Somebody To Love: Bachelor in Paradise ~ Pirate Week -Travel to Admiral’s Wreckage

Sul Sul! This is Roxanna Llama-Llama reporting to you LIVE from Sulani! It’s another gorgeous day, but filming for The Bachelor in Paradise Show has been postponed due to Rick’s unfortunate bout of food poisoning on his date with Raven. And let me tell you — it is nasty! Of course, the producers have decided that a change of venue is needed for Rick’s next dates, and they are investigating several possibilities in Sulani while Rick is recovering.

Poor Rick! Look at that sad puppy face. Thank goodness Afu is there to help Rick recover. But never fear, the show will go on. And that’s where Benny and I come in. Yes! You get to see us in action again. Benny was keen on heading to that shipwreck, Admiral’s Wreckage, and begin the search for the Heart of Sulani necklace. I, myself, Roxanna Llama-Llama, was not too thrilled to head to that lava-spewing Mua Pel’am island, but Benny convinced me that it would be a beach day with a little treasure hunting thrown in. After thinking it over and buying a divine new swimsuit, of which I, Roxanna Llama-Llama, look utterly fabulous in, having a bit of a beach day sounded like a good idea. Plus, if finding this Heart of Sulani necklace would somehow save Rick from this mysterious sea witch, we should give it a go and try to find it.

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Benny and Roxanna arrived at Admiral’s Wreckage, Mua Pel’am, Sulani. 

After unloading the gear, Roxanna and Benny took a look around. Well, Keala had been right, there was a shipwreck here, and although Roxanna was not a historian, this wreckage didn’t quite look like a pirate ship. But maybe it was.

The wreckage was designated a national park on Mua Pel’am and there was an old oil drum set up as a bar-b-q with a rustic table and chairs nearby. On the other side, there was a bonfire set-up.

Benny had laid out a tarp under a palm tree and was busy unpacking. He had purchased some treasure hunting equipment and had packed several backpacks laden with metal detectors, sand scoops, a probe, some pails, a sieve, and shovels. He looked like he was going on a SimSahara expedition.

Of course, Roxanna had also packed essentials such as beach loungers, picnic items, water bottles and, of course, suntan lotion. But this time, she was going to apply the suntan lotion herself, as we all remember what happened the last time Benny applied suntan lotion on Roxanna.

When everything was set-up, Benny suggested they explore the ship first. Maybe something had been overlooked inside. Roxanna really didn’t think that anything would be there, but she went along with Benny’s plan.

They descended the stairs and came to a large area with a table and some chairs set up. A door was to the left and they headed towards that area.

Opening the door revealed the ship’s galley. They looked behind and under cabinets. Nothing.

It looked like most of the floorboards had been replaced. Probably the original ones had rotted in places.

Next, they headed into the ships’ sleeping quarters. Benny noticed some bolts on the wall and thought that maybe other beds had been above the ones on the floor. For some reason, they had been removed. Perhaps they were deemed unsafe if perhaps some tourists wanted to climb up on them. There were some swords on the wall, and there was a night table with a plaque on it.

The plaque read: 

So, was this Rodrigo De Pablo’s ship? Was this the pirate ship that sank? For some reason, Roxanna thought it was another pirate ship that had sunk. They continued exploring and entered another room.

This room was the restroom or the “head” in pirate slang.

The last room they entered seemed to have a lot of sunken crates in it. Probably the old cargo hold. Was Benny planning on digging these up and seeing what was inside?

While Benny carefully pried a board off of one of the crates, Roxanna went over to the bookcase.

Roxanna spied a book called The Adventures of Pink Ruffles and was curious to see what type of book this was in amongst all the ancient maps and logbooks. She went to pull the book from the shelf, and suddenly the bookshelf swung open. Oh my gosh! She had discovered a secret room! She called to Benny to come and have a look, too.

The room was small, dark and musty. It didn’t appear that anyone had entered this room. Were they the first ones to discover it? As they held their lanterns high, Roxanna spied some type of chest. Could it be….could it be a treasure chest? Locked away in secret, perhaps with the mythical Heart of Sulani necklace inside? There was only one way to find out, they had to try to open the chest.

But no matter how hard Roxanna and Benny tried, they could not open the chest. Benny tried to drag the chest through the doorway, but it wouldn’t fit. He then ran his hand around the chest and realized it had been welded shut. They realized they had been duped. It was a fake treasure chest, probably placed here by the Maxis Historical Society for the tourists to show where pirates might hide their treasure.

Roxanna shook her head. The whole ship was a gimmick. There wasn’t any treasure in here. The Heart of Sulani must be elsewhere.

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Coming up from the ship, Benny suggested they start beachcombing with the metal detectors in a grid pattern. He would start near the ship’s area and work towards the beach.

Roxanna headed over near the rock edge and started there.

They searched…

And searched…

They found some shells…and other things…

 

And some seagull “pooped” on Roxanna. This was not her idea of a fun beach day! She went back to her supplies and got out a disinfectant wipe and wiped the offensive “poop” off her shoulder. Ugh!

