1.2 An Ambitious Sim

Kenji Midden, known to appear in most Appaloosa Plains legacies, is a bit shocked to see Cinnamon Quill at the sports bar. All he knows about her comes from his gossipy roommates, who make a big deal about the Quill couple's accents, and about how Cinnamon tends to her garden in her underwear.

Being a NERD, all Kenji has to talk about is science, which Cinnamon finds... refreshing. It's comforting, perhaps, to know someone has brains around here!

Unfortunately most of Kenji's advice for upping her garden's production is complicated, extremely technical and hard to follow.

Something about using fish as fertilizer...

"I just came here to watch the gardening channel," she admits. "I don't have a television at home."

Kenji smiles. "Well, we can get away with watching the gardening channel for a little while, but only until it's game time. You know how we are here about sportsball..."

She crinkles her nose a bit. "I don't, but I can guess."

It's nippy out, but the next day, Cinnamon heads to the river to fish.

She's an ambitious sim, so making progress towards a goal puts a smile on her face.

More than one of ancestors was a fishersim by profession, so how hard can this be?

A sudden snowstorm puts an end to her fishing trip. She returns home, in time to kiss Iggy when he gets in from work.

"You're in a good mood," he observes.

"Someone told me it's snowflake day tomorrow," she says, "a holiday where we're supposed to get wildly inebriated."

Iggy's eyebrows furrow. "That's not what snowflake day is..." seeing her look of disappointment, he amends, "but I do get the day off work, and a holiday bonus, so we can grab some drinks anyway."

Cinnamon is pleased to have a chance to dress up in her finery and drink fancy cocktails. Iggy brings them to Zen Again, a restaurant and bar that serves generic "Asian" food.

Booze! It's been far too long.

This is also the only place in town to get high on bubbles.

Once they've had their fill of sushi and drugs, the couple spends the rest of the afternoon in bed at home.

However, Cinnamon has a gift to give Iggy, now that she understands Snowflake Day.

Yup! A dog! The pet adoption agency works double time on snowflake day, apparently, and is able to deliver a dog to their doorstep within an hour of Cinnamon choosing one over their phone app.

Cinnamon doesn't even like dogs. She just wanted to make a kind gesture after that disastrous talk last chapter about having children. Lots of weirdos say their pets are their children, so, maybe Iggy will be happy with this and never talk about children again?

Sophie here is an adult shelter dog.

She has the skittish trait, but Iggy is patient, and eventually wins her trust.

She's clearly very happy to have been adopted.

And she's super photogenic!

Eventually the couple can afford a small television. Cinnamon sits in front of it for most of the day now. The dead of winter is hard on her spirits. Ignatius is still working long shifts at the steakhouse, but Cinnamon's agricultural work is slowed, with most of her plants frozen over.

She actually grows to like Sophie, who keeps her company during these long, boring hours.

Sophie mirrors Cinnamon's excitement when the spring thaw finally begins.

Favorable growing conditions return.

Kenji finds love???






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Etc.: Don't give animals as gifts. That's like giving someone extra chores for a gift. Totally passive aggressive.