Carr Immortal Dynasty (Completed)

[Auranaris]

Sorry, I seem to have forgotten Abrielle (probably misspelled that)
What generation was she a part of?

I’m loving these stories by the way

[Trip]

Lotus might get her baby with a foreign hidden trait (the TS3 dream of course), Romeo finds a woman who's sheets match his shirt, and I always liked Abrielle and Ethan as a couple. They're exceedingly normal in my game while Abrianna is on her second marriage.

[hazelnut]

Sorry, I seem to have forgotten Abrielle (probably misspelled that)
What generation was she a part of?

I’m loving these stories by the way

Abrielle took over from Evangeline as scientist, back in the early days of the dynasty.  She also maxed an impressive number of other skills (including taking over as Ambrosia cook/deathfish provider at short notice) and two careers.  She never got her genes into the bloodline but was friends with everyone.

And thanks

Lotus might get her baby with a foreign hidden trait (the TS3 dream of course), Romeo finds a woman who's sheets match his shirt, and I always liked Abrielle and Ethan as a couple. They're exceedingly normal in my game while Abrianna is on her second marriage.

She might, although I'll probably have stopped playing before then (even though I've spent many hours this week cleaning the file, the game's getting severely buggy).  I love Romeo and Juliet - yes, I was hoping they'd get together, although I didn't realise before playing through this chapter how closely their tastes matched .  Abrielle and Ethan were a couple in my abandoned base-game immortal dynasty, although she was outside the active household.  As you say, they're almost too normal but adorable nonetheless.

[hazelnut]

Unmarked Carr (part 4)

With the Kahales and their associates locked up and an investigative team drafted in to go through The Lair, the Department felt that Rolls-Royce would be better deployed elsewhere: breaking up a relic-and-drug-smuggling ring in Al Simhara and solving a tricky case of identity theft in Moonlight Falls.  It was months before he was able to visit Silas and catch up with events in Sunlit Tides.



"…Sera Wahine came in with a load of extra information – you remember she's an investigative journalist?  And knew all about what her sister had been going through with Kimo Hale."
"Ah, yes.  The abused wife.  We all suspected it but she was too afraid of him to give evidence."



"Yes.  Well that's all over.  Now he's in prison, she's finally plucked up the courage to divorce him – and she gave evidence at his trial.  She left the island a few weeks ago…. gone into witness protection."
"Good."
"And the Kahales are busy turning on each other."
"As my m- main informant said, honour among thieves doesn't apply here."
"It certainly doesn't.  Kai can't believe Alana let a police agent infiltrate her organisation – 'stupid' was the least of the things he called her.  And she'd always thought Amika's death was an accident.  Finding out just how ruthless her husband really is came as a shock.  She's not as hard-boiled as she thought she was."



"So will she testify against him?"
"I think so.  Her own trial was relatively straightforward, after she pleaded guilty to all charges.  He'll never do that, of course, and he can afford the very best lawyers.  But we're building a pretty watertight case."
"Who's running the island now?  Politically, I mean.  Kai Kahale didn't exactly encourage underlings."
"A committee.  It's actually working out pretty well.  Started out as a temporary solution but I think it might well become permanent."



"How're things going otherwise?"
"Pretty quiet.  A few drunken holidaymakers disturbing the peace but nothing much else.  And, talking of tourism, young Griffin Alto has plans to redevelop The Lair as a themed hotel.  He's ambitious, that one…  I promoted Len Tsang, by the way.  He's done well on the Kahale case.  He's taken Leo Wahine's place as lieutenant."



"But I thought we were convinced that Leo was an innocent party?"
"Yes.  Still a little awkward for him, though.  So he's retired.  He was planning to go soon anyway – wanted to concentrate on his music.  He's topping up his police pension by playing his guitar for tips – and doing very nicely, by all accounts."



"And you?"
"I'm engaged.  Finally popped the question to Iris."



"Congratulations! … Um, Silas, before I go, I have a favour to ask you.  Could you arrange for me to see Alana Kahale in prison?"



"I'm not sure she'll agree to it.  She was furious with you after her arrest… although maybe she's calmed down by now.  I'll see what I can do."
"And I'll take care of that one loose end."
"The cousin in Isla Paradiso?"
"Yes.  He seems innocuous enough… but it is suspicious that he's using the name Kahale when he's Alana's cousin, not Kai's.  Maybe he's carrying on the family business."


