Dear reader, welcome back to the Bookacy Family Alphabet Adventures. Again, it's been quite a while. Last time we had a recap update (about time, too), but before that, the last of generation D, Desdemona, became a child. This is chapter 41. If you're new to the Bookacies, I suggest starting from the beginning, or alternatively, from chapter 40, which should get you well caught up. Anyway, shall we?

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Now that they were both children, Dorian was pretty excited to have Desdemona to play with. Even though she was a girl. Since well, she was his sister, and that made it better. Somehow. Desdemona was kind of fun to be with, too.

The children amusing each other now gave the older members of the household some time for themselves, which they appreciated. Baudolino and Marylena enjoyed their increased time together.

While Dirk, the oldest of generation D, quite a bit older than Dorian and Desdemona, was spending his time preparing for college. He was getting accustomed to the idea of being the heir and wanted to make his family proud, so he was working extra hard on his scholarships. Many of those who came before had had an impressive amount, so he didn't want to do any worse.

Desdemona and Dorian weren't too happy when the parents found that Desdemona was sick with the cold and had to rest until she was healthy again. Dorian was to play by himself to ”not bother her” and of course not to get himself sick too. Of course, Desdemona would much rather have played with her brother, but in the end Cho and Nicholas were right: she rested enough, and soon she was healthy again.

Speaking of the parents, they had some time to themselves too. Nicholas was still busy with his sewing. He had previously gained his silver talent badge, and was determined to make it to gold.

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In case you've forgotten, my goal with Nicholas is to have him gain all the different gold badges there are (I think the OFB ones would be enough to score me a legacy point by the old rules, but he's going for all of them, just because). So far, he has gardening and flower arranging down.

As for Cho, she was mostly content simply relaxing at pleasant activities and spending time with her family, especially her parents, who she knew weren't getting any younger. Often that meant listening to Baudolino playing the piano.

Or watching Marylena practice her ballet moves. Cho was quite a skilled dancer herself – already due to her job – and so it was quite a pleasure for the two women to share the hobby, discuss it and exchange tips.

But there were always things to take care of, too. Now that Desdemona was a big girl, it was time to keep with the family tradition and ensure that she – and Dorian, who was a bit older – received the best possible education. Baudolino especially insisted on it, and he was the one to contact the local private school.

”Yes, hello, this is Baudolino Bookacy speaking. I would like to speak with headmaster Korey Jimatkusol, please. Yes, I will hold, thank you.”

…

”Good afternoon, headmaster Jimatkusol, this is Baudolino Bookacy speaking.”

…

”It's definitely been at least that long. And yes, it's that time again. My grandson and granddaughter would be interested in admission. How about dinner so we can talk about it?”

And so mr. Korey Jimatkusol arrived for dinner. Nicholas was still in his work clothes when it was time to greet him, but he was sure that in his job, it was only going to make a good impression.

”Hello, you must be mr. Bookacy I presume?”

”Evening, headmaster. Yes, one of several actually.”

As always, Korey Jimatkusol was also very impressed by the expensive items owned by the family.

”The piano is just as wonderful as last time, and I'm sure just as expensive too! Oh, and it sounds very nice too.”

”My father-in-law is self-learned, he's had a lot of practice over the years.”

Nicholas acted as the charming host, and the rest of the older members of the family kept Korey company during dinner. The potential attendees of his school were excused after being introduced; Korey understood that there were important things for children to do, such as homework and playing.

Not surprisingly, Korey was again impressed by the family and the dinner, and happy to have Dorian and Desdemona as his students.

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Dorian and Desdemona got into private school with a score of 93/90 and with over 3 hours left on the timer.

Just being in private school wasn't going to be enough, though. It also took work from the students themselves. Dorian already had the knack of doing his homework, and now it was high time that Desdemona learned the same. Cho took the task to herself, and soon enough, Desdemona was able to figure it all out herself, too.

There was a lot of reason for any parents to be proud, and Cho and Nicholas decided that now was a good time to do what they had been planning to do for a while: to book a vacation for themselves and the kids. It was also a good oppportunity to visit the Three Lakes vacation house that the family had bought a while ago.

”Yes, that's correct. Five sims: two adults, one teenager and two children. Yes, tomorrow please. And no need for accomodation, thank you, we've got that covered. Thank you very much, goodgye!”

There was one thing that Dirk wanted to do first, before going on any vacations, while the rest of the family were asleep. He wanted to sneak out with his cousin Dani, who'd been bugging him to do it for ages.

Dirk wasn't actually the type to rebel at all, he didn't feel the need to. But Dani would have thought of him as a wussy if he didn't go, and besides, it kind of sounded like fun. He'd worked so hard on school that he'd earned it, Dirk reasoned to himself.

And since they weren't going to do anything risky – not that Alphabetia was a very risky place anyway now that the madman was behind bars – Dirk had a hunch that Cho and Nicholas, or Eric, would have minded much if they knew. He was only not mentioning it to them because these things were supposed to be done in secret. The principle of the thing.

But better not say that to Dani.

Maybe he was a bit more tired than usual in the morning when the flight shuttle started honking outside the gate, but it had definitely been worth it.

It had been a while since Cho had spent some of the family fortune to purchase a second vacation home, this time at Three Lakes, but this was the first time that anyone from the family had the chance to actually visit it. All five of the travelers were in agreement that it was beautiful. And the adults, who always paid mind to those things, were content to see that the security system was state of the art as well.

All in all, it was clearly a very nice place, and also a sensible purchase. Cho reported back to Baudolino on that as the first thing.

