From Sirio's diary
I suspect that the period of the final school exams is approaching, or at least so it seems judging by how much the kids and Techna are studying.
As a result, our afternoons have become much quieter than we've become used to. Well, for me it's definitively the perfect chance to focus on my new paintings, for sure I won't waste it.
Um, maybe I could add some blue here, and then...
Alba: Hi dad!
Sirio: Oh, hello Alba! You were so silent I hadn't even heard you arrive!
Alba: Uhm.
She seemed worried about something, I think I see some dark purple hue around her. What could have happened?
Sirio: Did something happen? You seem a little worried.
Alba: Ehm… I just wanted to ask you something… You understand what others feel right away, it has to do with telepathy, right?
Sirio: (cautious) Yes…
Alba: Well, do you think I, or Helios, could do it too? At least a little, I mean.
Sirio: Ehm, I guess it may be possible, yes… Did something happen that makes you think so?
Alba: Well, it's a bit weird, I can't explain it well… But at school, when I talk to the others in the class, sometimes I have the impression that they are telling a lie. But I don't know if it's true, or if it's just my impression.
I was a little surprised to hear her say this, but looking back on it, I probably should have expected some question like that. Our enhanced telepathic ability mostly come from the tendrils on our heads, for my father Toq and those of his generation they were so developed to allow them to read whole thoughts without any effort, while for those like me they are barely sufficient to perceive emotions in others. However, since both Alba and Helios were born without any tendril at all, we had always assumed that they hadn't inherited any remarkable telepathic ability from me.
But it's also true that recognizing lies has always been extremely easy for me, much more than anything else. What if Alba had at least inherited this?
Sirio: Well, Alba, if there's one thing I've learned it's that you have to trust your instincts, sometimes. And if yours tells you that someone is lying, then that's probably the case.
Alba: (relieved) Okay, thanks dad!
This said, her aura suddenly returned green again, and she run to the other room to play with Helios. I'm happy I was able to make her feel better, that's for sure. And I also think that that particular shade of green I just saw would be perfect for this painting, I'd be better to add it before I forget it...
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Alba: Hello Elios, happy mid-August*!
Helios: Do people hug for mid-August?
Alba: Ehm, actually I'm not very sure..
Helios: (impatiently) How boring, do you want to play chess instead?
*This "mid-August" holiday is a custom celebration I added to the game calendar, taking inspiration from the Ferragosto we celebrate here in Italy. Take it as a local holiday in New Sixam*
The summer proceeds, by now also mid-August has arrived. It's hotter than usual, even by New Sixam's standards, it seems to be happening more and more often nowadays. Following the tradition, we invited a lot of friends for having a BBQ together, but this weather also gave us another idea: to organize the most memorable battle of water balloons ever!
Alba: Watch out!
Lily: Ouch!
Halley: Hey, now that I think about it, you had promised a vacation after the trial! Where do you want to go? Granite Falls, Selvadorada, Sulani?
Sirio: Um, I don't think I can go anywhere, you know...
Halley: Yeah, that's right...
Sophia: Considering that Sirio can't go anywhere, why don't we organise a girls-only vacation, then?
Florian: Hey, this doesn't really sound fair to...
Maki: Why not, it could be fun!
Trix: Yes, that's a great idea!
Florian tried very hard to complain, but he was completely unsuccessful. After that comment, there was no way to make the girls change their minds, they actually started almost immediately to make their vacation plan. Well, we didn't have enough money to pay for a vacation for everyone anyway, and they really deserve it a lot. Don't you agree, my dear diary?
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A few weeks later...
Maki: Hey honey, ready for karaoke night?
Alba: Very ready, I can't wait!
Maki: Then I'll go again to call Lily and we can leave. By chance, do you know where she is?
Alba: She's still in her room playing video games, as usual.
Lily: You're too slow, we can't pass this level like this!
???: Sports are much easier to play in person than like this, you know?
Lily: If you say so... But don't change topic!
Maki: Hey Lily, we're about to leave to go to— Oh, sorry, I didn't know you invited, ehm... someone.
Lily: Nobody ever knocks here, huh?
Maki: Um… well, I guess you don't want to join us for karaoke. Not to mind your business, but he is…
Lily: Hey, mom, don't get any weird ideas. He is a school friend, he wants to learn to play video games.
???: My name is Mirko, nice to meet you, Mrs Ishikawa.
Maki: My pleasure. Well, good evening then. We are leaving, but just in case Techna's downstairs in the living room, studying for their end-of-term exams.
Lily: Have fun at the karaoke then.
A little later, at the karaoke bar
Maki: (whispering) Lily had locked herself in the room with a very sporty guy, I'm not so sure I was right to leave them alone with Techna, you know? I mean, I told them to intervene if their microphone measured anything different from playing video games, but still...
Sirio: (whispering) What? Are you serious?
Maki: (whispering) Lily says he's just a school friend of hers, but I don't know... Maybe we should return back home as soon as possible, just in case...
Sirio: …
Maki: (whispering) Anyway, you're usually good at noticing these things. Do you had the impression that she could have a crush on someone recently?
I thought about it for a moment, I totally see why Maki could suspect Lily was lying. But in my eyes, people in love always appear surrounded by an unmistakable pink aura, which I have never really seen in Lily. So…
Sirio: (whispering) I really didn't notice anything, she could have told the truth, you know?
Maki: (whispering) But…
Alba: (impatient) So, can I sing something?
Alba really loves singing, she's been asking to go at the karaoke for ages. And, considering it was her first time trying to sing along to a text that scrolls on the screen, she was great!
I have been playing the violin since I was little and I also can strum the guitar a little, but all my attempts at singing have always been disastrous, I know how difficult it is. So I can only be proud of Alba and her talent!
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Weeks went by, and our life has been way more peaceful than we were used to. The children continue to grow more and more, and eventually Alba's birthday was just around the corner. Techna went to great lengths to make her a strawberry cake for the occasion, Alba's favourite one.
Alba: Uhm, it's very good!
Florian: Happy birthday again, Alba!
Alba: Thank you, uncle Flo!
Lily: Hey Techna, is college really that hard? You're studying all the time!
For her birthday, I decided to give Alba my guitar. It's not bad to have an instrument to accompany you when singing, don't you agree, my dear diary?
She's still trying to figure out how to play the first couple of chords, but she seems a quick learner. And most importantly, from the green and serene aura that surrounds her, I am sure she's happy when she can play and sing, which is what matters the most to me.
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§HermioneSims§ corner
Today I'm back to the furnace city, I hope that the readability of the chapter isn't worse than usual because of it.
Anyway, I want to close with some extra comments. First of all, Techna finished their first semester in college. It's a real mess to manage a college student while also following the other sims in such a large family, but luckily Techna is a robot who doesn't suffer studying day and night non-stop.
You can also see that this time I chose to follow 4 classes per semester, which means that it will take 3 semesters before graduating. Usually I prefer to make 3, but this time I'm not freezing the time advancement and so I don't want to take ages before finishing.
Then, I would also like to make a very little comment about Alba's (and aliens in general) genetics. So that she was born full-alien (as for the game classification), I was expecting her to resemble her dad the most. Yet, the more time passes the more her face features actually resemble Maki and Lily. I was even more surprised when noticing that this affected also Alba's default disguise. Will I ever use it? Who knows...
^ this is Alba's default disguise
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