Chapter 5 - Practical Things

"Are you ok?" Miranda asked once they were outside. "You seem a little off this morning."

"I'm fine," Mariah said with an air of confidence.

Miranda knew her well enough by now to not have any of it. "No, really... are you OK?"

Mariah sighed. "Bad dream."

"There's a bench over there," Miranda said gently, "if you want to sit down for a bit."

Mariah nodded. She knew Miranda understood. Miranda had nightmares of her own that she wasn't ready to talk about. They had each agreed to listen, when the other was ready, and not to press until then.

"So," Miranda started, "I met my other roommate. Her name's Gabbie. She seems nice."

"How are you handling the roommate thing?" Mariah asked.

"I don't know yet," Miranda said. "You?"

"Well, I haven't strangled Angela yet," Mariah allowed, "but it's only been two nights." 

"So," Mariah continued, "other than roommates, what's the weirdest part of dorm life for you?"

"The microwave," Miranda replied without hesitation.

"The microwave?" Mariah laughed. "What's weird about the microwave?"

"I've never used one before," Miranda admitted.

"What?" Mariah blinked. "How have you never used a microwave?"

"We've never had one," Miranda said. 

"Really?" Mariah couldn't quite fathom the idea, and Miranda's answer wasn't any less surprising.

"Well, we didn't need one," Miranda said. "We're witches... if we want fast, hot, not-very-good food without cooking, we just conjure it."

"Seriously?!" Mariah blinked. "Just <snap> and you've got food."

"Not very good food," Miranda repeated, "Usually, I'd rather cook."

"I still can't get over that," Mariah sighed. "The 'witch' thing. Like you're an actual witch with magic and everything. Apart from that disappearing/reappearing thing... which is amazing, don't get me wrong... I've almost never seen you use magic."

"Well," Miranda hesitated, "The small magics, you don't always notice and the big or flashy spells aren't much called for. I mean, sure I could set that bush on fire... but why?"

"Because it would be awesome!" Mariah said, looking at the bush.

"Yeah," Miranda laughed, "when I was first learning we had a lot of charred shrubbery around the house but in the end that's all it gets you... a charred plant."

"So," she continued, "mostly the magic we do is practical."

"Like what?"

"Well," Miranda considered, "you stay at the vacation house with us most of the summer. It stayed nice and clean, but did you ever see anyone do any housework?"

Mariah considered that, "Seriously?"

Miranda snapped her fingers, "Easier than vacuuming."

"So, you can teleport," Mariah said, "do housework and make food with a snap of your fingers, and set fire to random shrubs at will... but you can't work a microwave."

"Pretty much," Miranda laughed. "It's one of the reasons I'm here - I mean, apart from the whole college education - learning a little more about how to live in the mortal world. So, no teleporting, no snapping away chores... no magic. Also, no monsters, no gangsters, no magical battles... none of it. I'm just a nice, normal, mortal college girl."

"Right," Mariah said. "How long do you think that will last?"

"I pretty much figure we'll have an alien invasion by midterms."

 

Chapter 4 - Big O

Her breath came in short, panicked gasps. She couldn't move.

Don't move. Stay quiet. 

No... don't open your eyes. He'll see you if you open your eyes. 

Stay quiet. 

Please... 

Dragging herself from the smothering weight of the nightmare, Mariah bit back the scream that echoed up from that darkness. Soaked in cold sweat, she sat panting. 

Breathe, she told herself. Just breathe. 

"Merda," she swore.

The maledatto nightmare chased her to the wretched open showers. Even as the hot water pounded down, she couldn't stop shaking. With iron control, she forced herself move methodically, washing off the cold sweat and refusing to turn, to jump at every sound behind her. 

Her breathing started to steady as, with controlled steps, she walked back to her dorm room. By the time she was dressed, the nightmare was locked back under its chains. 

With one final, calming breath, she set off in search of Miranda.

Who the diavolo is the beef-cake?

"Here she is," Miranda said brightly as Mariah approached. "Mariah, this is Orange. Orange, this is Mariah, my girlfriend."

"Hi Mariah," the big guy said with a grin. "Miranda says great things about you."

"She does?" Mariah was pleasantly startled.

"Of course," Miranda smiled warmly at her. "You're great, after all."

"So, sorry... I'm sure you get this all the time... but Orange?" Mariah gave the big guy a quizzical look. 

He laughed, "I'm used to it. See, the story goes after I was born, the nurse came to ask my folks what to put on my paperwork. My mom was out of it on painkillers. My dad was on his bluetooth with his stage crew, figuring out the lighting colors for his next show, so he didn't hear her. 'Orange,' he says and the nurse wrote it down and walked away."

"You are such a liar, Bailey-Moon," Miranda laughed. "I swear you tell a different story every time."

"Well, it would be such a boring question otherwise," Orange replied.

"Wait, Orange Bailey-Moon," Mariah said, "like Throne Bailey, the singer?"

"Nope, like Octavia Moon the songwriter," Orange grinned. 

"Watch it, Big O," Miranda laughed again, "tease my girl too much and she'll hit you."

"What?" he grinned back.

"Idiot," Miranda smiled.

Wait, Mariah thought to herself. Is he checking her out? Is she into him?

"So," she said casually, "how do you two know each other?"

