Saturday, August 1, 2020

3.6 In the Works




Elias often leaves the house to "work". He didn't want to spend nights away from his incoming child and quit his job at the theatre. He's decided to pursue his dream to be a writer instead. 

Though ideas come easily to him, motivation to follow through does not. Instead of working on his various started, unfinished projects, he spends a lot of time scrolling through Simstagram, staring at his classmates' photos enviously. He routinely checks Jenelle's page, frowning at her photos with her new boyfriend. I'm not jealous, he tells himself. Just surprised she's moved on already... maybe it's all just for show. Jenelle can't really love anyone! 




Often, but not always, he stops at the Red Rendezvous for a drink to "clear his head". 



Then he bikes home and tells Tatum about his latest story ideas. There's always something "in the works", "something big!" 



Today, however, he stops at the tattoo parlor. Jenelle's new boyfriend had some impressive ones. They probably don't even mean anything. Amateur. He'll get something with meaning and symbolism

Tiffanie sighs when she sees her old classmate here. Since their art project, she's graduated, gotten training, a bunch of tattoos, and now works as a tattoo artist. Her only regret about taking this job is all the small talk, something that's even worse when it's someone she knows. 



Erich Sykes-Bailey is here, too. Dot is seeing if she wants another tattoo. 



Dot walks over to greet Elias, but is overcome with a wave of nausea. She and Erich were not planning on having children, but were surprised with a pregnancy. It's the last child Dot will be able to have before she ages up into an elder. It will be Erich's first, and thus far only, child. 



Tiffanie stares at Elias dispassionately as he hems and haws over the different designs. She's not surprised to find that he has little motivation for getting a tattoo and no idea what he actually wants. 



His tattoo is so forgettable, in fact, that Tiffanie isn't even able to remember what it is once the job is done. 

"Thanks! It's better than I expected- uh, not because you were the artist...erm..." 



Tiffanie suppresses an eye-roll, pastes a nice smile onto her face, and tries to humbly accept Elias's great "thanks". 

"Let me know if you want any other ink." Please don't, she inwardly hopes, Never come back. 

Elias smiles, winks, and says, "Maybe I'll do that." 

Tiffanie watches him go and shakes her head. 

***



Meanwhile, at the beach... 

Lucky is taking advantage of the hot, summery weather. He spends most of his time either fishing around town or swimming here. 



Ume sleepily glances up at him. Dot told her about the strange newcomer to their home. Ume was just excited to meet someone not from around here. The last time she did any of that was before her daughter Tamera was born. I need a vacation... she thinks as she drifts off into sleep. 





Lucky tries, and fails, to charm some ladies while he's here. 

At least the picnic food is good. 

***



Back to the main story! 



Tatum only finishes her work long after Elias has fallen asleep. She creeps into their bedroom- formerly her mother's- silently in the middle of the night. 



By the time she wakes up, Elias is usually gone to "work". 



She bikes to the consignment store with her fresh batch of toys. 



Her spirits sink to find that most of the toys from the last time still haven't been sold. 



"I'll still take these...but I'll have to sell them at a discounted price. Until sales go up, y'know," the cashier explains lazily, not bothering to look at her when he takes her toys. 

Tatum frowns. She'll have to find some new business contacts. 



Elias comes home early, finally having some real work to do. He finds some poorly paid schtick writing custom fan-fiction online. The reviews of his work are always mediocre, with most complaints focusing on his awkwardly written dialogue, but he tries to shrug it off. What do those people know about writing? Diddly-squat, he thinks! Still, sometimes the comments really get to him, and he takes a break from writing... 




Tatum spends her days now trying to figure out the schematics for more complex products. The science lab would pay well for complicated machinery like excavators if she could just figure out what scrap to use and how to put it all together. 


After gathering the metal she needs, Tatum is halted in her tracks by strange pains in her lower abdomen. 

The baby! She takes out her phone to call Elias... 


"Babe, I'm kinda in the middle of something... The contractions are early, can't you just drive yourself or get a cab?" 