The house had two stories with all modern commodities, a sizeable back yard with a jacuzzi, a grill and even a small pond for fishing.

The first morning was set for relaxing after the long flight, and getting familiar with the surroundings. Dorian and Desdemona soon found fun and games to amuse themselves with. They had a chessboard at home too, of course, and didn't actually play that much, but somehow this one was more new and exciting.

After making sure that the kids were occupied, Cho and Nicholas snuck out in the rain. Someone had to try out the jacuzzi, too, of course.

Dirk didn't feel like he needed to rest, and as the younger kids were otherwise occupied, he decided he could spend his time doing something useful. Such as practicing his charisma for the scholarships, he thought as he found a mirror in one corner of the house.

That's where Nicholas found him when he'd gotten out of the jacuzzi and was properly dressed again.

”Hey kid”, he greeted his step-son. ”Is that what you're planning to do the whole vacation? Cramming for scholarships?”

Dirk looked slightly embarassed. ”Well, I was feeling pretty energized”, he waved his arms as if ready to set to work, ”so I thought I could practice a bit.”

”Well me and your mother are proud of you for being a dutiful young man, but don't overdo it. Vacations are supposed to be about relaxing, after all. Anyway, I have an idea. How about we gather the others and go see our surroundings a bit. I hear there's a nice camping ground nearby, with some genuine local food and fun outdoors activities.”

Of course Dirk didn't have anything against that.

”So what would you recommend?” Dirk asked Nicholas once the three oldest of the vacation party were comfortably sat at the campground food stand.

”Well, I haven't actually had any of these foods myself, but the travel guides we read with your Mom all recommended that one should definitely try flapjacks. They are a local specialty, kind of like pancakes but not quite.”

”I'll definitely be having them”, Cho decided. ”Where are Dorian and Desdemona?” she asked, furrowing her brow.

Nicholas smiled. ”They ran off in that direction, barely remembered to tell me they wanted to try log rolling.”

”Okay, but... They should eat first.”

”I think they're probably too excited for that right now. But don't worry, if log rolling is anything like I imagine it to be, I'm sure they'll be eating like horses today.”

The kids were indeed log rolling, as Nicholas had said, and especially Desdemona was quite into it. Although she did lose some of her enthusiasm after being dropped off the log multiple times by her big brother. After that it wasn't very hard to persuade her to stop for some flapjacks with Dorian.

(”Dirk is so much bigger than me, it's really kind of unfair”, she muttered under her breath.)

Dirk was really on a roll when it came to physical activities that day. First he won several competitions of log rolling, and then when he tried his hand at throwing axes, he only needed a few tries before he hit the bullseye. Even the locals seemed fairly impressed by that. It must have been all that practicing for his athletic scholarship, Dirk thought. That, or pure dumb luck.

While the younger kids were having their turn at flapjacks – and with amazing appetites, at that – Dirk wandered around the campground and found a large piece of wood set out like a statue. The little sign on it explained on how you could theoretically count the tree's age from the rings, and it had little marks of different years on it, with factoids. And of course some tourist carvings, too. It was quite a tree, Dirk thought.

The day also ended on an exploratory note. All five of them went on a tour together, to hear a lot of interesting stories from the tour guide. The guide also very secretively handed Cho a map to ”somewhere not all tourists get to go to”. Cho and Nicholas both felt curious, but in the end decided not to mention it to the kids. They had enough to do, and they heard the forest had wild bigfeet living in it. Not that bigfeet were dangerous in any way, but perhaps they would be a bit scary for the kids.

With the kids sent to bed, Cho and Nicholas were able to have some time of their own. Cho decided to spend it with a relaxing cookbook, and was delighted to maximize her cooking skill at that.

As for Nicholas, he knew he was getting very, very skilled at sewing, and since there was a machine also at the vacation home, he couldn't resist working on it for a bit. And finally, his hard work paid off, in the form of a gold sewing badge.

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Nicholas' gold badges so far: gardening, flower arranging, sewing.

The next morning over breakfast, it was decided that everyone would take it easy at least for the forenoon.

”There are plenty of things we can do”, said Cho, ”but the point of vacations isn't running like chickens with their heads cut off, to my knowledge anyway.”

So, everyone had fun in their own way. Desdemona phoned her older cousin Dani, as she felt she just had to tell her everything that she'd done so far. Dorian decided he wanted to play the piano, and Cho listened to him, proud like only a mother could be.

Dirk sat down with a book. It was relaxing, he told himself, and if it could help him with the scholarships even just a little bit...

Cho frowned a little bit, but in the end, decided to say nothing.

Nicholas, having learned everything he could about sewing, noticed the vacation house had also a pottery wheel, so he decided to give it a try. And well, it turned out to be fun, though kind of messy too.

In the afternoon Cho and Nicholas quietly decided that it was time to get Dirk put down his books and after a bit of pondering, it was decided that a nearby store was a good target. Little Desdemona would happily provide a distraction for Dirk, and they ended up playing catch for a longish time.

Meanwhile the parents were wondering where Dorian wandered off to. Eventually they found him inside the store, engaged in conversation with an older man.

”Oh, I'm sorry, I hope our son hasn't been a bother”, Cho said to the man.

”Not at all, ma'am, you have smart and well-behaved kid there”, the man replied smiling.

Rest and relaxation was had by all, and for each in their own way. Nicholas decided to treat himself to a massage, as all that time spent crouched over different workbenches hadn't been all that great for his back and shoulders, as much as he otherwise enjoyed it. The local deep tissue massage really opened some tight knots.

