Screwtape was happy to pose for an ice sculpture, though his mum initially disapproved on him wearing his pajamas for his sculpture. They would have to look at it for all eternity, and he could have made a better choice than pajamas. Still, pajamas or not, Harwood was still alive to sculpt Screwtape, and that meant a lot to Vega.
He and Sheila could finally have a meaningful conversation, but something seemed off about Screwtape’s speaking patterns.
“Sheila, did you know that Union Cove has the greatest concentration of hi-tech industries in all of Simnation?” he asked her. The kid was very good at trivia, maybe something he picked up from Wei.
“Oh, do I even care?”
Poor Sheila. The one boy her age was as boring as oatmeal without milk and raisins.
At least Sheila had her father. Newly retired, he finally had some time for his family. Although Shamus was a little nervous meeting his daughter for the first time, he still thought it was nice that she came for a visit, and Sheila thought that her dad was a great guy.
Before Vega found out that Eva was skimping on her dynasty duties, Sheila and Shamus enjoyed a game of tag.
As a private investigator, Vega’s first case was underwhelming. Susanne Knack, the eldest child of Harwood and Julienne, was far too curious as to who was using her toothbrush, and with the power of two rich parents, she was able to convince Officer Sargeant that it was some sort of priority. But it was an op in its essence, and Vega proved that grandma Pattina had no business in her toothbrush, though her younger sisters might have.
Vega quickly slipped away to the library to get some more work done. At that rate, her ops would be sealed far quicker than she ever expected. Rich Whelohff was suspected to have engaged in credit card fraud to further his riches, but Vega quickly proved that accusation wrong. One more op down.
In fact, she found a new best friend in Rich while they hung out in Marc’s bathroom at a party. The dress code said swimwear, and it wasn’t Spooky Day, but Rich and Vega connected over how they both thought it was a costume party and dressed as typical Monte Vistans. But deep within, Vega felt great sadness over on Puddlewick Drive, particularly the feeling of a Knack losing their elderly other half.
She was right. Nick was sobbing over the loss of his Pattina. She wanted to stay human, which he respected, but it was hard to think of his prolonged life being spent without her.
The other Knack couple still acted like teenagers in love.
Vega had plenty of sympathy for Nick, and felt that he needed some time to himself to properly grieve. All of his grandchildren were at school with Screwtape and Sheila, so when they were out, Vega extended an invitation to the Spring Festival to Julienne. Every adult in the Ironstar house would be there, and Julienne was an honorary Ironstar at that point.
Unfortunately for Eva, Shamus came out of retirement at the hospital to work at the festival, and he was far too invested in his new job.
“Shamie, I braved the great outdoors to see you. Can’t we have a chat?” asked Eva.
“Not on my shift,” he sighed. The festival coordinators were as strict as they were secretive and possibly not real. He didn’t want to disappoint Eva, but the job seemed like a nice prospect at first. Eva just went home in disgust at policies, and the outdoors.
It didn’t stop Vega and Wei from enjoying some pure leisure time. In spite of schedules that didn’t match up very well and a much more visible age-difference, the two still found their joy in each other.
It seemed natural that two couples on a date to the Spring Festival engaged in some team games, specifically a game of Gnubb, couple vs. couple. Although the teams got a bit scrambled and Julienne was clearly preoccupied with happier family issues, it was a fun way to end the day.
When it was Vega’s turn, the frustration and worry showed on her face as it always did.
But when she almost knocked down one of the wooden rabbits, even a grump like her could cheer.