"…As I said before, I wish things could have been different.  I'm so sorry about how it worked out.  You're a fascinating woman, Alana.  Maybe we could meet up again later, after your release."



"Even with time off for good behaviour, I'd be an old lady by then."
"That's not a problem."
"You've got a thing for old ladies?  Ew!"
"No.  It's just that old age needn't be a permanent state.  Not in my family, anyway.  I'm older than I look, you know.  A lot older."

And, with a grin, he left.

[Auranaris]

Awww... R.R. and Alana are way too cute together.
 I probably laughed a little to hard at “you’ve got a thing for old ladies? Ew!

Side note: would you recommend getting island Paradise? I’ve heard mixed reviews about it.

Great story as always 

[hazelnut]

Thanks .

I also have mixed feelings about IP.  It has some of my favourite clothes and hairstyles but the water taxis drive me nuts (e.g. since I added it to this game, several people have got stuck because they were at the edge of water and a water taxi turned up instead of them running for the normal sort.  The boat then did a quick half-circle, dropped them off, picked them up again...  Rinse and repeat forever.  Fortunately, moving the camera away and telling them to 'go here' usually fixes it.)  Mermaids are also pretty irritating.  I enjoy diving in Isla Paradiso itself and also like waterskiing and speedboating (is that a word?) in worlds that have the space (Isla Paradiso, Sunlit Tides, Twinbrook...  Probably also Sunset Valley, although I've not really played with IP there).  Resort ownership is fun for a while but doesn't have that much replay value.

[hazelnut]

The Course of True Love

At last, Minnie and Austin were able to go to the science lab and bring back Jaycen, Morris and Mercedes.



It was a proper family get-together, with everyone standing around chatting.  Then Morris tactfully lost himself in a book so that the two pairs of lovers could have a more romantic reunion.



Since Minnie and Austin were hungry by the time they got home, they all sat down together for a family meal while the ghosts had their Ambrosia.



Minnie gifted her younger son with a dose of RR's potion but he muttered something about having to do the dishes first.  She'd forgotten about his neatness fetish .



So she went out to join everyone else in the back garden.  Austin and Mercedes were already taking their potions.



They rushed off for makeovers before making their excuses to the rest of their family and retreating to their room.



Minnie and Jaycen also had an early night, although in their case it was for sleeping.  Minnie had been up early making preparations and Jaycen had found his brief session on the trampoline unexpectedly tiring.  They were awake again at dawn, though, ready to regain their youth.



They didn't even wait to sort out their wardrobes before making the most of their new vitality .




With Darren still glued to his easel and everyone else being all starry-eyed and couply, Morris and Robin found themselves spending a lot of time together.



Their friendship developed erratically, helped by their shared love of art but significantly hindered by a tendency to berate each other's ignorance at regular intervals.  Eventually they worked their way up to best friends and realised they were attracted.



Again, progress was slow.  Morris's only experience of romance had been a long-ago kiss at the school prom, while Robin had had her ego badly bruised by her relationship with Morgan.



Eventually, she felt confident enough to ask him to go steady and, the following day, he asked her out on a date.  They ended up at the Botanical Gardens and Morris told Robin that this was where his parents had got married.  And on that subject…



Minnie was delighted by the prospect of another family wedding after all this time and insisted on throwing a party.  She pointed out that WV, Portia and Nio had known both bride and groom in their first lives, while Riley and Morris had been best friends.  It was a great excuse to expand the family reunion.



While Robin and Morris were exchanging rings under the arch, Clio and Mégane, who were acting as bridesmaids, jumped up out of their seats for a closer look.



It also meant they were in the best position when it came to the rice-throwing .



After that, everyone abandoned any pretence of formality, mingling and chatting with all and sundry.  The buffet table that Minnie had ordered specially was largely ignored, with most of the guests helping themselves to home-cooked food instead.  (The buffet might have gone down better if it hadn't had two kinds of spaghetti Bolognese and no other savoury dishes – you could tell who'd ordered it .)  In the resulting chaos, the bride and groom ended up eating at different tables.





VW found it all enormously exciting.  Some things never change .






Robin and Morris spent their honeymoon in Monte Vista.



The picturesque town, the beautiful surrounding countryside and the gorgeous golden light were both romantic and an almost endless source of artistic inspiration…



…and before long they were talking about settling there permanently.

[Auranaris]

Aww... robin finally got her happy ending. 

Was this the last chapter or do the Carrs still have some more to share? (Crosses fingers)

[hazelnut]

Aww... robin finally got her happy ending. 