Meanwhile, Cho found some locals and tourists practicing their slapdance. She already knew the basics, but wanted to hone her skills. The kids were spending time together and meeting the locals. As the oldest, Dirk showed his siblings how to do the mountain greeting properly.

The next morning Cho and Nicholas were still in bed when they heard the piano being played carefully downstairs. From the fact that it was more than ”Twinkle twinkle little star” over and over again, they guessed it must be Dirk.

”Can't keep that kid away from his scholarships, can you?” Cho wondered sleepily.

”I don't think so”, replied Nicholas and yawned. ”Every chance he gets. He's just trying to be a good heir.”

”I know. I just worry that he'll overdo it.” Cho said, biting her lip.

”I wonder where he gets that from.”

That earned Nicholas a slight punch in the arm.

”Don't worry too much. We'll intervene if it gets out of hand.”

Cho sat down to read her morning paper, partly to keep an eye on her son. She was maybe a little worried, but she didn't want to interfere if it wasn't necessary; he was only trying to be a good kid. And apparently he was now simply spending time with his little sister. Cho did notice that they were playing chess, but it appeared more social than anything else. With Desdemona babbling constantly, it was probably hard to take it as studying, anyway, she mused.

”Red hands?” suggested Dorian quickly, when Desdemona had run off to play in the yard.

”Well sure”, said Dirk.

He was happy to get to spend time with both of his siblings. He couldn't study all the time, and what was a better time for spending time with the family than a vacation? Back at home he would be pretty busy again, and besides, it wasn't all that terribly long before it would be time for him to head for college.

A bit later Nicholas told the kids he wanted to try out the soccer net in the back yard, and all three were of course interested, since it was something they didn't have at home. It was good getting some fresh air – this was the mountains after all – and excercise.

It was a lot of fun, but apparently pretty exhausting too. When Cho saw the players come in, she suggested a nap before going out for the evening, and to her surprise, there were no objections. No wonder, she thought to herself, when the kids fell asleep the moment they were somewhat comfortable.

Of course, after a good nap the kids were all the more energized in the evening, playing cops and robbers and running around wildly. To have that kind of energy!

Not that the adults were tired, not at all. Specifically Cho didn't find Nicholas sleeping on his feet in the kitchen a little bit after the kids had been sent to bed and the adults had relaxed in the hot tub for a short while. No, nothing like that happened, at all.

Not if you ask Nicholas, anyway.

The vacation time started getting short, but there was still time for some rest and relaxation...

… fun and games...

… as well as some outdoor activities.

The very last evening, the Bookacies went to the campground once again, to be able to enjoy the campfire. Cho got the idea that it'd be nice to toast marshmallows, so she went to the nearby store to get them. Nicholas stayed behind with the kids.

”Well, tomorrow morning it's back home with us”, he said. ”Are you looking forward to going back to school?”

Dorian shrugged. ”It's okay. School's fun, at least sometimes, and I want to see all my friends again. But being on vacation is fun too, I wish we could stay longer.”

”Well, sometimes you just have to go home to be able to go again.”

Indeed, all good things must come to an end, and after breakfast it was time to do the last of packing and tidy up the vacation house before heading back to the airport. It would've been fun to stay longer, but all vacation and no work simply wasn't an option. And Nicholas was right, of course. They could always come back later, and surely they would.

Once back home, the kids headed straight back to school. Baudolino and Marylena had informed the school that they would be slightly late that day, and exceptionally, Dirk was allowed to drive his younger siblings to school. Usually, they took the school bus like everyone else, and rather liked it that way too, as then it was possible to meet your friends already on the bus, and spend a little time with them on the way home, too.

Cho had the day off, so she spent it studying. That last mechanical skill point had long eluded her, but no longer. That day, Cho maximized all her skills.

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Cho's secondary aspiration is Knowledge, so if I didn't choose the secondaries myself, I would be scoring a point for an impossible want here. But as things are, that's not the case. This is another thing I'm considering changing rule-wise when the first downgrade point hits.

Life continued to be peaceful for the family. The elders had free time in their hands, so they wanted to spend it wisely, doing things that they really liked. That included keeping up with friends (especially for Baudolino, who had accumulated quite a few along the years) and enjoying some hobbies. Marylena maximized her enthusiasm in games.

Her new plague joined those previously earned by the family, in what was slowly becoming a hobby hall of fame. Or that's what Nicholas jokingly called it.

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The Nature plague is George's and the Music and Dance one Marylena's, and now both Marylena and Baudolino have a Games plague.

Desdemona, like her older brothers before her, got to experience first hand that the best grades simply don't happen on their own, but they take some hard work to achieve.

”But it doesn't really matter, does it Grandpa?” Desdemona asked Baudolino one afternoon. ”My friends still like me, even if I don't get the best grades.”

”They do, or if they don't they aren't very good friends”, Baudolino replied. ”Don't let whatever Dirk says affect you, he's very concerned about being a good heir and will sometimes overdo things. And the rest of us like you – and Dirk too – just the same, with the best grades or not.”

Desdemona nodded wisely. ”I know. I love you Grandpa.”

As Nicholas had gotten excited about pottery during the vacation, he looked for an empty spot in the house so he could have a wheel also at home. He found one in the upstairs lobby, and soon enough that spot was no longer empty.

After that, Nicholas was often found at that new favorite spot of his, working on his pottery skills. It didn't take him long to earn his bronze badge.