After wiping herself off, Roxanna decided to have a break and grab a bite to eat. She emptied the contents of her collection bag, and she had certainly found some nice shells.

But these weren’t what they needed to find. The Heart of Sulani necklace could be anywhere. If it was lost centuries ago, it could be under tons of sand, or even have washed out to sea. Or maybe it was somewhere that they hadn’t even looked yet.

Although Roxanna seriously had doubts that she and Benny were chosen to find this necklace after centuries of it being hidden. It really seemed like an impossible task.

The search seemed hopeless, but for Rick’s sake, Roxanna continued to beach comb. She was searching near some rocks near the water when suddenly something stung her.

“Benny! Something stung me! Help!” cried Roxanna.

Benny came running over.

“My foot…I stepped on something…it stings so bad…” cried Roxanna hobbling over to Benny.

Benny looked at the affected area and said that probably Roxanna had stepped on a sea urchin near the rocks.

“Yeah, they told us about this in dive school. There doesn’t appear to be any spikes, so the sea urchin just bit you. I packed a first aid kit and some apple cider vinegar just in case this happened.”

While Roxanna sat down on a nearby rock waiting for Benny to return with the first aid kit, she thought she saw something behind her.

Was that some type of cave? A hidden sea cave? Oh gosh!

Forgetting about the pain in her foot, she walked over to the cave opening. It was really dark in there. Roxanna also spied some type of mural on the wall next to the cave, although it seemed incomplete. Was it a clue? Roxanna had a sudden feeling that what they had been searching for was in this cave.

When Benny returned with the first aid kit, Roxanna showed him her discovery and also the wall mural.

“This could be it, Roxanna! I’ll grab a flashlight and head in!” exclaimed Benny, almost running to get his gear.

“Be careful in there!” shouted Roxanna, but Benny had already entered the cave.

The day was hot, and as Roxanna’s foot was feeling a bit better, she decided to go down to the water’s edge. On heading there, she spied some garbage on the beach.

She decided to clean it up and saw Benny come out of the cave heading toward his supplies tarp. After grabbing a towel and drying himself off, Benny gave her a wave and then headed back into the cave.

Oh gosh! Now Roxanna cut her finger on the debris. While applying several bandages to her finger, Roxanna just felt sad about all the garbage on the beach. Sulani is such a beautiful island with a frail eco-system, and sims don’t realize how they are impacting the environment. Roxanna thought about organizing a beach clean-up, but perhaps everyone should wear gloves when they help out.

“That would be a wonderful community project for the contestants. Maybe I’ll talk to the producers about that idea. I’m sure Rick would think that was a wonderful idea, too,” smiled Roxanna.

Meanwhile, in the cave…

Roxanna saw Benny exit the cave again and plunk something down on the supply tarp. “There’s some underground pools in there…” Benny shouted to Roxanna as he headed back in the cave.

Benny went in and out of the cave several times. There were underground waterways and lava tubes, but he hadn’t found anything. He would give it another attempt as he thought he saw something at the end of one of the tubes.

Benny exited the cave. What he had thought had been the silhouette of a ship had actually been something else. He hadn’t found the Heart of Sulani necklace. Maybe it wasn’t even in there. Maybe it was somewhere off-shore. Of course! He should have been searching the water all along. The ship sunk off-shore, and it was probably hidden underwater somewhere!

With renewed hope, Benny put on his scuba gear and headed off to explore the bottom of the ocean near the island.

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While Benny headed off to treasure hunt, Roxanna went for a refreshing swim. She stayed close to the shoreline, so she could find her way back again.

Roxanna came upon a sandy beach outcrop and decided to beach comb there. 

She found another shell and saw a baby turtle. Wasn’t seeing a turtle a sign of good luck? Roxanna recalled reading somewhere that turtles symbolized luck and longevity. Suddenly, Roxanna had a very good feeling about today as she swam back to Admiral’s Wreckage.

With Benny searching underwater, Roxanna wondered if she might have luck finding something in that cave. She really had no desire to enter this big dark cavern, but something was pulling her towards it. She hastily wrote a note to Benny, and brandishing a flashlight, a rope and a collection bag, Roxanna tentatively entered the cave.

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Benny had laid some gridwork for his search underwater and with a hand-held magnetometer (an underwater metal detector), searched the grid area. This had taken a few hours, but he had found nothing.

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Roxanna came across some cave graffiti.

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Benny had been underwater for quite a long time and suddenly saw a golden glint in the sand. He plucked it up. It wasn’t a necklace, but some sort of coin. It looked old. He sensed he was getting close.

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Roxanna continued to explore the cave and went deeper still. She came across an amazing sight.

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Benny realized he had to dive deeper, so wearing his rebreather, Benny continued to dive all afternoon. He had unearthed another treasure, some type of wicker comb that was surprisingly intact. But still, not the necklace he was looking for.

