Chapter 2.28- Never Good

          Snatching the dirty dish off the bar Layla’s march carried her to the dishwasher.

          ‘Just what I needed,’ she thought. ‘Something else that’s going to appear on my doorstep care of Ignacio’s past.’

          Grabbing the handle of the dishwasher she jerked it back with such force she rattled the contents rather fiercely.

          ‘And I’ve told him I know there's something else,’ her mind continued. ‘So why keep it back? Doesn’t he know I’m just going to keep hounding him until he tells me?’

          Kicking the door up with her foot, she slammed the dishwasher hard enough that on the counter the teapot rattled against the sugar bowl loudly.

          ‘Shit,’ she thought. ‘What the hell else is there to hide even? I’m with him all the time unless he’s fishing. So then is he really a fishersim?’

          ‘Maybe that’s not what he’s doing,’ Layla continued to ponder. ‘Maybe he’s off with someone else. Maybe that’s really why Melly came over that day. They’re still sleeping together and really he wants her. I’m just the public excuse for him to continue his behavior. No one would know and no one would believe it either. Shoot. Do I believe it?’

          “Fuck it all,” she said shrilly. “What they hell are you really up to you, asshole?”

          “I am going fishing,” Ignacio answered from behind her, making her jump. “That is what I am really up to. Matthew has a buyer with a particular need for catfish, so I am going out to look for some. I shall be back later. And try not to break the dishwasher. If I recall, you got the last one of that model in a 500 mile radius. Shipping another one in might take a few days and I know how you hate dishpan hands.”

          Spinning around she pulled out her stoniest expression.

“I can’t believe that you’d leave to go fishing right now,” she said in her deadliest tone.

          Throwing his hands up in exasperation, Ignacio begged supplication from the heavens.

“¡Diosito querido, ayúdame! What else am I to go do? We have got to pay the bills. Taxes on this place are not cheap and we need to eat. It is not like you to grudge the money I bring in.”

          “Sure,” Layla said with a roll of her eyes. “Sure, that’s where you’re going.”

          “Where else on Sim Planet would I go?” He asked wearily.

          “I dunno, Ignacio. Why don’t you tell me?”

          “Are you still on that? I have now told you everything-”

          “-and I don’t believe you.”

          “That is your problem then.”

          Coming around the counter, Layla had fire on her heels.

          “It is not my problem! It is yours!” Tears started to her eyes and she shouted. “I can’t trust you if you don’t tell me everything!”

          “I do not know how many times I have to tell you, I have told it all to you.”

          “But I can see in your eyes that you are lying to me,” Her voice finally lowered an octave and her last words caught. She was still so emotional form losing her mom and hated that she would show such a weakness as she did now.

          “Mi Llamita,” Ignacio said, attempting to control the ire in his tone. “Layla, you know everything. I have told it all to you. If you choose not to believe me, that is your own fault.”

          “Why won’t you just tell me whatever it is you’re not telling me?”

          “Because there is nothing to tell,” he said flatly. “I am going fishing now.”

          “If you decide to come back, you’d better be ready to tell me whatever the hell it is you’re hiding,” she spat.

          Not even bothering to answer, he just sent a withering glare over his shoulder as he walked out the front door. He didn’t want her involved in his affairs. And it wasn’t like he could tell her that to keep her from asking either. She’d just keep it up, and keep asking until he broke down. It was too dangerous right now for her to know. Maybe one day, when things were more stable.

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          Unwilling to sit home by herself, and thinking she might get a little bit of information if she asked nicely enough, Layla called Nalleli hoping to finally make good on the lunch date that had never happened.

          “Nalleli? This is Layla Sixkiller.”

          She knew she wasn’t really in the right frame of mind for girl talk, but Nalleli knew Ignacio better than anyone besides Ned and Sabria. There was no way she was asking Sabria for help on this, and she couldn’t ask Ned.

          “So, I was thinking just how little I wanted to do dishes today and thought I might entice you to go to lunch with me?”

