Chapter 32: Dwindling Flying

Dulce becomes a toddler. She's got her mother's hair, but the rest is all Rex.

Darius can be found haunting the house more often than the other ghosts. "I'm glad you kept my urn here at home," he remarks to his son, "I'd hate being in that cemetery all the time. There's no TV there."

"And I love the Chinese vase collection!"

Darryl hasn't touched a canvas in weeks, and he couldn't be happier. Instead of spending his days painting, he takes Dulce to the park.

When Grim comes for him, he pleads for more time with his grandchildren, but Grim never listens to the pleas of the dying. If he did, he'd never get his job done.

Rex is working on his third novel, called 'Dwindling Flying'. His own mid-life crisis provides the emotional background for the work.

The same mid-life crisis drives him to get yet another tattoo, a dragon motif again. Tamsin reassures him that he's beautiful with or without decoration, and with or without the wrinkles that have started to appear around his eyes.

 After his twin Julia's death, Julian comes back to their childhood home to mourn.

His mourning is cut short as Grim comes for him.

Dulce becomes a child.

She takes ovr Caroline's old room, redecorating it in her favorite colors.

Time has flown since Dulce was born. Their former lifestyle of exotic adventures around the world has been traded for one of domestic tranquility, and their youth has been fading as the time has passed. Late at night, they reminisce about their youthful adventures, and wonder if they could hold aging at bay if they took another trip.

"The kids are old enough to come with us," Tamsin says, and sighs. A family trip would not be the same as the romantic adventures they used to have. They can't get the past back.

She doesn't have to say it out loud, Rex understands her simple sigh. "It won't be the same," he agrees, "But it would be good for the kids to see the world. And wherever we are, you and I, is a romantic adventure."

Tamsin has to agree to that; they've gotten older, but that spark they always had has never dimmed.

Dulce and Sheridan have adventures of their own, with no past to reminisce over and no worries for a future that seems impossibly far away.

They travel in a world created by their imaginations, unaware of the passage of time.


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Challenge Notes:
This was basically a filler type chapter, keeping up with deaths and birthdays. Sheridan will become a teen next time I play. I am planning a family trip to Egypt, where they never been.
Rex's museum has complete sets of gems in every cut for most gems, but we're missing Egyptian stones (alabaster and turquoise).
Rex got that one opportunity to donate 3 written books to City Hall, so he got to write three novels. I use a random title generator for the book titles. 'Dwindling Flying' came up, and though it's a silly title, I liked it. Especially as it cam just as adulthood was approaching. When Rex started writing books, I had to quit him from the writing career, so he wouldn't get promotion bonuses. Since then he only rolled one 'get a job' type wish.
Tamsin has reached level 10 of the ghost hunter career and gotten all awards associated with it. At this point I don't send her out as often, she just does Spirit and Poltergeist jobs because we still need one Angry Spirit jar for the museum. She's got every color but red on display. Family wealth is over 500k, so really, we don't need anyone's income.
Both Rex and Tamsin got mid-life crises when they aged up. I just ignore their wishes, it doesn't seem to have any impact on them except some fretting idle animations.
Rex has maxed Athletic skill and is level 9 in Logic, so one point to go for his LTW. He also spends a lot of time doing martial arts, and is level 8.