Chapter 2: Leisure Day Scrubs

Alexander plants the illegally-harvested grapes and fruit trees from his trip to France, and sets up his brand-spanking-new nectar maker in the backyard. They can barely afford lunch, much less a nectar cellar with storage racks for aging and all that, so this will have to do.

He stays up tinkering and squishing well into the night, and is just getting ready for sleep when his first batch of nectar is ready. One bottle doesn't sell very well, so Alexander goes to Landgraab Sell 'n' Swap the next day to see if he can't get a higher price on consignment.

"Why's it so dark in here?"

Shanti's first-day uniform is bizarre. Another reason she needs that promotion. It can't wait another day.

"I look crazier than Dorie Hart!"

She invites her boss over and allows Morgana to comfort her about her financial situation. Then she slips in a compliment about Morgana's hard work at the Hospital. 

"So... about that promotion....."

Hook, line, and sinker.

Shanti decides that being best friends with her boss is going to go a long way for her. She spends the day wooing Morgana's affections in her special tried-and-true strategy for Befriending the Rich and Powerful:

The sun guy approves.

Make yourself at home, won't you?

Alex paints a lot during the waiting period in between fruit-squishing and trips to the consignment store. He's currently on level 4 of the self-employed nectar-maker career track... Dare you to say that five times fast!

His first painting isn't much but he's clearly on the right track. Obviously, this piece is a study of the circle of life, and the symbiotic relationship between flora and fauna and.... what is that black smudge supposed to be, anyway?

Alex's nectar making skill isn't much better than his painting. He hasn't yet figured out that you're not supposed to use your entire lower body to squish the fruit; it gives it a distinct butt-flavor. Yuugh.

At least the garden seems to be shaping up.

One day Shanti is called out of work to administer vaccinations. In the graveyard. Yeah, I don't know either. Everybody freaks out, it's hilarious.

Even Geoffrey Landgraab can't handle it. 

Buddy, it's not that bad. Story progression switched him to the Writer career, but he did used to be a doctor, correct? Buck up, man!

Shanti performs wonderfully with the vaccinations and gets promoted straight away. The next day is Leisure Day, and she wears her new scrubs the whole time.

"Hey doc, I'd let you 'practice' on me anytime."

She plays about a hundred games of chess with Jared Frio at the Summer Festival. He doesn't have a single logic point when they start, but he wins game after game against her seven points of Logic and elated mood. It's maddening.

Finally, she beats him on the seventh try and leaves to go dancing. A neighborhood child, Sandi French, joins her. They become friends.

"Stay in school, kid."

Well, that's adorable.

Alexander spends his Leisure Day skating with a new acquaintance, Monika Morris. They also have a water balloon fight.

Everything is going swell until Monika tries to hit on Alex. He gets creeped out and leaves to find his wife.

"Uhh, I'm very much spoken for, and also you're not my type. Please, um, please leave."

But Monika finds them later and at the end of the day Alexander and Shanti group up with Monika and her roommate, Madison VanWatson, for one last water balloon fight before the festival closes for the night. 

Happy Leisure Day!!

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Notes - I accidentally made a really attractive sim in Alex Hand. He has a direct genetic link to Randall Hand, my first ever random legacy sim whose game I abandoned but whom I kept in the bin for genetics experiments. Alex is like his great-grand-nephew. Or something. But just look at this faaaace:

:(

I was so sure something was wrong with my game when Shanti kept losing to Jared Frio, of all people. She was already almost rank 3 in Chess and while they were playing I got the story progression bubble saying that Jared earned his first Logic point. I was livid!! 

Also, there's a bug with my consignment store that I can't figure out and the lights are broken. So apologies in advance for any future dim screenshots taken there..