          A thin excuse at best. But she needed something in case Sabria had talked to Nalleli and told her how Ignacio and Layla were supposed to have a day to rest. Dishes were work, so wouldn’t going out be plausible?

          “No, if you’ve got to work I’ll just find another way to not have to do dishes and eat, haha. You’ve gotta work to eat, right?”

          Damn. And why on earth does the doorbell have to ring right now?

          “Hey, Nalleli? That’s the doorbell. Yeah. Yeah, another time maybe. You too. ‘Bye.”

          More frustrated than before, Layla stomped her way across the floor figuring Ignacio had forgotten something and his keys as well. No one else in town would be visiting them other than Sabria, and at this rate she rather hoped it was Ignacio’s mother. She had a few questions and knew that Sabria would have some kind of an answer for her.

          Ripping the door open she snarled “What the hell do you want?” before even registering exactly who stood there.

          “I’d like to come in, if I could,” Sally stood there, pouting at Layla’s extremely rude greeting.

          “Oh, shit, sorry Sally,” Layla backpedalled in horror. “I expected someone else to be standing there and I- I’m so sorry! What are you doing here? Come in! Come in!”

          And stood aside letting Sally enter.

          “So what’s up?” Layla asked again.

          “Well,” Sally said slowly. “Well, you see..”

          Eyebrows raised, Layla wondered at the change in Sally. It had been a long time since Sally had been shy or reticent around Layla. And then, wonder of wonders, Sally was wearing a dress. She hoped someone had a picture because that most likely wouldn’t happen again.

          “Mom died!” Sally sobbed, and Layla opened her arms to her distraught cousin.

          “She passed yesterday,” Sally continued. “It’s been awful!”

          “Oh honey, it’s never good when your mom dies. My mom just passed too, so…”

          “It’s just awful, awful!” heavy sobs muffling Sally’s words.

          Layla held on, rubbing Sally’s quaking back while watching the display on the security alarm cycle. The sighs she let out did nothing to help her feel relief for herself. There was still too much to think about. Her mother’s passing was still too recent even to her. She still woke up with the feeling she should be able to pick up the phone and call Helen whenever she wanted.

          A nudge against her stomach finally brought her back to reality.

          “Sally?” She asked, pushing her cousin back gently. “Sally something is different about you.”

          Looking below Sally’s face though, and Layla felt stupid for missing that.

          “So, I know we’ve been busy with the house, and with most folks in town just not talking to us I had no idea,” she said, indicating Sally’s rounded front.

          Blushing a little, Sally smiled, though her eyes still shone with tears.

          “Yeah,” she sighed. “Gonna have a baby.”

          “That’s awesome! I bet you’re excited.” Layla tried to enthuse for Sally’s sake. “You know what? I want to hear what’s been going on while you’re here, but I just realized I’m not quite appropriately dressed. Follow me.”

          Stopping in front of the wardrobe, Layla took a deep breath. She needed to be happy to cheer her cousin. She needed to get rid of all the crap in her mind that would not go away. Sally needed her and all Layla felt she needed was a stiff drink.

          “So how far along are you?” Layla called as she pulled the wardrobe doors open to get to her clothes. Sally walked much slower than Layla had into the room.

          “Far enough,” she muttered, still slowly moving along. She was taking the opportunity to peek at the house Layla and Ignacio had built. “Are you and Iggy still together?”

          “Yes,” Layla answered, pulling on her blouse. “I probably don’t need to ask if you and Ottawa are still together.”

          “Obviously,” Sally said. “I forget though that you don’t get to talk to the rest of the town the way we do to keep up with what’s going on.”

          “No, I don’t,” said Layla. “Though judging by the fact that you knew to find me here the town still talks plenty about me.”

          “Can I get comfortable?” Sally asked. “My feet are killing me.

          “Sure.”

          And Sally flopped across the bed with a huge sigh. “Join me, cuz.”

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          We’ll hear more about Sally next time. That’s long enough and I don’t know how long that convo will go.

          One last thing, I love thought bubbles.

Downloads-Tattoo- L'Royo Dragon

I'm Back bishes! Because I don't like that word, that's why.