The everyday routines of the family were soon broken, however. It was Dorian's birthday, and he wanted to celebrate with the family. As usual, no one objected to a good party, and Dorian got to do the inviting himself.

As the evening arrived, so did the guests.

”Hello, Ramin, good seeing you again”, Marsha greeted her old friend.

”You too, Marsha. How do I feel like every time I see one of our old friends is at someone's birthday?” Ramin asked her.

”You know, sometimes I feel like that too. But fortunately the family is quite big, so birthdays happen pretty often.”

Greetings were exchanged, maybe a few words, but there wasn't much time. Because the birthday boy was already eagerly awaiting by his cake.

So it was time to aim for the kitchen, where the immediate family was already present, ready to celebrate the middle child's birthday.

With everyone gathered around...

… Dorian the birthday boy was ready. He thought of a wish, and blew the candles out.

He couldn't help but cheer along, it was finally time to become big! At least at big as Dirk.

With a big, supportive family cheering him on, Dorian took a spin, and sparkled.

He was indeed big, and strong. Not bad, he decided.

”Help yourselves at the cake!” he shouted at the crowd, and with a quick bow, marched out of the dinging room, heading for the closest dresser.

While the birthday boy was contemplating his new look, the party went on. Cake was had and conversation was flowing. Some of the slightly older cousins were still pretty excited over the idea of being teenagers.

”... and parties. And going out, or rather, sneaking out!” exclaimed Dean Bruenig, remembering to lower his voice for the ”sneaking” part in case of adults, but maximally enthusiastic in any case.

”I know, right?” said Dana Patch, equally excited. ”And now that Dorian's not a little kid anymore we're going to have all the more fun!”

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Dean Bruenig is one of Cissy and Erik Bruenig's children, and thus Marsha's grandson. Dana Patch is the alien daughter of Kevin Patch, and thus technically not related to the Bookacies (except Bill and Bailey, since their other Dad is the same Pollitech).

The party went on both inside and out, and the bowling alley was again a pretty big attraction. Daniel and Debbie found it pretty cool, even despite having to play with some of the adults.

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Daniel Thayer is the son of Clarissa Thayer and Glen Fuchs, and Debbie Lillard's parents are are Chloe and Ryker Lillard. This particular adult is Carla Patch, Cho's second cousin.

After a bit of rummaging in the closets, Dorian himself was ready to show his newly grown up self to the guests. Everyone agreed that he new look suited him very well. Dorian also made the announcement that was already sort of expected: he had chosen a primary aspiration. Dorian had decided that like his mother, he aspired Romance, and again like his mother, his lifetime want was to have 20 simultaneous loves.

Cho wasn't sure what to think of Dorian's decision, but she supposed it was as Nicholas said: he would find his own path to happiness, just as she had, eventually.

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Dorian's turn ons are makeup and great cooks, and his turn off is custom hair. He randomized straight.

Old friends had the chance to catch up, games were played and chatter was heard in all rooms of the house. Baudolino had to carry Desdemona to bed, as she'd fallen asleep on the sofa. Luckily she didn't wake up, or otherwise she would have objected heavily. Dorian was tired too, but it was his party, and he was determined to enjoy it to the fullest.

All in all, everyone had a Good Time, very much so.

It was shortly after Dorian's birthday that late autumn turned into early winter, and the first snowflakes were seen in Alphabetia.

In fact, it snowed so much overnight that by morning, the ground was completely covered in snow. Desdemona squeed in delight, and while the older sims weren't quite as overjoyed as she was, it was still a nice change of pace.

As is often the case with first snow, most of it was gone by the afternoon when Dirk and Dorian came from school. Dorian was pretty excited about being in high school, and he was already making friends in his new class. On his first day, he brought one of them home with him, Diana Bruenig.

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Naturally, Diana too is related to the Bookacies. She's the youngest child of Cissy and Erik, making her one of Marsha and Bailey's grandhildren and thus a third cousin to the kids.

Once again, Don't wake the Llama was an unbeatable attraction.

”We didn't have one of these when I was little. I was soooo jealous of a couple of classmates who did!” said Diana, carefully examining the pile of sticks.

Dorian flashed a grin. ”Wouldn't have thought this would be the activity that the girls would dig the most, but hey, live and learn.”

They were still at the game when the school bus honked again at the yard. Desdemona was home, and she had news: she'd just gotten her first A+ report card.

The boys had perhaps deserved a couple of ”told you so”s from the adults, but Desdemona had already learned that she would eventually reach good results if she persistently worked on it.

That afternoon Marylena had made a decision. She found Baudolino at the pool table, one of his frequent places to be found at.

”Honey?” she asked.

”Yes dear?”

”I've been thinking lately. What would you say to us finally doing like we planned?”

Baudolino calmly pocketed a ball, paused and smiled. ”You'll have to remind me, which plan was that?”

”I mean, taking all the grandkids kids to Wikkii Island. I know it hasn't been that long since they were last on vacation, but we aren't getting any younger, so this might be our best chance to spend time with them. And besides, I'm so proud of them all. Isn't it a grandparent's job to spoil them?”

Baudolino looked pensive, then nodded. ”I like the sound of that. How about I finish this game and after that we look for flights?”

And so it was. After pocketing the rest of the balls, Baudolino took his phone and dialed the number of the travel agency, with Marylena giving instructions right next to him. Soon they had the flights booked for themselves and their grandchildren: Dirk, Dorian, Desdemona, and their cousin Dani.