Was this the last chapter or do the Carrs still have some more to share? (Crosses fingers)

I think there's one more chapter to go, maybe two.  Mind, I've been telling myself that for about the last three updates…

[hazelnut]

Unmarked Carr (part 5)

"Hello?  Austin?"



"Hey, Rolo!  Long time no hear!"
"Are you OK?  You sound a bit odd."



"I'm fine, baby.  Perfect.  Couldn't be better.  Since I took that potion of yours, I've got my mojo back. And how!   I'm ready to rock and roll!"
"Um, yes.  Well, er, OK.  You know how you always said you thought you'd make a great secret agent?"



"Yeah!  If only someone would give me the chance."
"That's exactly what I'm doing.  I have a mission for you."
"…Should I choose to accept it?  Um, my phone's not going to self-destruct after the call, is it?"



"… No."  Is he really OK?



"Anyway, there's someone I need investigating.  Quietly, Austin.  He's probably innocent but just might be mixed up in a case I've been working on."
"Who is it?  Someone around here?"



"No.  He's in Isla Paradiso.  Why are you whispering?"
"Walls have ears and all that.  I thought this was secret."
"Austin, you need to act normally."  Well, normally for you.  "Whispering just draws people's attention."



RR was beginning to think he might have made a mistake in his choice of operative.



"Relax, baby.  Austin Carr is on the case.  Mercedes has been talking about wanting a holiday.  I'll take her to Isla Paradiso.  Sun, sea, sand, plenty of w-, uh, fun."  Austin had remembered just in time who he was talking to.  "So who is this guy you want me to keep an eye on?"


"Baby doll, you know you said you fancied a foreign holiday?  How would Isla Paradiso grab you?"



"A tropical paradise?  Sounds good, but…  Austin, you're up to something.  What is it?"



"Can you keep a secret?



"Young RR – you know, our however-many-greats-it-is grandson – wants someone – an extra-secret agent – to keep an eye on a suspicious character there.  And that someone's me!"



"Oh, Austin.  Just what you always wanted!"
"Yeah, baby!"




Austin and Mercedes bought the Modern Marvel, in a valley on the fashionable western side of the main island of Isla Paradiso.  The architecture was almost too self-consciously modern.  Minnie would have been proud .



While Mercedes looked around the town, Austin toured the ports and beaches – and made sure to run into Akoni Kahale.



"Listen, we're having a housewarming party tomorrow evening.  Why don't you come?"



The party was a great success, especially as far as Austin was concerned: Mercedes could hardly keep her hands off him .



Akoni turned up as the evening was really getting going – but then turned around almost immediately and walked back down the steps, booing.



Then he ran off and took a taxi back home.



Definitely something odd about that one.  OK, Rosemarie Collins going into labour wasn't exactly your conventional party entertainment but most of the guests limited themselves to panic attacks between drinks and dances, until someone had the presence of mind to drive her to hospital.  No-one else felt it necessary to go off in a huff.  Austin resolved to investigate further… once the party was over, of course.

[hazelnut]

Unmarked Carr (part 5 cont'd)

The following morning (after a pleasant lie-in), Austin visited Akoni at his houseboat 'to ask whether everything was OK' and managed to get himself invited inside.



He faked a moment of embarrassment and asked to use the facilities (after all, there was no reason why Akoni would know he had a steel bladder).



A cloakroom leading out of the main/only reception room with a see-through door?  Freaky!

At Austin's suggestion, they relaxed in the sun – and his host fell asleep.  (Austin may or may not have had something to do with this…)



He took his chance to explore the rest of the boat.



Apart from the continuing theme of clear glass doors everywhere, there was nothing fishy.  Which left that shed on the quayside.  The door was locked and he couldn't see much through the dirty windows.  It was probably full of boring nautical stuff.  But on the other hand, maybe it wasn't.


Over the next few days, Austin staked out Akoni's houseboat in a way that would probably have brought RR out in hives.





When he was reasonably sure that Akoni was elsewhere, he rang the doorbell just to make sure…



…and then broke into the shed.

Aha!  Empty apart from a few crates.  He couldn't make out the labels: they'd clearly been exposed to salt water and were almost illegible – but maybe they'd mean something to Rolls.




"Austin?  Thanks for that photo you sent.  Those boxes look very familiar."



"They do?!"



"Yes, I saw some just like them in Sunlit Tides.  At the very least, it looks as though Akoni Kahale is receiving stolen goods."
"So I caught a criminal?  Groovy!"