So I've taken a bit of a break from tattoo making because I'm hard at work on a very special edition chapter that will be coming up in a little while. But my dearest fiancé Gemma reminded me that I haven't put up any tattoos in a while. Why should you be deprived of pretties now just because I'm working on a GIGANTIC pretty for you for later? We all need some bling just like our simmies do. So let's get some pretty shall we? Ignacio? Darling! So good to have you back. Shirtless sweetie. Yup. Yup. Yup. Now that's good!

Oh don't sulk Ignacio! It so ruins the look. Well fine then. Sulk. I still love you.    







Today's tattoo was designed by the fantastically talented EON-Art At Deviantart . Go take a peek at his goods and make the artist all happy, k?

 

Now, he only designed this to face in one direction. But I thought wouldn't that look nifty on someone's side? And then my superstitious side kicked in and screamed that it would be bad luck if the dragon were to be placed on his left side as it would face backward! So that's just something we can't have now can we. (You guys have no idea on the superstitious thing. That's dead honest. You should see my house and then talk to me about religion sometimes. I confuse religious peddlers on a regular basis. It's fun! Join me!)

 

Oh. I'm rambling off topic again aren't I? Huh. Oh yeah! Tattoo time!

 

 

 

                                                        So I went ahead and mirrored the lovely so your sims could have one on whatever side they want without tempting the grim reaper.           *snort. Sorry. I just had a vision of 'Death by Tattoo' for in game. Oh yeah. back on topic.

 

And as I'm going to make good and sure there are no excuses for backward facing tattoos I put them both in one simple to download package! Yay!

 

 

So you want that sharp ass dragon for your pixel babies right?

 

 

 

Download the L'Royo Dragon Tattoo!

 

 

So many thanks to CMAR for the Tattooinator and Tutorial. Also to Leefish for another tutorial. Also, Huge, Mega, Gigantic thanks to EON-Art for the gorgeous Dragon which my sims proudly wear. Thank you to Gemma for going 'Hey? Where's the goods?' All while knowing she just wanted to read some of my snark. Many kisses to you darling. When's the wedding?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are you still reading for? Leave a comment and go download the goods!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Chapter 2.27-Tell Me Everything

          “It was a house and barn,” Ignacio said. “But old Mr. Johnson extended the house to add the barn. Only the downstairs is a garage. The upstairs is more living space. So it is a little roomier than it looks.”

          Trying to hide her dismay at the weathered looking structure, Layla nodded silently. A barn now attached to the house? Did it still smell like one inside? And all the corrals still in the yard told her just how much that barn must have been used. A lot.

          “Anyway, the master suite is on the main floor, so you will not need to take the stairs when you are old and feeble,” he joked, sensing her hesitancy.

          “Old and feeble, huh?” she asked absently. 

          “Why don’ we go in and look,” Ignacio answered. “Remember, I told you this home will need a lot of work by your standards. It is very rustic, and it has not been lived in in a long time. But you can easily make it your own.”

          “Yeah,” Layla still frowned. The home she rented had come decorated and she kind of doubted her skills as interior designer. “Let’s look inside.”

          It was dusty and dingy and grey and bland to her. Her mother preferred warmer solid colors. Her current home was awash in patterns. And she’d never seen a home so utterly bare before. It was disconcerting to see the empty space. And suddenly, she felt warmed. That was it. It was empty. And so much space! She almost wanted to skip about in the room like a child, just to revel in the space!

          Even with furniture this room would still let them all walk around! Tibi’s toys would no longer be stumbling blocks, they could have all of Ignacio’s family over, she’d have so much room for all her finds to be displayed. And the photos her mother had sent! All the wall space to put those photos on!

          Entering with Tibi on his hip Ignacio sighed with relief when he saw that Layla was obviously looking past the rather drab walls and seemed to see possibilities instead.

          “So you’re saying this is far enough within my budget that I can rip the strange seashell tiles out of the kitchen?” She asked.

          “Yes,” he answered. “You could take the bathroom tiling out of the kitchen.”