The vacation was close, but there was still time for other things. Dirk's main goal, besides school, were his scholarships. By now he had gained most – if not quite all – of the skill-based scholarships available, and these days he was working on his pool.

Cho and Nicholas felt maybe a bit more relaxed seeing how their son now focused his energy. ”Well, at least he's doing something fun”, said Nicholas.

As for Marylena and Baudolino, vacationing with their grandchildren wasn't the only thing that they felt they needed to do. One evening, Marylena found his son-in-law in the master bedroom.

”Nicholas, do you have a minute?”

”Yeah, of course. What's on your mind, Marylena?”

”Well you see, there's a kind of an official matter that I think I should do before... before it's too late. I suppose you know that the family owns several businesses.”

”Yeah, well I do”, said Nicholas. ”I don't think I could keep track of them all, but...”

”Understandable”, smiled Marylena. ”Well, most of them are Baudolino's and I believe he's taking care of that matter as we speak, but there's one that is currently under my name, simply called *Nicole's'. As you can probably guess, it was founded by my mother-in-law, and she moved it to my name when she retired from running it herself. And I was thinking that this was kind of becoming a tradition already, that this business would be owned by the heir's spouse. If the heir has a spouse, and they want to, I mean. What do you think?”

”Well we can't know how anyone is going to think in the future, but personally, I'd be honored to be the next owner of Nicole's. I don't really have much experience, but...” Nicholas replied.

Marylena smiled. ”Well, you don't really have any less experience than anyone else in this family was when they started running a business. Besides, you've got both natural interest and some help available. You'll do fine.”

Nicholas just nodded.

”Great. Let's then move Nicole's under your name, so we're all set to go. And remember, if you feel you need help with anything, just ask. It hasn't been a hugely active business lately, but maybe you'll find some time and interest to handle it.”

”I will, thank you Marylena!”

Marylena was right. Baudolino was indeed taking care of the rest of the family businesses at the very same time.

”Dorian, I'd like to ask a favor of you.”

”Sure, Grandpa. What is it?”

”I'm sure you know that in my time, I founded a few businesses.”

”Four, right?” Dorian asked.

”Yes, four. Together with the family business, the bakery, those four were enough to grant me my Lifetime Want. Now, I've since then passed on the bakery to your mother, as it's the family business and she's the heiress. Your brother will inherit it in turn. But the rest of the businesses are still under my name, those four. And as I see it, I've got five businesses to pass on, and as it happens, I also have five grandchildren. I'm sure you already see what I have in mind.”

”Well, I'm guessing you want each of us to have one of them, but I don't quite yet get what that favor might be.”

Baudolino nodded. ”Well, you see, I'd like to pass on the businesses to each of you personally, but as it turns out, that's impossible. I'm only able to transfer the ownerships to someone in the same household where I live. Besides, at the moment, Desdemona is still too young, and your cousin Demi is even younger, still in diapers. But the five of you will be living together in college.”

”... so you'd first transfer all four businesses to me, and then we would distribute them among ourselves in college?”

”Yes, exactly”, confirmed Baudolino. ”I thought maybe as the second-oldest you'd like to have the responsibility – also of mediating which business each of you gets in time. That way, you'd get to be involved in the family matters, and it'd also alleviate the burden that we place on Dirk. So what do you think, Dorian?”

Dorian beamed. ”I think that's a great idea. I'll do my best, Grandpa.”

”But what of George?” the reader might ask. Well, rest assured that George hadn't been forgotten. Those days, he kept on doing his daily activities, helping with the chores and gardening in the greenhouse. In the night, he often spent time with his Count Pao. In short, George was still a member of the family, in his quiet and helpful way, and did the things that he'd almost always done.

Those were clearly some enjoyable dates, too, seeing how the back door got cluttered with rose bouquets, and on occasion, the count even left a rather priced present.

Soon enough the day the family had been waiting for was there, and it was time for Baudolino and Marylena take their grandchildren to Twikkii Island. The four of them that were old enough to go, anyway. Little Demi had to stay home with Cyrus and Chris, but his sister Dani was excited to go with her cousins.

The first thing that little Desdemona did after they got off the airport shuttle, was to rush to the fish tank.

”Oh, such pretty little fish! Why don't we have any at home?”

”Well there's been a lot of other things on our mind, sweetie”, Baudolino replied, setting his suitcase on the floor. ”And besides, those are tropical fish. We wouldn't be able to get those kinds at home.”

”So how's your school going?” Marylena asked Dani, while the rest of the family were dragging their suitcases upstairs.

”Oh it's alright”, the girl replied. ”The cookery classes are my favorite, except the teacher's recipes don't have enough cheese for my liking.”

”Oh yes, I think Cyrus mentioned that you like cheese”, Marylena smiled. ”Much like my father-in-law, he was quite into it.”

”Uh huh, Dad said so too. It would've been cool to be able to know him, I bet he knew lots about cheese!”

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Dani Jalowitz is the firstborn of Cyrus and Chris, and thus first cousin to the alphabetachy kids. She has a little brother, Demi, who at this point is a toddler. She's a Grilled Cheese sim with the personality 8/8/9/4/1 (Scorpio).

After her bag was safely on her bed upstairs, it must have taken Desdemona all of three seconds to look out the window, notice the see outside and clap excitedly.

”I can go swimming right, Grandpa?” she asked.

Baudolino felt like he barely had time to reply ”yes”, when she already dashed past him towards the stairs in her bathing suit. She ran across the beach and right into the sea. She'd never swam in an ocean before, but she was clearly a natural.

