Consort Capp's Family: Week 2

The family's first week is here.

After it was impossible to play Capp Manor until I finally installed The Sims 2 Legacy Edition and stopped uselessly trying to fix my "Ultimate Collection" game, I am now returning to Consort Capp's family. 

It is a snowy Saturday in winter as we arrive.

Inside, Juliette and her granddad Consort are enjoying bowls of hot vegetable soup, the perfect food on a day like this. With Juliette's big brother Tybalt recently having graduated from college and returned to the manor, she'll be next to go, and Consort expresses his confidence in that she'll do as well as he did, with her name on the Dean's List every semester. No pressure...!

Upstairs in Tybalt's bedroom, he has hung his college diploma on the wall, and there is something else next to it: The deed to his first business! 

His lifetime want is to have 5 top level businesses, and it is clear that he'll be the one to take over from Consort who has been running the Capp clan and the family business (whatever it is) for decades. Granddad is only 63, but the dramas and diffulties within the Capp clan have exhausted him greatly, and he feels old and tired before his time. Tybalt's first business is at 431 Globe Steet, and we'll accompany him there tomorrow. 

Here are Tybalt and Juliette relaxing over a game of chess and discussing friendships - even those with members of the Monty family. Last round, Tybalt made a real effort to overcome the old family feud, and to his surprise he discovered that Romeo, his sister's boyfriend, is actually a decent bloke.

That night, the three siblings' ghostly parents Antony and Cordelia appear in the grounds. They think of their children but don't approach them. 

Tybalt is up bright and early on Sunday morning, heading to his first day at his first own business at 431 Globe Street. The building is less of a shop and more of a kind of community centre for Sims to hang out at, with a row of four pinball machines at one end, toilets in the middle and a large TV screen as well as shelves with magazines and video games for sale.

Tybalt is happy to see former co-student Phineaus Furley among the first three visitors - he can hardly call them customers, since they don't buy anything, and he can not sell them anything. 

This is a little frustrating, and so I install a ticket machine outside the front door so that Tybalt can at least start to learn how to make sales and collect a bit of money from the venue. Still, he can't learn to use the cash register or to restock here, and so I suppose he'll end up hiring one or two youngsters to man the shop while he will open a new business - or maybe he'll start to offer sellable products right here.

Meanwhile at home, the girls spend a few hours diligently pulling weeds, and manage to get on top of the gardening for a change - good job the snow-covered flower beds don't need watering, or they'll never finish! 

Juliette is just telling her little sister how there will be one last ride on the school bus for her tomorrow, and then she'll be off to college, when Chaz Whippler walks past, deep in thought (pining for Marla Biggs, I assume). He steals the paper and runs away, with the girls both shouting after him. (This was actually quite funny to watch, as they were perfectly in sync with their finger-pointing and shouting, like some weird variety of the Smustle Dance.)

On Monday, Tybalt's business reaches Rank 1. And stupid me finally remembers that I have to click on the shelves with the magazines and video games and "set price" to make them sellable! It doesn't take Tybalt long after that to earn his Silver Badge in sales. 

Back home, that afternoon Consort waves good-bye to Juliette - she has just boarded the taxi that takes her to college, where of course we'll catch up with her soon.

But someone else catches up with Consort shortly after Juliette has left: Mr. Reaper appears out of nowhere, as is his habit. Consort is reluctant to leave; he has not achieved his lifetime want and feels that his grandchildren still need him. "But you're tired, old man, I can see it in your eyes," Mr Reaper says gently. "I offer you eternal rest... no more worries, and you can still visit and check in on your grandchildren..." and finally, Consort goes. 

Hermia is very sad; today, she had to say good-bye to her big sister (but of course she'll see her again) and now also to her Granddad, who raised her since the early death of her parents. 

The house now really feels way too big and empty for just herself and her big brother. 

Consort has joined the rest of the Capp clan on the family cemetery. The ghost of Anthony, the children's father, is out unusually early that night. 

Tybalt is now head of the main branch of the Capp clan - a responsibility he never asked for. He misses his Granddad very much. Who shall he turn to now for business advice and everything else? 

It is still dark very early on Tuesday morning when Tybalt is on his way to 431 Globe Street and suddenly is stopped by his great-grandmother Scribonia's ghost. 

This is the first time one of the ghosts has actively approached one of their living family members here at Capp Manor. It takes Tybalt only a short while to recover, and he is off to his shop. 

And who should his first actual customer be - the first to patiently wait for him to figure out the cash register - but Bianca Monty. Yes, the Montys shop at a Capp's business; another sign that the old family feud is finally coming to an end. 

Tybalt goes home for a late lunch with Hermia... 

...and then returns to the shop for some restocking and a few more sales at the ticket machine. The business is now at Rank 3, and Tybalt has the Gold Sales Badge. 

During his morning shift on Wednesday, a reporter pretending to be a customer visits 431 Globe Street. Tybalt is his usual diligent self, and the reporter is impressed enough with what she sees to write a great review. The shop receives the "Best of the Best" award, reaching rank 4 in the process. 

The evening shift brings Tybalt's favourite visitor: Marla Biggs. Spring has begun, and he has been wanting to flirt all day - now he can fulfill this wish with her. Look how fondly she looks at him while he is making a sale to Uncle Cornwall, his Aunt Regan's husband. 

He wants to keep the place spic and span but is hindered by Maxis' careless building: The shrubs around the tree in front of the shop can not be trimmed. I guess I'll have to take the low wall off that surrounds the tree. 

At home, Tybalt and Hermia have their tea, and Tybalt knows that it will be the last time in a long time that they sit together like this - tomorrow, his little sister will leave for college, where she's going to join Juliette. 

That evening, Consort's ghost appears - the first of the many ghosts roaming the grounds to actually enter the Manor. His grandchildren are unaware of his presence, though, and he does nothing to make himself heard or seen.

By Thursday, nothing is left of the snow that has been covering Veronaville almost all winter. The sorry state of the flower beds in front of the manor is revealed; hopefully, the gardener will deal with it, because Tybalt won't! 

He dedicates nearly every waking hour to his shop, and just about manages to handle the bills and do small things such as making his own bed or clean the toilet.

Today, 431 Globe Street achieves Rank 5, while Aunt Regan and Uncle Cornwall are visiting. I don't know what exactly Regan is telling Tybalt here, but it's something about his cousin Ariel.

Tybalt makes sure to be home when Hermia returns from school. As a good-bye treat for her before she boards the taxi to college he makes Grilled Cheese sandwiches; then has Capp Manor all to himself.

Friday is the last day here, since the week started on a Saturday. 

The gardener appears and duly waters the much reduced flower beds. He also does some weeding and trimming of shrubs but leaves without disposing of the dead flowers on the other side of the path. 

Tybalt is of course too busy at 431 Globe Street to do any gardening. After he has made a sale to former co-student Ellen Frost, the business reaches Rank 6.

Exhausted after his usual two shifts at the shop, Tybalt closes up for the night and spends most of the evening doing the necessary admin work. (What he actually did was start a gaming competition, but let's pretend he worked.) 

The house may be very quiet now with just Tybalt living there, but the garden at night is anything but: As usual, at least two ghostly ancestors appear and roam the grounds, but apart from Consort during that one night, none of them ever enter the house. 

It was good seeing Tybalt (and me!!) finally getting the hang of running a shop. It must be hard on him without being able to consult his Granddad, who knew everything about business. 

His sisters are both at college now, and his girlfriend Marla didn't feature much. Maybe next round the two of them will move in together. Next we'll see Hermia through her first year at college, since she did not have a complete week here.