"Small world," Orange shrugged. "Famous kids of famous people."

"We ran into each other at the Starlights," Miranda said. "Got to talking, commiserating on having really embarrassing parents and stuff." 

"You know," Orange said, "I bet you've had to deal with it, having a big-time actress like Londyn as a foster mom. Funny we never ran into each other at the awards show."

"I've never been," Mariah replied, watching the byplay between her girlfriend and the beef-cake.

"Why not?" Miranda looked puzzled.

"Well, there was the year I was grounded because of the goat in the auditorium," Mariah said, "and the time I was grounded for wrapping the headmistress's desk in bacon. Then there was the car... but I didn't really steal it."

"Brilliant," Orange smiled. "Why didn't we think of things like that?"

"So you're going here?" Mariah asked.

"Yeah," Orange said, "I guess with the three of us and Genie Elderberry, we're the Famous People Dorm. How long 'til the paparazzi sneak in, you think?"

"Hush, you. Don't even think that," Miranda groaned. 

"Well, good to see you again Big O. We'll let you get settled in," she continued, adding to Mariah, "Want to get some breakfast?"

"That sounds nice," Mariah said.

Chapter 3 - The Great Shower Compromise

"Madonna santa! What is this?!" Mariah cried out.

After waking up early yesterday to fly in from Tartosa, and spending most of the day unpacking herself and Miranda, she had collapsed onto her new bed and slept soundly. Now, all she wanted was a nice shower and a decent breakfast. 

It was bad enough, in her mind, that the coed dorm had a shared bathroom, but this was too much.

Glancing around to make sure she was alone, Mariah managed a lighting quick shower. Wrapping herself in a towel, she made a dash back to her room, before any of the guys from the other side of the floor walked in on her.

"Morning," Miranda said brightly. As usual, she was already up and ready for the day. How did I manage to fall in love with a morning person, Mariah wondered not for the first time.

"Have you seen the showers?" she demanded.

"Yeah," Miranda replied, puzzled. "I took one before you got up."

"They're just open," Mariah ranted, "They don't even have shower curtains."

"Right?" Miranda said.

"It's a coed dorm!" Mariah couldn't understand why Miranda wasn't getting this. "Anyone could just walk in and see me naked! This doesn't bother you?"

"I didn't really think about it," Miranda admitted. "I mean... it's a shower. You kind of expect people to be naked in the shower."

"Yeah, well, I don't want some college guy peeking at me," Mariah said firmly. "Wait, does this not bother you?"

 Miranda shrugged, "Like I said, I didn't really think about it... but yeah, I guess it is a little weird."

"Mia amata, you're a little weird," Mariah smiled.

 "Whatever," Miranda laughed. "Naked... shower... no big deal because you expect it. Like now... you're naked and we're talking... no big deal."

"Yeah, but you're my girlfriend," Mariah shook her head, "It not like you're some guy."

"Fair point," Miranda allowed. "Well, you're probably not the only person who's bothered by this. Let's talk to the other women on the floor and see what they think."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"So," Miranda was saying, "We thought we'd get all of us together and talk it through."

"Wait," Angela put in, "if this is a meeting of all the women on the floor, why is he here?"

"Girlfriend," Aadi replied in exaggerated tones, "first, my pronouns are 'they' and 'them' and second, I don't want any o' the boys lookin' at my cute little soapy bootie either. Not unless they buy me dinner first."

"Oh, sorry," Angela blushed.

"Anyway, we're agreed, the shower thing is a problem," Mariah said. "What can we do about it?"

"Well," Genie said, "we can ask maintenance to put up shower curtains, for one thing."

"Don't hold your breath on that, sugar," Aadi replied. "There aren't even curtain rods and we can't be the first to ask."

"Why don't we talk to the guys," Miranda suggested. "Maybe we can agree to a kind of shower schedule... times when the showers are ladies only and times when they're men only. I mean, they probably don't want to be peeked at any more than we do."

"Don't bet on it," Mariah muttered.

"No, I think it's a good idea," Angela said, "I mean at least until we can get a better solution."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"So, what do you guys think?" Miranda said, after laying out the proposal to the guys. She and Angela had been designated spokespeople for the Great Shower Compromise.

"I mean, that seems reasonable," Anthony replied. "As long as everyone has time to get a shower before classes and all... but yeah. We certainly don't want anyone to be uncomfortable. Right guys?"

"Absolutely," Carlos nodded cheerfully. "We're all friends here."

Sheldon nodded his agreement from the couch. 

"Great," Miranda smiled. "Thanks for being understanding."

"No problem," Anthony smiled.

Author's Note: This chapter is prompted by an oddity of the Sims Discover University setting... a coed dorm with shared, completely open showers. Having personally gone to college in the conservative American Midwest shortly after the Age of Dinosaurs, I don't have experience with coed dorms, much less coed shower facilities. So, it felt like a topic worthy of exploration. Among other things, it lets me showcase some differences in Miranda and Mariah's attitudes toward things.

Secondly. I want to give credit to Sims creator Simmaddness for their collections of NPCs, including the Britechester Roommates - Anthony, Carlos, Sheldon and Gabbie (the fifth woman on the floor). They have saved me from either having to create piles of background characters or deal with the random oddities of game generated townies.