Desdemona may have been in the ocean before the older kids had had the chance to put away their luggage properly, but after that, they definitely weren't far behind.

As the kids splashed in the water, Baudolino and Marylen decided to go sunbathing. That way, they could keep an eye on their grandchildren, and relax at the same time.

Clearly, the vacation had begun.

By lunchtime Marylena and Baudolino had decided that it wouldn't do to spend the whole day at the vacation home, however nice it was. They came to show Twikkii island to their grandchildren, so that's what they would do. And besides, the best food on the island was sold on the beaches, which would exempt them from cooking too. So to the public beach it was!

After spending the forenoon outside in the sun, everyone was hungry, and Dorian at least ate his food so fast that all the others hadn't even gotten theirs yet. Marylena wasn't convinced that he'd had time to taste anything, but he did assure her that it was ”very good”.

After lunch, there was plenty of time for having fun: building sandcastles, swimming, enjoyng the scenery and simply hanging out together. In the evening, it was time for a tour. It was very interesting, but also exhausting. Baudolino had to carry a sleeping Desdemona to bed afterwards.

Later at night, when Baudolino and Marylena finally thought they had a moment to themselves, they went out on the beach. Only to find Dani sleeping in the hammock, outside, in her swimming suit.

They strictly told her to go upstairs, to her bed, right now. No ifs and no buts.

In the morning, while the kids were clearing the breakfast table, Marylena went outside and on a whim, decided to give the hammock a try herself. She couldn't blame Dani for wanting to sleep in it – it was surprisingly comfortable, and definitely more fun than any old bed.

Soon, however, Marylena had to give up the hammock, as the kids were coming out for another nice forenoon in the sun. She had to admire Desdemona's skill with the sandcastles, she clearly had imagination and patience. The older kids preferred taking it easy and enjoying the beach.

During the hottest time of the day, the family retreated indoors. No one was surprised when Dirk used the opportunity to sneak off skilling. Baudolino and Marylena decided to let him be. At least they got him to relax partially.

While Dirk was studying and the grandparents and Desdemona took a little midday nap, Dorian and Dani found they were by themselves in the upstairs lobby. It was too hot to do anything outside, so what a better time to hang out and get to know your cousin a bit better.

”... so yeah, maybe I'll study something that'll help me in the Culinary career later on. Cooking's fun so that might be an option, but I'm not 100% decided yet. Dad says that's good because I won't know what subjects are like in college before I try them first hand. I suppose he's right”, explained Dani.

”My parents say the same thing”, said Dorian. ”I haven't yet thought about it so much, I guess it'll sort itself out in time. Dirk's all thinking about college and majors and stuff already, but I wanna spend some time doing something that's fun now. I think he's kind of overdoing it, actually”, he mused.

”Yeah. Isn't he, like, studying right now? On vacation?”

”Knowing him, probably. Maybe we should drag him downstairs for a game or something?”

That seemed like a good idea. When the cousins got on their feet, Dorian threw his arms forward.

”Hey it was really fun talking to you”, he said, hugging Dani.

”You too”, she replied brightly. ”It'll be fun when we're all gonna be in the Greek House together!”

”Yeah! If we can get Dirk put down his books sometimes so we can have parties, that is.”

”Practice makes perfect?”

The vacation continued with sights. One must see target was of course the old pirate ship. While Desdemona played pirates, Baudolino, who was watching over her, went to refresh some memories by climbing in the highest mast and absorbing the view. Desdemona wanted to climb the mast too, but got the ever so frustrating answer ”maybe when you're older”.

They stayed until nightfall, and that's when Dirk found something of interest in the captain's cabin: a ghostly man who liked to sing pirate songs. When asked nicely, he'd even teach others some of his songs. Dirk was fairly certain that the ”ghost” was actually a costumed worker at the attraction, but didn't want to ruin the fun for Desdemona, who was genuinely excited. Besides, he wasn't completely certain.

The weather stayed great, and the family spent a lot of time on the back yard of the vacation home. Desdemona was till eager to make sandcastles, and soon it started feeling like you couldn't even walk around without tripping over one of them.

Mostly they ate out, but Dani missed the cheesey goodness back at home, so one afternoon she insisted cooking for everyone. They had to admit she was good at making grilled cheese, although Baudolino still wasn't a huge fan of the dish since the days that his father used to make it all the time. He didn't say that to Dani, though.

Dirk still spent some of his time studying, but he did find time to spend with the others. He did realize that his little sister wasn't going to be little for all of time, and spending time with family was important.

The grandparents knew that too, and they made sure the moments together were memorable. They always had a sight in mind that the kids hadn't yet seen, and so the vacation had them see all kinds of things from the ancient ruins to a helicopter ride above the jungle. The latter was quite a sight.

And well, sometimes it paid to make smart choices on those trips. Everyone learned a bit of something, and well, in Baudolino's case, he was already quite knowledgeable, so these little bits of information about how helicopters work helped him maximize his mechanical skill.

In the evening, it was nice to just relax in the hot spring and talk about the day.

”That tour was so much fun, Grandpa!” said Desdemona.

”Glad you had fun, sweetie”, replied Baudolino. ”What did you like best?”

”Well the volcano was pretty cool”, the little girl said. ”It would've been cooler though if we could've gone closer, but the pilot said it wasn't safe.”

”And he was right about that. Volcanoes are best viewed from a distance”, Baudolino said.

”I guess. It was also pretty funny when Dani laughed at Dorian for hitting his head and then did the same five minutes later.”