Tatum's only reply is a groan of pain mixed with frustration. He hears a male voice in the background, some rustling, and finally Tatum's back on the line, "Can you wait for me at my uncle Quartz's house then?" 

Elias sighs, says that this will totally derail his work... but agrees when Quartz, the male voice in the background, tells him to just "man up and do it!" 



Sheesh, she's so dramatic...




He arrives at Quartz's house and is surprised to find Kaira holding a toddler. 

"Ah, so is that what you were doing on your travels?" he asks without thinking. 




Kaira rolls her eyes, an action that fills Elias with extreme irritation, before replying, "He's my cousin. Duh. I'm babysitting while my uncle takes my pregnant sister to the hospital, because her dope of a boyfriend can't be bothered to show up." 


Elias sighs. "I just...I want to be there for the birth. Of course I do. But it's not going to happen for hours." 



"You disgust me." 

Elias glowers at her. "A-and you're just ignorant!" 



Kaira looks on blankly as Elias runs out of the house. 

"Don't be like that guy," she tells her little cousin Carmen. 


Elias is all smiles once they leave the hospital with their son in tow. 

"Look at his little hands! And his smile!" he beams. 




Tatum looks down at Azuma and smiles herself. "He's beautiful." 




He's also very tired by the time they make it to the house. 



"Hey, once he's asleep, how 'bout we watch a movie?" Elias proposes.

"Maybe later, I'm too tired..." Tatum replies, rocking Azuma back and forth. 



Once she puts him down for a nap she sees a very distant, unhappy looking Elias. When she asks what's wrong, he looks at her with annoyance. 

"We haven't been on a date in so long. You always have an excuse!" 



Tatum doesn't have the energy for patience. 

"I've been pregnant! I've been pregnant, and tired, and sore, and working all night! Just let me rest!" she snaps at him. 


"You just don't love me!" Elias accuses. 



"What? Of course I do! I'm just-," 

"Tired. Or you have a headache. Or whatever! You never want to spend time with me." 



"Elias, that's not true! I'm just stressed and tired..." 

"Whatever. It doesn't matter." 



Tatum starts crying angry, exhausted, guilty tears. Has she been ignoring Elias too much? 



"Aw, c'mon, don't cry," Elias tries to soothe. "I didn't mean all that... I just miss you." 



Seeing an opportunity, he kisses her lightly. 



Tatum doesn't resist when he kisses her more deeply. 

"I'm sorry," she says, when they break apart. 

Elias rests his forehead on hers. "I forgive you." 



Hours later after a long shower, Tatum is sore, tired, hungry, and in a lot of pain. She decides to focus on the third thing and have dinner with Elias. She doesn't want him to feel neglected. 



"How's the scifi novel coming along?" she asks, trying to stifle a yawn. 

"Eh, so-so.' Elias dodges the question. The first chapter is sitting half-finished in his word-processor. It has been for months. 



"How about the toys?" 

Tatum's shoulders sag with disappointment. "They're slashing my sales. I'm trying to get a partnership with the science lab, but they won't buy anything until I can build a prototype." 

Elias inhales sharply, "Sounds a bit hit-and-miss. Hope you can do it." 

Tatum frowns. Does it sound that bad? "I hope so too..." 


Later that night once Tatum has succumbed to her exhaustion, Elias creeps out of bed and begins drafting a text message. 

Hey, thanks for that tattoo. Mind giving me another? ;) 



He hits "send". 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AN: All aboard the Elias hate train, choo-choo! 

Despite how I've written him, Elias doesn't have the childish trait XP But he is constantly looking for validation. 

He's here to stay, and thus the secondary income is revealed: author! Tattoo addict is another roll, hence the visit to the parlor. 

I can't remember Azuma's second trait, but the first one is "irresistible". He's the only child for this generation, so I will announce that he's the heir right now! One of his rolls is random traits, so his personality will be totally dictated by dice. A scary thought for me, someone who likes to write out plot sketches pretty early on... 

Dot is pregnant again! I hope she'll live long enough to see her last child through high school ;_; 

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