The Delarosa / Curious Household: Week 4

- - - Update 26.10.2012 - - - The fourth week at the Delarosa / Curious household begins on Wednesday morning, with Florence studying mechanics...

...and Pascal fast asleep.

Not long, though, and he gets up. Since he is on Permanent Platinum, I rarely tell him what to do, and focus on Florence instead, who needs some more promotions before she will have reached her lifetime want of becoming Prestidigitator.

Pascal has made breakfast, but he is obviously feeling a bit under the weather; he has managed to burn the omelette. Florence pretends not to notice and still eats it.

Tank Grunt comes visiting; he is a friend of Pascal's.

It is Thursday. Do you remember how Pascal tried to ask the Genie to resurrect his daughter Carolina, who so tragically died in a fire at her dorm during her first year at uni? He tries again - and, just like the first time, he gets many names of deceased friends and neighbours to choose from, but not Carolina.

Monica Bratford walks by, and Pascal does not hesitate to greet her. The "influence to..." feature is something I like to use every now and then, and today, Pascal asks Monica to do some repairs for him.

She unclogs the toilet...

...while Pascal trims the hedge - he thought he'd escaped the eternal gardening chores when he moved out from the house he shared with his brothers!

Monica even tunes the piano before she calls it a day and leaves.

Friday passes without any event worth mentioning. On Saturday morning over breakfast (omelette again, but this time, he did not burn them), Pascal tells Florence he wants to invite his brothers over; he has not seem them in a while.

So, a little while later, Lazlo and Vidcund arrive. Dina Caliente, Lazlo's live-in love, has come along, too.

She instantly heads for the piano...

...while the brothers check out Florence's computer. Later, they all watch TV together, and then both Florence and Pascal have to go to work.

Pascal is the first one to return - and finds Mr. Reaper and his Hula Girls waiting for him. He is now 80, and although he is sad to leave Florence behind, he is looking forward to meet his daughter again, who has preceded him in the otherworld.

When Florence returns from work several hours later, the dicovery of Pascal's tombstone in front of her garden gate sends her into aspiration failure.

Good job the Shrink does not take long to arrive! (This is a very rare occurrance in my game, so I hope you don't mind me having taken pictures of it.)

Something I have never seen before: Florence, still in deep red aspiration level, is "taught" by Professor von Ball. Have you had this happen in your game?

As if Pascal's death wasn't enough for Florence to deal with, early on Sunday morning a burglar sneaks up to the house.

In cold blood, he enters Florence's bedroom and takes first one...

...and then the other wall rug. By that time, Florence is wide awake and runs out of the house in shock.

Once she is sure the burglar has left, she goes back inside where she breaks into tears - her entire life seems to be crumbling around her. On top of everything else, Pascal's death means she now needs four friends for her next promotion.

She rings some of her acquaintances every day for the rest of her week and manages indeed to make three friends out of them.

But look at her house... the once so beautiful yard gets regularly cared for by a paid gardener, but it certainly doesn't look it!

On Monday, her old friend John Burb comes visiting, offering his condolences.

When she is on her own, Florence reads the paper...

...and finds some solace in playing the piano.

The week ends on Tuesday night with the yard really being a mess of weeds, overgrown hedges and dead flower beds...

...and Florence being deeply unhappy about it, but unable to tackle the task at hand. 

How is she going to cope next time we meet her? She is 64 now and needs one more friend for her next promotion. 
Is she going to reach permanent platinum, and will she maybe find another man to love after Pascal's death? 
(Interestingly enough, she has 3 bolts for Lazlo, Pascal's brother!)