Baudolino chuckled. ”I suppose that was also pretty funny”, he agreed.

There was still time for some fun, like playing chess, relentlessly cheating at it and being cheated...

… for swimming in the beautiful ocean...

… for enjoying the hot tub...

… and the beach. Particularly the beach.

But in the end, time flies when you're having fun, and all too soon it was time for the Bookacies to head home.

”Hey we got to do something fun again, soon”, said Dani, as they carried their luggage into the honking shuttle.

”Absolutely”, agreed Dorian. ”Maybe we should go Downtown after school? Some time next week?”

”Sounds like a plan! I'll check with my parents, but I'm sure they'll let me since it's with someone they can trust.”

”Shh, it's not good for a my Romance sim image if word gets around I'm actually an honorable young man!” said Dorian, mock horrified.

Dani just laughed and tossed her suitcase in the trunk.

The family was back home just in time for the kids' next day at school. Except that, while they were in the warmth of the tropical island, winter had really shown its force, and there was apparently so much snow that the school was closed.

The kids were not about to object to an extra day off, of course, although it would have been nice to see their friends and talk about their trip. But, there was always tomorrow for that.

Not surprisingly, Dirk decided to work on his scholarships on his unexpected time off. The adults didn't say anything; at this point, they realized, he was going to do as he pleased in any case.

Dirk did get scolded for not wearing enough clothes while practicing his bowling outside, though.

But in his mind, it was all worth it, as he finally managed to secure his athletic scholarship that day.

With that taken care of, he could concentrate on his creativity for the rest of the day.

Dorian, on the other hand, wasn't going to spend his day off in the house. No, he was going Downtown to meet some new sims. Like Callie Phillips, who was really pretty, by the way.

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Callie is Bobby and Mehrissa Phillips' daughter and thus... Dorian's third cousin once removed, I think.

He did meet up with Dani, too, a little earlier than they had planned. But it's always good to hang out, right? Dani did grumble at him about ”first supposedly spending time with her and then going around and chatting to all these other sims”, but well, that's Dani for you, Dorian thought. Dani grumbles, and the plays kicky bag with you anyway.

Desdemona was too little to go out by herself, but she didn't mind. She was quite happy spending her day off playing chess with her grandfather. Said grandfather also enjoyed her company.

Time marched on. Dirk's time at home was getting short, but he still had things to accomplish. A natural path for him now was to take a part time job after school. He chose the Medical field, and quite enjoyed the job.

Also Baudolino and Marylena were well aware of the passing of time.

”For me, Mom? What for?” asked Cho.

Marylena smiled sadly. ”It's time for me and your father to pass on the things that we no longer need but you, as the heiress, may. Your father is gathering his things that are just laying around and giving them to Nicholas.”

Cho bit her lip and nodded. She had known that her parents were getting old, but this was hitting it home. She felt afraid. Her brother never left the back of her mind for long, and now if she was to lose her parents...

Marylena seemed to guess her thoughts. She shook her head. ”This is different. Me and your father will be ready, and it's the natural course of events.” She patted her daughter on the shoulder. ”It'll be fine.”

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With their aspiration points, Baudolino and Marylena also completed another set of 30 bottles of unused elixir, earning us another Legacy point.

Baudolino and Marylena were feeling quite happy and accomplished those days, and they weren't the only ones. Dirk showed his skills at work, and was quickly promoted as high as a teenager could be. And of course, he was twice as happy because he knew that Sim State University would award him a grant for it.

George hummed to himself and lit a fire to the fireplace. This restaurant was nice, the fireplace really added to the atmosphere. Now only one thing was missing from his perfect evening... He straightended up and stretched his back, although being made of metal, he didn't need to stretch the way others did.

”Hello, darling”, said a familiar voice behind him.

And now, now it was all perfect.

Before he knew it, he was in Count Pao's arms.

”Have you been waiting long?” the count asked.

”Not at all, dear. I only had time to light the fireplace for us.”

”It is beautiful”, said Count Pao, as they were slowly twirling to the music coming from somewhere. ”I take it that everything is as it should with the family?”

George shrugged lightly. ”By and large, I suppose yes. There has been no sign of anything malicious from the police sources, so there are no real concerns.”

”But...?”

”Well, I believe that my masters are slightly worried for young master Dirk”, said George, hesitating slightly.

”And why is that?”

”Well, young master resemblers his mother in some respects. He is the heir, as you know.”

”Yes.”

”Well, it appears that he is taking his responsibilities as the heir quite seriously. Perhaps too seriously, or so his parents and grandparents think.”

”He is preparing for college, correct?”

”Yes. Not much longer until he goes, in fact. Just recently, he became an Overachiever, but apparently that is not enough for him.”

”Ah, he is very ambitious with his scholarships?”

”Yes”, George acknowledged. ”It is true that several of the previous heirs have had an impressive amount of scholarships, but there is something about his determination that makes the family worry.”

”I see.”

”For instance, just yesterday, he missed dinner with the family. His little sister was especially upset. She would have wanted to spend some time with her brother now that he is still at home.”

”Missed dinner? But surely he must eat, a growing boy that he is?”

”Well, yes, yes indeed he does. Or rather, he normally does. His parents later found that he had decided to pass the meal and use an energizer instead.”

”Ah, I see. Well, I do think I can understand their concern. I mean, none of these things by themselves...” Pao's voice faded.

”Yes, exactly. And master Dirk is not even a Knowledge sim. It all does seem rather excessive.”