          “And those odd arches,” said Layla. “I could take those out?”

          “I don’ see why not.”

          Taking a further step forward Ignacio looked around at the dust and cobwebs. His footsteps sounded loud on the planks of the floor. He’d offered to assist her in the purchase, but she had been quite firm that this would be her purchase with her money and her name on the deed and title.

          Inhaling deeply in an attempt to smell for mold he decided that there must be a reason behind the sudden decision that left her grief for her mother alarmingly far behind. She was excluding him from the purchase, while pushing her emotions out the door. Something had happened to cause such an abrupt change, and her behavior had been borderline obsessive since it had happened. He hoped moving would put an end to it. If not, he’d have to find a way to get her attention and get her to talk it out.

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          It had taken a little bit to get the house into a shape Layla considered livable and the work had left them each little time for anything other than sleep. Knowing how tired they each were Sabria offered to babysit Tiburcia for the first night Layla and Ignacio were officially moved in. The goal had been for the two to get some much needed rest.

          Rest wasn’t the goal for either of those two though.

          “I like this carpet,” Ignacio’s voice was a little lower than usual. “I think I am now with you now on not putting wood floors in here, as I had wanted.”

          “Of course I was right,” she said teasingly. “As if you should ever doubt me.”

          “I will try to remember that,” he chuckled softly.

          Comfortable silence fell momentarily, broken by a sudden bubbling of laughter from Ignacio.

          “Are you sure you are alright? I wish you could see your face. Wide-eyes, grinning. ”

          “Oh, I’m fine. I-Am-Fine. Really good. Really really good. I’m kinda wondering about the kitchen floor right now, though. I bet it’d be all cold. And there are some sharp edges on those tiles, too. Might be interesting? Maybe in a little bit?”

          Instead of laughing at her eagerness, his face softened as he gazed at her.

          “You hold such surprises for me sometimes,” said Ignacio.

          “Me? What about you? You’re the one who surprised me that one night,” she said, her face becoming thoughtful, curious. “Why did you come over that night? The night before the election?” She didn’t really need to specify which night. They both knew very well to which night she was referring.

          “I came to tell you good bye without using that word,” he said.

          “Goodbye? That doesn’t make any sense.”

          “It does,” said Ignacio. “I knew that you would do anything to keep your brother in town, and that would mean you were prepared to do anything you could to keep Ned happy. In order to not get in your way, or Ned’s, I had decided that Tibi and I would leave. I have primary custody and there is nothing in the custody agreement that says I have to stay in town.”

          “But you didn’t say anything when you came over,” she said. “You just stood in my kitchen staring at me. I know you looked sad, but-“

          “-I looked sad because going away was going to be painful. I had been avoiding Mami for weeks trying to make sure she could not guess too closely at my plans. She would have stopped me for sure.”

          “Yeah,” Layla grasped alertly to the mention of his mother. “Your mom. She’s really interesting, really sweet. But she doesn’t seem to treat Nalleli and Raul quite like she treats you. It’s like she’s just all over you, all the time.”

          “Yes,” he answered. “It’s just to me.”

          “Why?”

          “Because she has seen things that worry her about my future.”

          “And not about theirs?”

          “Not necessarily,” Ignacio said slowly. “She seems to think Raul is involved in whatever it is she has seen, and he rather resents her for her efforts to separate us whenever possible.”

          “So then is what she’s seen something bad?” Layla asked. “I mean, you two are brothers. You’re both her sons. You can’t seriously expect to keep you one from the other in case something may or may not happen.”

          Ignacio chuckled. He wasn’t really ready to let Layla in on how well the brothers were still able to get together despite her interference.

          Misinterpreting his laugh, Layla frowned.

          “That is how it works right? It could happen, it might not? ‘It’s up to you to make happen what you want to happen,’ is what she told me.”

          “You have noticed the tattoos I have on my sides, right?”

          She nodded, looking intently at him.

