting you send someone homelike usual, then after that you’ ve got another tea date, and then after that I want youto spend a bit with each of the guys talking about their interests.”

“Interests specifically?”

“Yeah. You did a good job two days ago with the casual chatting and I like what you’ redoing with questions at tea, but now I need you to talk about likes and dislikes and seeif there’ s anything you can’ t live with.”

“Okay, I can do that I guess.”

“Awesome, I’ ll leave you to it. Shout if you need anything.”

When she arrived downstairs, she found Akor playing a solitary game of pool in hispajamas. “Morning,” she said, waving.

He looked up. “Oh. Good morning. I didn’ t think you were up yet.”

“Yeah, I just got up a few minutes ago. Since it’ s so late already I thought I’d juststart the, uh, one-on-one time right away. You can be first, if you want.”

“Sure, I’m just messing around here anyway.”

Once they were alone, Elle realized just how shirtless Akor was and swallowednervously. “Um.”

“What?”

“Uh, nothing, just…oh wow.”

He glanced at where she was looking and started, blushing a li ttle. “I can, uh, go put ashirt on if you’d rather,” he said.

“No, no, it’ s fine, um…I’m just not sure how I’m going to be able to say the line I hadready for you now.”

One of his eyebrows arched in curiosity. “Oh really? And what was that going to be?”

Taking a deep breath, Elle leaned closer. “You remember last night’ s fishing date?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

She lowered her voice. “I would have liked it better if you hadn’ t been so far away.”

He blinked. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It’ s okay. Just, um, so you know. For the future.” She touched his hand briefly as shepulled back, waiting with baited breath for his reaction.

He gave her a crooked smi le. “That wasn’ t half bad, as lines go.”

“Really? I thought maybe it was too simple.”

“Sometimes simple is good.”

She asked Akor to send in the first person he saw that wasn’ t in the shower orotherwise busy, and that turned out to be Ham, who also walked in wearing hispajamas. “Oh, I do beg your pardon,” he exclaimed, when he realized it was flirtingtime. “I am not properly garbed--”

“It doesn’ t matter,” Elle said, with a wave of the hand. “You’ re wearing more thanAkor was.”

“Sti ll, I should--”

“Ham. It’ s fine. In the modern world, guys can walk around with a lot less than you’ vegot on and get away with it. Besides, I like your pajama choice.”

“You do?”

“I do. They look nice on you.”

Very surprised, but not displeased, Ham smi led a bit, tugging at his shirt collarawkwardly. “You really like them?”

Elle smi led and leaned a li ttle closer. “Really.”

Ham practically beamed. “Why…thank you very much.”

“You’ re welcome,” she replied, ignoring the peals of laughter coming from herearpiece. “You can go get dressed now, if you want. Send in the first guy you see onthe way, please?”

“Certainly.”

Stuart was next, and to her relief, he was fully dressed.

“Oh, this is gonna be good.”

“Yeah, where’ s the popcorn?”

“No commentary from the peanut gallery!”

“Miss Ellie?” Stuart asked, when she didn’ t say anything right away.

“What? Oh, sorry. I was distracted. Hi .” This instigated another burst of laughterfrom the earbud, and she tried not to flush with embarrassment.

“Hello,” he replied, looking amused.

“I’m glad you’ re here,” she said, after she’d racked her brains momentari ly forsomething she could say that she hadn’ t already said the day before.

He smi led. “I am happy to be here, and happy that you are glad I am here.”

“Well, I’m glad that you’ re happy.”

“Good.”

“Yes.” She swallowed. “Um, did you know that you, Liam, and Akor all do your hair thesame way?”

“It must have slipped my notice. It is a very simple style, however, so I am notsurprised that other people use it as well.”

Elle took his hand without thinking about it and leaned to whisper in his ear. “Don’ ttell them I said this, but it just might suit you best,” she said.

When Stuart replied, his tone was a mixture of amused and flattered. “As long as youwi ll not tell them the same thing once I am not there to hear.”

She laughed, a li ttle nervously. “I try not to recycle my compliments. That might bewhy I keep running out of ideas.”

“I am sure that keeps you honest, at least.”

“There is that.”

After Stuart came Liam, who surprisingly seemed perfectly at ease walking aroundin just his pajama bottoms. When she commented on this, he shrugged and smi led.“I’m used to it. Everything is hand-me-downs where I’m from, so a lot of the timepajamas look nicer than real clothes. No one really cares.”

“Well, i t’ s nice to know that your clothes don’ t define you,” Elle said, with a bravesmi le, to hide the fact that she did care.

