Hey readers! I hope you’re looking forward to finding out what happens with Noemi and the baby. I sure would be, if I didn’t already know.

As much as the baby zaps her energy, Noemi can’t resist returning to the party as soon as she can walk again. Her dancing is still shaky, but it’s a work in progress.

The girls who weren’t present for the birth are extremely keen to meet the new addition, so Noemi lets them take turns holding him and cooing at him in small groups.

Candy: Oh baby, you are so perfect it hurts!! Look at his tiny fingers!!

Oh yeah, while I was doing this the game notified me that Velma’s old boyfriend Ryan was getting married to Dag’s daughter Scarlett, so that was different.

Different.

One night, Taco comes running up to her, and she realizes it’s been weeks since she’s seen him.

Noemi: Holy shit, Taco. I haven’t seen you in forever!! I guess I’ve been busy.

Taco: No, it’s my fault! Chem and I have been working on something new, it’s total dynamite!

Noemi: You tried it? I thought you never do his stuff.

Taco: I test the products always, but I usually don’t do them this much. And holy fuck, this stuff is so good you can’t not do it!!

Noemi: That sounds insane.

Taco: It is!! And I haven’t met your baby yet!! What’s his name?

Noemi: Rigel. I can show you, come meet him!

Taco: Woah. So tiny. Do they get bigger than that?

Noemi laughs.

Noemi: The owner’s manual says they do. You can pick him up if you want, just support his head okay?

Taco lifts up the infant under its arms, and its head flops back.

Noemi: Careful, Taco, his head!

Taco: Woahhh, sorry!

As he maneuvers the baby in his arms to support the head, he stumbles, nearly dropping Rigel to the floor.

Noemi lurches forward to swipe the baby from the air, and Taco pitches forward to the ground.

Noemi: Taco, are you okay??

Taco lays against the bed, giggling weakly.

Taco: I’m sorry… hehehe…. I’m really sorry, I swear…. hehe…. oh god…

Taco makes a wobbly effort to return to his feet, and stand in front of Noemi. He sways slightly, and seems to be making a huge effort to hold his eyes open. Noemi scrutinizes his eyes.

Noemi: Oh my god, your pupils are like dinner plates! Like, I’ve seen them dilated before but not like this!!

Taco: Yeah… I blame Chem. Right on.

Noemi: Okay, well let’s let the baby sleep anyway. She leads him back into the main room, watching him for signs that he will topple over again.

Taco’s behaviour quickly becomes common at the Madhouse. At first she had thought everyone was passing out in random places, but Noemi finds that they’re all actually perfectly conscious, but completely out of their minds.

When addressed, they would all look up, but they all have the characteristic giant pupils, as well as massive dark circles under their eyes from not sleeping.

Most of them seem to have stopped doing other things too. Noemi doesn’t see them eating very much, and the girls seem to have lost interest in doing their hair or makeup.

Noemi: Daisy, what’s with these needles lying everywhere? I thought I told everyone to stop leaving them around.

Daisy: But that’s just life, sweetheart. You try and try and…. nothing happens….

Noemi looks into Daisy’s eyes and can tell she’s not getting any sense out of her.

Noemi: That’s fine, I’ll do it.

She leaves to go throw the needles with the trash, and when she comes back she finds that Daisy has already found a spot on the ground to lay down. She seems to be singing softly to herself, and her eyes race around as if tracking something invisible.

It’s probably the horrible diet that helps Noemi get her figure back so quickly, or it could be the unrealistic programming of the sims game.

As Rigel sleeps for longer periods, she is able to be out partying for longer amounts of time. She had been wary of drinking too much while breastfeeding, but eventually decides that Rigel seems fine if she stays away from harder drugs and doesn’t get wasted.

Besides, the parties slow down a bit once more people start spending the whole night laying on the floor.

Even though she tries to come back quickly, it can be hard to time it right. Sometimes when she returns Rigel is squalling for attention.

Fortunately he’s quite easy to comfort with a few cuddles and some food. She’s not sure if she’s doing the whole motherhood thing right as she had generally ignored Jemyn’s interactions with the boys. She sort of just assumes that if Rigel’s still alive then it’s all good.

Noemi has gotten used to getting ready to catch girls about to fall to the floor. They seem to stay up better if she takes away their high heels.

Noemi: Rexie, give me those. You’re not stable.

Rexie: I would do anything for you, love.

And so the pile of shoes under Noemi’s bed grows.

At first Noemi tries to help her friends, but it doesn’t take long for her to get the idea that they really don’t want it. Noemi: Layla, let me get you to bed.