          “Those are symbols of protection,” he said patiently, as though explaining how the shape sorter worked to Tibi. “My mother insisted I have them put on when I was a young teenager so that I would carry a form of protection with me always. She sees flashes of ‘something horrible’ that could possibly happen. And she has seen them since I was very small. Before we moved to Sim Nation even. Her line about you making it happen is all about liability. You are less likely to hold her responsible when something unpleasant happens that she has predicted if she tells you that. And when it fails to happen, she hopes you remember that she warned you. Not all she sees comes about. But in this instance, she has seen enough for a long enough time that her superstitious side took over.”

          Layla let her mind rove over his tattoos, and another thought struck her.

          “What about the cross on the back of your calf? Or this cross you wear all the time? All-The-Time.” She flicked his cross necklace with a finger as she half rolled over.

          “Those are to annoy her,” Ignacio answered again as though he were explaining something to a small child. “I believe in the Watcher and PlumbBob as much as you do, and rather less than how much your Aunt Estella believes in them.” In his head, he knew that was a bit of a lie though. They were his own forms of protection, just in case his mother’s failed.

          Pinning his hands down, she narrowed her eyes. “I’m a part of it, aren’t I? That’s why she likes to keep an eye on me.”

          Ignacio sighed. She was putting too much faith into a possibility.

          “I have told you, it is something that might not ever happen.”

          “I am aren’t I? Did she know the same about that tart Melly?”

          “She did not know about Melly. That was an accident and never should have happened.”

          “‘An accident?’ How do you have that kind of an accident? It’s not possible.”

          “Oh, it is,” he said somberly.

          “Really?”

          “Layla, I have a reputation in the town that is only half deserved. I like women. I have liked them since I was young. And in high school, for a while, I could have had any girl I chose. So I would date one, occasionally we would experiment, not with all of them, then they would meet my mother. When they discovered she truly knew their secrets they would run off claiming I had had her do that on purpose to scare them off because I was tired of them. After a while, no one would give me a chance. Before Ned, I had difficulty even getting a job. One night, lonely, wanting to leave but constantly hounded by my mother, I went to the Broken Spur and Melly was there. The attention was nice. It had been a long time and she has a thing for men with a ‘bad boy’ reputation, or men who are taken. I let her flatter me and I allowed myself to be fooled as to who she really is. Tibi’s conception was an accident on my part due to my state of mind.”

          “How do you have Tibi and not her?” Layla had long had these questions, she just hadn’t had the guts, or the opportunity, to give them voice.

          “Ned,” Ignacio sighed, sadly. “Ned hired the best custody lawyer he could find and brought him in for me. I owe him much.” Not least of which I owe him for stealing you, he added in his head.

          Layla blinked. Ignacio was truly indebted to Ned. She knew how much Iggy had felt he owed him simply for the job, but then for his daughter? That was a large burden to bear in debt.

          Layla shifted.

          “Back to Melly then,” she said as Ignacio made a weary movement that clearly showed his disinclination toward the subject.

          “No, you haven’t told me everything,” she added a little sharply. “That bitch showed up on the doorstep the day Daddy called to say my Mom had died. You can’t let me discover your past lovers in that way!”

          “It was a onetime thing that resulted in a bond that will last as long as Tiburcia is alive,” he said. “We were not ‘lovers.’” His lip curled as he said the word. But if she wanted to know everything, he’d better give her what he could and he sat up.

          “What do you want to know?” he asked.

          Curling around his feet she frowned, thinking, framing her question.

          “What are the custody arrangements? Visitation, support payments, the whole deal. She had come over demanding to see Tibi, thankfully you had all left. Well, not really thankfully. Because I had to deal with her and you weren’t there.”

          “Where were you that day? When we came back you were gone, and when you returned you were on fire.”

          When she raised her eyebrows he waved an impatient hand through the air. “I will answer your questions, if Tibi is going to live with us now you need to know those things. Where were you?”

          Layla sighed, the corners of her mouth turning down in a pout. “I went to tell Cyrus that mom had died. And the asshole kicked me out. He was hardly affected. It was awful. But as he’s sided with the town in their opinion of me I can hardly worry about him. Or care. Custody of Tiburcia now, please.”