Leaning in a li ttle more intimately, as she had with the other three, she took a deepbreath to steady herself and surprisingly came up with something she could say. “Yousmell good. Like soap and clean linen.”

“Really?” Liam seemed very pleased with this compliment. “I’m glad you noticed. I’ vebeen using a lot of soap.”

“It’ s obviously worked,” she said, hoping he didn’ t hear that someone at the otherhouse had once again burst into loud horse laughter.

After Liam left, Abe walked in, making him the fourth person of the day to come tothe date wearing his pajamas. “PJs seem to be the ‘hip thing’ today,” she said,amused, and slightly mortified. “I wonder how I missed the memo.”

Abe laughed, a bit uncomfortably. “I can go put clothes on really quickly.”

“Nah, you’ re fine. I kind of think it’ s hi larious that they match your sweater. It’ s agood color for you, though.”

“Why thank you.”

Hoping she had put him at ease, Elle moved to put a hand on his arm and wassurprised when he pushed it away from him urgently. “You know what? You’ re right,this isn’ t exactly a good thing to be doing in pajamas. So I’m gonna put clothes on.Yup. Be right back.” And he ran from the room.

Stunned, Elle sat down on the couch, not quite comprehending what had just happened.

When Abe came back, fully dressed, he seemed perkier…but a li ttle too much so. “So!”he said brightly. “Where were we?”

“Why do you keep doing this, Abe?” Elle asked quietly. She knew that if she was goingto get anywhere with him, they had to talk about it. The obstacle of his ex-wife justkept getting in the way, and even though it wasn’ t her fault, she couldn’ t help beinghurt by it.

Abe sighed and put a hand to his forehead. “I don’ t know,” he said. “Reflex. It’ s notyou, Elle, i t really isn’ t.”

“Then what is it?”

“It…I’ ve had flashbacks. I, ah, went off on my own without telling anyone whenMeadow…and then I had Chelley to focus on and I guess I never really processed whathappened. Now it’ s all coming back.”

“I understand, Abe,” Elle said gently.

He sighed. “I know you do and I appreciate that. But let’ s face it. This really isn’ tgoing to work, is it?”

“I don’ t want to send you away over something you can’ t help.”

“But you have to send someone home. If you kept me over someone who isn’ t having myproblems, that wouldn’ t be fair to you or to them. Would it ease your conscience if Igave you permission?”

“…I suppose so. As long as I don’ t have to like it.”

He let out a short laugh. “I like you a lot, Ellie. You’ re a nice girl and any of theseguys should feel lucky to have you pick them. It’ s just not the right time for me.”

“Okay. I’m, um, going to get some food, and then we can tell them.”

Instead of eating, however, she just stared at the buffet for a whi le, feeling veryunhappy about the whole thing. “I hate people sometimes,” she muttered, turning tocall everyone to the living room.

While everyone fi ltered in and sat down, Elle paced the room, increasingly unhappythe longer she waited.

When they were all there, she turned, deciding to just get it over with. “The guy I’msending home has already talked about this with me,” she said, “so I don’ t really wantto go over the reasons again. I didn’ t want to have to do this, but I guess it’ snecessary.” She looked Abe in the eye. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “I’m sure.”

“Okay. Abe is going home today, then.”

A couple of the guys had not seen Abe’ s discomfort over the past day and let out quietgasps of surprise as he calmly stood up and crossed over to Elle. “Thank you,” he said.“I’m sorry this couldn’ t have gone better.”

Elle pulled him into a hug. “I’d sti ll like to meet your daughter,” she said.

“Well, call me after all this is over and we’ ll see if we can arrange a visit,” he said,smi ling.

“Okay. Come on, I’ ll call you a cab.”

So Abe left the house, maybe not totally happy with how things had gone, but eager toget home to his daughter. Please let things go better tomorrow, Elle thought miserablyas she watched him leave.

“I’d better go talk to her,” Azula said quietly, getting up from the couch and going overto the computer.

***

And that is the end of Day 3. Hopefully Day 4 wi ll be ready early next week. Unti lthen, Happy Simming!

Once again, thank you to Cait for the lovely cover and to all the writers for the loan oftheir Sims. I’ ve been having a lot of fun with all of them, and they’ re an absolutelylovely group ^_^

Turn the page for the scores -->

“I would just like you all to know that I think Stuart is hot.”

Scores

Stuart - 92/30 = 122 (friends, mutual crush)

Liam - 67/25 = 92 (friends)

Akor - 49/18 = 67

Ham - 46/22 = 66

Abe - 13/17 = 30