Chapter 1: Welcome to Berryton!

Welcome to bustling Berryton, where residents are every color of the rainbow. That's right, I'm SO excited to be able to play with BERRY SIMS again! 😁🙌

The (still under development) subdivision of Colorwheel Creek.

*A HUGE thank you to Noodlesberry and Simsperience, without whom this just wouldn't be possible. <3 I miss the TS3 color wheel so much, but this is a fantastic mod! 😍 Thaaaaank yoooou!

Apple, Sugar, and Ms. Blueberry Pie.

Meet the Pie family! Apple is a mild-mannered fisherman with a goofball streak. His lovely wife Sugar is an excellent cook and homemaker.
Together they only have one child, a young woman with a lovely singing voice and a gift for the piano keys named Ms. Blueberry. The little family had only just finished unpacking their belongings and were settling down to a delicious brunch.
"Is anybody hungry?" Ms. Blueberry asked. "I'm in the mood for a breakfast scramble."
"Aren't you tired from all that unpacking?" Sugar raised a skeptical, pale blonde brow at her aubergine daughter.
"Oh, I'm never too tired to cook. You taught me how, after all. I should be able to do a decent job making a simple scramble, Ma. Just sit down and rest for a little while."
Sugar sat down, but she was reluctant about it. "Well...all right, but put a pot of coffee on, too, please."

Already getting comfortable in the new digs.

"I wonder if I should go check out the local fishing holes..." Apple thoughtfully wondered aloud.

"Not until you've eaten first," his wife scolded gently. "You can catch some fish for dinner." Apple opened his mouth to emit a protest that never came out, because he was surprised to hear the sound of a knock at the front door. "Wonder who that could be?" he mumbled to himself, rising slowly on his creaking knees. "And in this rain, too..."

A little blazing hot sauce.

Blueberry never heard the knock; she was too busy getting lost in the sounds and smells of the kitchen. Eggs sizzled in the pan, drowning out the pitter-patter of rain, while strong coffee percolated with an echoing drip-drip-drip. Feeling extra confident, she even added a little blazing hot sauce. Real culinary maestros took risks, right? "Scramble's done!" she called out, thoroughly surprised when an unfamiliar voice responded, "Sounds great!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Pie. Welcome to Colorwheel Creek."

Mr. Pie was always known for being quite friendly and personable, so he was quick to extend a handshake to the young man standing on his doorstep. "Apple Pie's the name, how can I help you?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Pie," the man said, heartily returning the handshake. "Welcome to Colorwheel Creek. We're a pretty close-knit neighborhood, so I thought I'd introduce myself. My name's Turmeric Spice. I live with my brother across the street."

"Great to meet you, Turmeric! Why don't you come inside? My daughter makes a mean breakfast scramble!"

Blueberry was a little taken aback to see a stranger in the dining room, but she took it in stride. Her parents' hospitality had always been an important part of their upbringing. Apple would give a down and out Sim the shirt off his back if they needed it. He was already engaging the younger man in a deep conversation. "So what do you do for a living? Why couldn't your brother come along and say hello?"

"Apple, really? He's so flighty he sometimes forgets to make introductions." With a roll of her eyes, his wife stuck out her hand. "My name's Sugar, and this is our daughter, Blueberry."

"Why don't you come inside? My daughter makes a mean breakfast scramble!"

Turmeric smiled. "Nice to meet you ladies. I'm Turmeric, my brother Coriander and I live just across the street from you."

"Oh, how nice!" gushed Sugar. "Blueberry, sweetie, isn't that wonderful?"

Blueberry looked a little uneasy. "Yeah. It's great, Ma. Please excuse me." She disappeared into the kitchen, and Sugar was following her not even a moment later. 

"Look at him! He's so cute!" she hissed.

"Maybe his brother's cuter," Blueberry countered, feeling a little defensive.

"Maybe," said her mother rather frankly. "You should pop across the street tomorrow and pay them a visit. Find out whether he is or not."

"MOM!"

"What? I love you, Blue, but you're not getting any younger, you know."

"Gee, thanks."

"I mean it. I met your father in gradeschool, and we were married by the time we turned twenty."

"It's not like that anymore." Blueberry tried to sidestep her mother, who blocked her path.

"What's not?"

"The WORLD, Ma. It's not all sweet and quaint like that anymore. I'm not looking for anything right now, anyway."

"You're never looking for anything," Sugar countered with a frown. "All you want to do is play music. Your father and I think it's time you thought about settling down."

"Ugh." With a noise of disgust, Blueberry moved past her mother to the dining room, where her father was regaling his new guest with stories from his old stomping grounds. "I nearly lost a foot to that shark, I tell you!"

"You're kidding!" Turmeric smiled at her, but she didn't smile back. She kind of wanted him to leave, but wasn't going to be rude about it. Much as she wanted to run upstairs and hide in embarrassment, it wasn't this man's fault that her mother was being ridiculous again. 

"Dad...would you go and talk to Mom, please?" Blueberry gave Apple a look, and she didn't have to say any more. Without a word, her father got up to disappear into the kitchen. This left her alone with the stranger in the dining room, which her mother probably wanted, but oh well. She sat down somewhat reluctantly, wondering how crazy Turmeric thought her family was yet. 

Against her better judgment, she took a seat at the table.

Against her better judgment, she took a seat at the table. "Sorry about my dad and that silly shark story. He likes to tell tall tales - and it happened to one of his buddies, anyway." 

"It's all good." Turmeric shrugged. He didn't seem to be bothered by the elderly man, or in a hurry to leave. "I mean, it's a little hard to get a word in edgewise, but I don't mind listening."

They both laughed. Blueberry fidgeted in her chair a bit, feeling kind of awkward. 

"Hey, listen...I really appreciate the plate. You didn't have to do that."

"I did, though." Another grin appeared. "My parents are the most hospitable people you'll ever meet in your life."

"Well, it was totally delicious. My compliments to the chef."

Blueberry smiled again, but said nothing. He was flattering her. 

"I wish I could stay, but I'm afraid I've got to run. I'll just say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Pie first." Turmeric rose from his chair and left the room. Blueberry remained seated; she could hear him speaking to her parents in the living room. Expecting to hear the sound of the door closing, she was surprised once again to see him standing in front of her. "Hey, so...I'm having a party at my house tomorrow night. No pressure or anything, but I'd love it if you made an appearance. I've invited your parents, too."

"Oh. Um...okay." Her smile was awkward now. "Why not?" 

"Great! Okay, so the party starts at five o'clock. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Yeah..." Blueberry agreed, while at the same time wondering what she'd just gotten herself into.