          “I have primary custody, she has supervised visitation. The custody arrangements will be revisited when she becomes a child. There is a possibility Melly will then get her every other weekend. She is supposed to pay a support payment once a month, but has only made a handful of payments so far. I do not beg for them. I do not need them, and the children she has at home need that money to buy food to eat.”

          “She said she has 4 kids at home. Shouldn’t Tiburcia know her siblings better?”

          “She does not have 4 at home. She has 3 at home. Ottawa moved out on his own the moment he was old enough to get a stable job. And now he lives with your aunt and uncle. He’s Sally’s boyfriend you know. Consequently, Melly could possibly be Sally’s mother in law one day.”

          “Are you sure you’re telling me everything?” Layla asked, her face stony.

          “What do you mean? ‘Am I sure I’m telling you everything?’”

          “I mean just that. I’m tired of the surprises Ignacio. You show up with a kid, then her mom shows up. And do you know what she tried to do? She tried to get me to intervene in her support payment. As well as allow her to see Tibi. And here you tell me that it’s supervised visitation. What if I had been alone with Tibi and had let her see her and then left the room? What if she had kidnapped Tibi? That would have been on my head and all because you hadn’t told me that she’s not supposed to see Tibi without supervision.”

          “Oh, that is not going to happen.”

          “You can not predict the future! You are not your mother! You don’t know what could happen! And I am not a mind reader! I can’t pick through your brain to see what’s actually going on in your life!”

          “I have told you now,” He said sullenly. “There is no need to get so upset now that you know.”

          “But you should have prepared me for the possibility that that woman would possibly be coming over!”

          “She does not usually come over! Sometimes I get a call when she wants to see Tibi, and she almost never lets me know when she will not be paying.”

          “It’s not an excuse for not telling me,” she snarled. “I have a right to know what’s going on if I’m going to have you and Tiburcia in my home!”

          “In your home? If? I tried to go in on the purchase with you and you said no, that it would still be our home despite the name on the deed. Are you planning on kicking us out? Is that the ‘If?’”

          “Oh, so you’re going to nitpick over words instead of addressing why you didn’t tell me about Melly, and custody of Tiburcia, and to whom we owe the pleasure of having Tiburcia in the first place! Those are things I needed to know Ig-Na-Ci-Oh.”

          “And now you know them! You asked, and I have told you! I do not understand why you are still so hostile!”

          “Because you evaded the question when I asked if you had told me everything. It makes me think you’re still hiding something! ‘

          “What would I have to hide from you?”

          “In the first place: a daughter-“

          “Oh for PlumbBob’s sake, I thought we had moved on from that!”

          “I did too, and then her mother showed up!”

          “And now you know about her!”

          “What aren’t you telling me?”

          “Nothing!” In a corner of his mind, he knew that there was plenty he could still tell. But she was definitely not in a frame of mind to hear that.

          Layla could see the internal struggle in his eyes and knew he was still holding something back. With a growl frustration she hefted herself up.

          “I’ll be waiting for when you’re ready to tell me everything.”

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Surprise! Roll Reveal! Miscellaneous Fun is Luxury! There is a better look at the house in the bloopers tab. I think I managed to pull the Luxury out in the Master Bathroom. Though I separated the lavatory and toilet/bathroom with a wall and door, it was just because those sinks didn’t look right in the same room no matter how I CASted them. This house probably took me like 9 hours of work to redo just because I’m slow and Interior Design is just not my forte. But I wanted it to look like I had actually had a challenge other than just ‘purchase the stuff with the highest amount of plus signs and put them in one room.’ And it was a big challenge for me. Normally I’m ok with preset one and use it all over the place. Oh well. After that it’s not my idea of luxury, but modern and minimalist isn’t Layla’s style either and that seems to be about all I've got installed that meets the criteria. Oh well. Onward!
Blah! I accidentally published this while playing with my phone! Anyhow, I was going to add that there is also another blooper under the house pics that I had a lot of fun with. Layla decides to play Light As A Feather Stiff As A Board on her own for my amusement. Now Onward!