It was getting late, and his muscles were sore and he was getting quite hungry. He hopped on his aqua-zip and headed back to Admiral’s Wreckage. He was feeling disappointed that he had to tell Roxanna he had been unsuccessful in his search. Perhaps they would be able to come back another day.

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Roxanna wasn’t sure what time it was, and she knew she should get back, but something kept pushing her on. She knew she was on the right track. And then ever so carefully rounding a bend, she saw it! It was an ancient ship…more like a pirate ship. This could be it! After searching the ship, she saw something caught on the tip of a sword in one of the crew’s quarters. Although from what was left, it looked like this was the Captain’s quarters. She snatched her prize and headed back to the outside of the cave.

Roxanna exited the cave and held up the necklace to the light. Oh my, how it sparkled. Was this really the Heart of Sulani necklace that had been hidden for centuries? Had the island spirits really been right that Benny and she would be the ones to find it? It certainly looked like the picture that Keala had shown her.

She heard Benny come up from the beach. He didn’t look too happy, but she had exciting news to tell him.

“Benny, I think I found the necklace!” she shouted as Benny came towards her.

As Benny ran towards her, and saw the glittering necklace Roxanna held in her hand, he noticed that the wall mural had changed.

“I think you’re right, Roxanna. Look at the mural. It’s changed. It’s complete now. Oh my gosh, you did find it! You found it, Roxanna, just like the island spirits predicted!” Benny was almost jumping up and down from the excitement, but instead, gave Roxanna a big hug.

As they ate some grilled fruit that Roxanna had prepared, Benny told Roxanna about what he had found.

As they were packing up the gear, Benny came over to Roxanna and noticed the bandages on her finger. Roxanna explained what had happened when she was cleaning up the beach trash. Benny looked at her for a moment and took her hands in his, “I always knew you were special, Roxanna, and today just proves it. Even if we hadn’t found that necklace, you are truly a one-of-a-kind sim.”

Maybe it was the setting sun, or perhaps the exhilaration of finding the Heart of Sulani, or Benny giving her that unexpected compliment, but Roxanna thought that Benny looked so good all of a sudden. Why hadn’t she noticed this before? He gave her another hug and parted, but still held her in his arms…like he didn’t want to let her go. He looked at her as if he wanted to say something, but instead just looked deeper into her eyes. Was he going to…oh, gosh, look at those muscles! He leaned closer to her…she could feel his breath on her face…feel her cheeks getting flushed…could feel his grip tighten slightly on her waist pulling her ever so closer…oh my…her lips parted for what she felt was sure to take place…

And then Roxanna’s cell phone rang…

It was Rick. He was fully recovered and he wanted her to be the first to know. Roxanna smiled as she took the call, but the moment with Benny was broken as he released her from his arms and went back to packing up the gear.

“Super fabulous, Rick! The producers will be thrilled to know that you’re ready to go on more dates,” enthused Roxanna.

“Oh, and just so you know, Raven made a personal visit to check up on me,” replied Rick happily.

“Oh really? Raven did…did she?” smiled Roxanna thinking that Raven was taking every opportunity to get close to Rick. Raven was one determined contestant, that was for sure.

Roxanna hung up the phone and her mind was suddenly a whirlwind of thoughts. So much to do now that Rick was better. Lining up more dates, getting the Rose Ceremony location planned, and making sure she put the Heart of Sulani necklace in a safe place. Roxanna’s mind was filled with so many thoughts that she didn’t see Benny giving her an appreciative look. Wikki Wikki Wii from Sulani.

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Author’s Notes:

I  hope you enjoyed this. I had no idea that there was an Ancient Wreck when exploring the cave. It just added to the story.

And for all the beachcombing that Benny and Roxanna did, I completed the Seashells Collection. I think this is the first collection I’ve ever completed.

 

 

A few changes were made to the Maxis build of Admiral’s Wreckage, and one was placing a “bookshelf” door to the hidden treasure. In the actual build, there isn’t one. I chose this book title, which is an actual sims book, because it fit the pirate theme.

The Adventures of Pink Ruffles by Ace Montegue is a children’s fantasy book. It is listed as a sims book found on this website. Shamed by the pirate community solely for his name, Pink Ruffles sailed the seas with his trusty crew. Vitamin C infused cotton candy kept the crew free of scurvy and teeth. Follow Pink Ruffles and crew as they search for treasure and ultimately… redemption.

I have no idea if that secret treasure chest can be opened. I read that you had to be at the top of the diving career to open it, but Benny is at the top of the Diving Career and couldn’t open it either. I think it is just an unopenable truck. However, if anyone knows how to open this trunk, let me know.

And what luck that Roxanna found the Heart of Sulani necklace! And she even found the rare one worth $1,200 simoleons! Woot!

And what is developing between Benny and Roxanna? Do you think that Benny is falling for Roxanna? Things seemed to be heating up before Rick’s phone call. But, nah, it must just be my imagination. Right?

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