”Yes. I do not know what to tell you, George. I undestand why you would be worried, but in the end, there is not very much that you can do.”

George sighed. ”I suppose. I do feel rather sorry for the family, they must be much more worried than I am.”

”Indeed, I can only imagine.”

”How would you like, dear”, said George, suddenly smiling, ”helping me not think about any family issues for tonight?”

Clearly, the count liked the idea. Enough that later that night, he was seen dropping off another bouquet of roses for George.

George wasn't the only sim distracting himself from Dirk's fixation on scholarships. Cho and Nicholas were happy to help each other out on that.

And in the end, everyone knew that they'd tried to talk sense into him, and it was no good. So either he would rise triumphant with all the scholarships known to sim, or he would learn the hard way. Besides, it wouldn't be much longer.

So in the end, everyone would just live as normally as they could, and maybe keep a bit of an eye on Dirk.

And of course, the grownups had to admit that some of it was in the genes, some in the environment Nicholas didn't share any genes with his step-son of course, but it did occur to him that perhaps he was setting a bit of an example with his constant working on the badges. He couldn't help but be satisfied when he got his Silver Badge in Pottery, though.

Perhaps such striving was in the blood, Nicholas thought as he saw that even Desdemona, the baby of the family, wanted to impress others. George was of course proud of the little girl he'd helped raise. Perhaps it was in the blood.

Be that as it may, after all that time that the grownups had spent worrying that Dirk would overwork himself, suddenly it was all over, and he was about to head for college.

”Okay then, squirt”, Dirk said to Desdemona, who should have been in bed already but had insisted on staying up to say goddbye, ”In the morning when you wake up, I'll be in college already.”

Suddenly she looked younger than she was. ”But you'll call me, right? And visit us? And we can come visit you?”

”Of course. And you'll be joining the Greek House too when you're big enough to go. It isn't that long until you're a teenager, after all.”

”Yeah. I'll miss you, Dirk”, she said, reaching for a hug.

”I'll miss you too. Now be a good girl and go to bed. I'll call you in the morning.”

”Promise?”

”Promise.”

Dirk found Dorian in the upstairs lobby.

”So you're all ready to head for college then?”

”As ready as I can get I suppose. I've still got a little bit of work to do in the night but...”

”... seriously?” asked Dorian, shaking his head. ”No wonder Mom and Dad are worried. You're kind of crazy you know.”

Dirk shrugged. ”I'm the heir. Besides, at this point I might as well go all out, right?”

”I guess. Well, I'm off to bed anyway. I was up too late last night – playing the newest SSX. Take care, and don't party your brains out. Not without me I mean.”

Dirk laughed. ”Yeah I think I'm gonna need you for that part. See you soon.”

By now the adults were already finding him and made sure to come say their goodbyes.

”Have a lot of fun in college”, said Nicholas,”You've got a very exciting time ahead of you. I'd remind you to study a bit too, but it's become quite clear that I don't need to. So I'll just remind you to have fun.”

”Thanks, Nicholas”, Dirk just said, suddenly solemn for the occasion.

”Remember to call, sweetie”, Cho said as she squeezed her firstborn tight. ”Especially if you need anything, or if there's anything... unusual.”

”Of course, Mom”, Dirk assured and patted her on the back. ”Don't worry.”

”And remember... Just because you're heir it doesn't mean that you have to be 'perfect' in any way. Just... just be yourself.”

Dirk nodded. ”I'll try.”

Saying goodbye to the grandparents was a bit bittersweet, because Dirk knew that from then on, every time he saw them might be the last one. No one said anything, but they all knew it was true.

”We're very proud of you”, said Baudolino simply, as Marylena nodded.

”Please call when you get there, and come to visit whenever. We'll always be happy to see you.”

”I will”, Dirk replied, swallowing to make the lump in his throat disappear.

After the rest of the family had gone to bed and George was finalizing his work in the garden, Dirk went to the pool table to practice. He had worked hard, and now he had all the scholarships available for different skills, except for his pool playing skill. He also, naturally, had the scholarship for his excellent grades at school, as well as his success at his job. He had planned to fine-tune the pool skill tonight, before he would need to go, and so he would have matched the most skilled of the previous heirs with his scholarships.

Unfortunately, that was not to be. As the night went on, Dirk found that playing pool was still difficult, and despite his practice on it, he still couldn't manage the trick shots. And he realized he was out of time. He felt embarassed, shame burning on his cheeks. All that work, and then the last scholarship was out of his reach? So close and still so far away.

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In the old rules, the ones I'm playing by, an heir or spare earning at least 9,000 simoleans in scholarships earn a half a point for the Legacy. Dirk's scholarships were worth 8,000.

But in the end, there was nothing that he could do about it. Embarassing or not, this was the night he was going to college. The thought brightened him up a bit. College would still be a great experience to have.

Just because you're heir it doesn't mean that you have to be 'perfect' in any way. Just... just be yourself.

That's what his mother had just told him tonight. Well, this was him and it'd have to be enough. Dirk dialed the number.

”Hello, I'd like a cab at the Bookacy family residence.”

This was it, Dirk thought as he stepped into the cab.

”To Sim State University please.”

College was only a short drive away.

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And this, dear reader, finally concludes chapter 41 for The Bookacy Family Alphabet Adventures. This one has been a long time coming, and again I apologize for the increasingly long waits between chapters. We're still here, we're still alive and still kicking. If you're still following this, that's just plain awesome of you. Thank you for reading, and I hope you will join us next time for chapter 42. Until then, happy simming!