Arrived in IP and started to build herself a house. The lot was fairly large and pricey, and of course very incomplete as she soon ran out of money for building.
"But I have to have a cellar immediately! I need some place to store nectar."
"You have a cellar. But you'll have to earn some money."
"I have no skills! I don't know anything! I don't WANT a job!"
"Silly. Go and collect some bugs; it's a lovely Autumn day and there are plenty around. I've heard the science lab will pay good money for them."
"I caught a Pygmy Tortoie. That's quite big!"
"That's not a bug, but it's still good."
"And a ladybug. Euw I heard those things are creepy... Wonderful that these water taxis give me a free ride anywhere I want to go!"
She was soon complaining again.
"I'm allergic to wild flowers. [Sneeze] My allergies are playing up, I will have to get a shot for them. That takes money too... Ooh a cemetery. I wonder if I'll find anything to sell in the catacombs?"
She did find a Sim, Myra Arias, weeping at one of the graves. "You're not going in there? It's spooky. I'll just wait out here for you. It's very dark in there, oh and remember, don't push the stick on the protruding wall!"
"Who is playing the organ down there? NOOO I am not giving you any of my hair. Grow your own! What? Well I suppose as a skeleton it might be difficult... I'm talking to a SKELETON! GEMMEOUTTAHERE!... They gave me a book... and I'ma have nightmares for WEEKS now."
But this book is worth a lot of money, it's very rare.
"Oh good, then I can go home, well, back to my building site. That's a good day's work there. But now I want to go somewhere clean - like - France!"
Soon, my pretty pretty. When your house is finished.
After selling the pygmy tortoise and the book she had over §2,000.
NOW can I go to France?
If you don't mind not having a house yet.
There was another builders' bill. She bought some candles so that she could at least see her way around the bathroom and bedroom. So no allergy shot just yet, and no France, but her collection sold for good prices: 98 simoleans for the bugs, as well as the money for the tortoise and the book!
"I can make a living this way."
She went to look at the junkyard the next day.
That's rather a scenic junkyard.
"A drill! I love these." She dug up - a couple of gems, some palladium, and a perfectly functioning microwave.
A microwave?
"There's a hole here, what's
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Oops.
"I can hear music..."
It's the fumes. Come out now.
"No, it's interesting! There's a golem! Oh, he is asking me a riddle... "
Said the Gnome King "There are ten gnomes and myself, down here. Some
are about to be executed. Although they don't like the idea, they are each selfless
and want to do anything (even by sacrificing themselves) in order to help their
fellow gnomes. They are told what will happen to them: They will each be lined
up single file, so that they are each facing the gnome in front of them. Each
of them will be given a red or a white hat on their head, and from the back
of the line (the gnome who can see everyone else) they will ask him to state
his hat color, 'red' or 'white.' If he can state it corectly (he cannot see
his own hat, only those in front of him), he is allowed to live. Knowing what
is going to happen to them, they are allowed to deivse a strategy beforehand.
How many gnomes can they guarantee to keep alive, and how will they do this?
(I should in fairness point out that there are NOT necessarily an equal number
of red and white hats.)
After thinking for some time, she came up with the following: "Well, the gnomes are so helpful, they all work together, and they agree that the first gnome will say "red" if he sees an odd number of red hats, and "white" if he sees an odd number of white hats - whether that first gnome lives or dies is up to chance, but since he sees an odd number of hats in total, whichever color he doesn't name must be even in number - then each gnome after the first just tracks what he sees against what he's heard so far to know if his own hat has to be red or white to match what the first gnome said."
"Correct!" beamed the Gnome King. "Come and visit us again," and commanded the least popular of his gnomes to be the first in line.
OK now you can afford that allergy shot.
"But I still haven't anything like enough to pay the next builders' bill. And I don't even have a kitchen yet. I can't go on living on mushrooms, you know."
Well, I dunno. You might find something in the bin of one of these wealthy families.
"Aw, a teddy! And a seed. Wow, an opal? and another teddy. I suppose someone thought they were too grown up for the teddies. Bubble Bath - almost a full bottle! I know what I'm gonna do with THAT! And I can sell this scrap."
Well, more bugs today. She discovered three beehives in the gardens outside the Elixir Store. The shop assistant said she could collect their wax and honey and he would pay her, as he himself was allergic to bee stings. "And if you need money, I happen to know that some of the wild flowers that grow hereabouts are valuable. Specially Cosmos and Indian Blanket." Cosmos made her sneeze but sold to a collector for §600 a plant.
While working there she noticed a pretty plant, which had little jelly-like fruit.
"These look like sweeties!"
Facepalm.
"Glad I got that shot! And I want to buy my own Jellybean bush. And a Fridge!"
So - today's insects brought in §388, not bad. More wild flowers increased the total so it's finally time to build a kitchen.
After a very busy day, she went to bed. "Hey, it's raining in here!"
Yeah, they haven't finished the roof yet. They said they would come back on Thursday and complete it.
Finally, after a week, some roof repairs and a little decorating, she was ready to set off for France.
Not much money left over after you've paid the fares?
"Maybe I can get a holiday job or something."
"Met Gaston Dutiel. Oh he's yummy! I want to skinny dip with him!"
He's married.
The only thing that can distract her from the Nectary? Her phone. Dee is officially a phone addict.
"Well, it was very well paid holiday work. Rescued a baseball and came out with twice as much money as I arrived with! And some gems."
Coming home after the holiday, she brought a nectar maker, and some grapes to grow.
The second time she went to France, she spent most of her holiday working in the fields at the Nectary, learning the gardening skills she would need.
"I would like to visit a museum while I'm here too. But I've got a visa extension, so I should have plenty of time. Sniff sniff. That jab didn't work for very long!"
She did have time to explore a little. Went to La Gallerie d'Arte and did a quest, winding up of course at the local cemetery.
What IS it about cemeteries?
Her nectarology skill was at 4 when she returned, gardening 6, and after buying some books on nectar making, she still had a tidy §5000 to bring home.
"Do you mind? I had almost 8K to bring home; that last quest got me 2000 alone!"
Did well there, then.
"Didn't want to come home. But I got Visa level 2!"
Her house is still a work in progress. But she has earned every §!
A moth?
She continued to learn new skills.
She had a fire, and put it out before the fireman got there. He was not amused.
Her house looks a little better since then.
To be continued
August 23, 2014 Sita