Layla: No baby… you don’t get it….

Noemi: What?

Layla: I’m having the time of my life… I’m really great Jade.

The bags under Rush’s eyes have been growing too, and Noemi has gotten concerned for him.

He doesn’t typically pass out in the rest of the Madhouse with everyone else, but he still spends the nights out cold, sprawled across the bed.

Noemi: Rush, you’ve gotta tell me what’s going on with Chem’s new stuff. Everyone’s loopy here.

Rush: I don’t even know, you’ll have to ask Chem. But it’s great, Noemi. I’ve never felt anything like it. If it’s making everyone so happy, who am I to take that from them?

Noemi: Sure, I just want to know that you’re okay. And that you’ve got a handle on things.

Rush: Baby, I’ve got this. And maybe when Rigel starts sleeping through the night you could see what it’s all about.

Noemi: I want to know what the hype’s all about, but I wouldn’t zone out on him for that long.

She does eventually go try to get some information out of Chem. It takes a bit of yelling and shaking his arm before he sits up, though.

Chem’s face is gaunt and seems to have aged five years.

Noemi: Chem, sorry for waking you up man. I just wanted to know what’s been going on with everyone around here.

Chem: Oh god, I’ve been working on this for years! There is nothing else like it on the planet, I promise you!

Noemi: How come?

Chem: It’s just… maybe you’re at 60% now… but you don’t even know it. But I’m at 100%, and now that I know the difference I don’t know how I lived my whole life like that.

Noemi: So the stuff you’re taking gives you an extra 40% of awesome?

Chem: It’s more like… an extra 40% of life itself. I don’t know. I can’t go back.

DRUGS.

Woah.

Noemi: Holy! Honey when’s the last time you put on makeup, or ate something?

Meg: Oh… not too long ago I think.

Meg: Noemi you’re my best friend of forever. And I love you. And I love your cute little baby. How is he?

WELL.

He’s sad because his parents are wasted all the time and occasionally forget to feed him.

And sometimes his face gets stuck inside his mom’s hair.

Rigel: *choke*

And here he is laying on the bear skin rug. Can anyone guess why?

Birthdayyyyyy!!!

I guess they got bored waiting for the sparkles.

But:

Here he isssssss!!!!

I am so hyped for this child. Look at his glory. Look at his beauty. Look at his style.

What a face. Someone’s gonna be a ladykiller. I can’t get over Noemi’s eyes against the dark skin.

Neither can daddy.

Or mommy.

Once they become toddlers is when I really start to get attached to them. They’re just not really lovable when they’re still in their larval stage.

But yeah, this little preciousness sleeps for like 12 solid hours per night, giving mommy and daddy more time to go back to their irresponsible ways.

Meg: Tacooooo!! Wake up darling, Jade’s coming along for tonight’s ride!!

Taco: Oh sweetie, you’re in for a good time! I hope you’ve got someone watching the kid.

Noemi: He’ll sleep. I only want to be feeling it for a few hours though, can you do that?

Taco: I’m pretty sure we can do anything!

Taco and Meg run excitedly down the stairs and through the rooms to Chem’s lab.

Taco: Chem!! Jade wants a few hours. Please tell me you can send her to the moon and back.

Noemi refuses to look at what Taco and Meg are doing to her arm, but she can barely follow them over to sit down before her world changes.

They talk for five, fifteen, thirty minutes. Noemi does feel 100%. There’s more to say, more to see, more to feel.

And then Chem is gone and Noemi has been in her own thoughts for God knows how long, sinking into the warm, inviting quicksand that is her chair.

The sounds of her own breathing seems so amplified. Soft and heavy. She wonders what music would sound like.

That thought carries her upstairs. It doesn’t seem right to stand when the world is spinning around her and she is falling through the floor and into her own thoughts.

She watches the room around her. Talks to someone. Listens to the music. Drops back inside her mind.

How long has she been here?

Whatever.

Actually, how long?

She follows the sound of her baby crying. Rigel’s wails echo through the room and are embodied with a bright white light.

She watches him calm down at the sight of her. He rubs his sleepy eyes and whimpers.

Swaying, she lifts him under his arms and collapses with him on the bed.

She runs her fingers through his straight silky hair until he falls asleep.

Some time later she feels the bed shake with the addition of another body. Rigel’s eyelids twitch, and then his breathing returns to its slow, deep pace.

Whatever ends up happening to Rigel, I just want us all to remember him like this. Sleeping between mom and dad, totally adorbs, totally at peace.

I love him.

See you next time guys!