"Well, he's not caught yet.  I'm going to get some people to look into his finances – work up a thorough case.  In the meantime, keep a low profile.  No need to make a point of avoiding Kahale; just be too busy enjoying yourself to do much socialising."



"OK.  'Playboy on holiday' it is, then.  There's plenty to do here."



"Sounds good – and thanks again, Austin."


There was certainly plenty to do in Isla Paradiso: on, in and under the water.  Austin bought a speedboat and they zipped around the archipelago, exploring.



While Mercedes was having a lazy day on the beach…



…Austin discovered an uncharted island…



…and they camped there overnight.

Mercedes took up waterskiing, Austin tried snorkelling and they both had a go at windsurfing.



But their favourite activity was scuba diving.



"Austin, have you ever heard of the Mile Low Club?"
"Oh, behave!"

But he followed her into the underwater cave anyway.




This was supposed to be a brief interlude in the final chapter but the game kept throwing up unexpected angles that had to make their way into the story.  Like Akoni Kahale: he may be 'The Romantic' according to the game but he seems more like 'The Creep' to me.  And those crates in his shed (which I hadn't known about in advance) were obviously contraband.

Incidentally, Austin really was whispering in that first phone call with RR.  I'd never noticed before how ridiculous his behaviour is when he's on the phone – his excitable trait, maybe?

Mercedes is either very brave or insanely trusting.  I certainly wouldn't agree to Austin driving the boat I was waterskiing behind



Somehow she managed not to crash into the shore.  That wasn't even the closest shave - I was too busy boggling to get screenshots of all of her near-misses.

[Auranaris]

I don’t know if it’s just me but I couldn’t see the pictures for this update. Could just not have loaded but thought I’d let you know just in case.

Edit: Annnnddd as soon as I posted this it loaded  false alarm!

[hazelnut]

Glad it's OK now.  I certainly have no clue as to why you couldn't load everything.

[Chubling]

Ah! Everything is so good! All the fun, happy endings! And Austin is such a fun read.

[hazelnut]

Journey's End

The others may have thought Darren was completely absorbed in his reunion with his easel but it wasn't entirely true.  He was beginning to feel there was something missing from his new life…



…and he knew what, or rather who, it was.



"Minnie?  Can I ask you a favour?"



"You want me to take you to the science lab to bring Darleen back."  It wasn't a question.



"Yes.  How did you know?"
"I've been expecting this for weeks.  It's obvious you two belong together.  Come on, let's go right now."

Darren had forgotten how long the process took.  He'd grown bored of waiting and was absorbed in a book by the time Minnie reappeared.  He hastily put it away, welcomed Darleen back to life…



…and produced the flowers he'd bought on the way to the lab.

"Darren!  You remembered my favourite colour!"

Minnie drove them home to complete Darleen's revival.




A few days later, Minnie cornered Darleen on the terrace.

"Have you decided what you want to do next?"



"Stay here in Lucky Palms, I think.  I've ben talking to Darren and we'd… like to go back to how things were… or how they might have been… if things had been different."
"If I hadn't come to town, you mean?  It's OK.  I know that dynasties mess up other people's lives.  That's why I've been so keen to revive everyone – to try to make up for it."
"What I really want is to have a baby.  Maybe even several kids.  A big, happy family."



Ah yes!  Darleen was also family-oriented.  Minnie knew only too well how she felt.  She'd had the twins and then all of her other descendants but Darleen had lived out her first life alone.

"There's plenty of room for kids here.  Jaycen and I have been thinking of moving, retiring to the seaside.  In fact, we first talked about it ages ago.  I'd love to leave the house to you and Darren – and your family."
"Minnie!  Really?  That would be lovely.  But it'll always be your house.  You will come back and visit, won't you?"
"I expect we all will."



And so Minnie packed her bags and left the house where she had lived for so long.



She had a lump in her throat as she started the car.



Their route took them through the centre of town, past the Botanical Gardens, with the bridge where they'd got married.



"You look sad, Min.  Not regretting this, are you?"
"No, it's just… nostalgia, I suppose.  I've loved living here.  And maybe I'm scared of change, a bit. "



They carried on, past the casino…



(I wonder whether Opal really will come back and transform that place)

…past the business office where they'd worked together so briefly…



…turned onto the highway…



…and drove out of town.




Minnie and Jaycen arrived at their new home in Sunset Valley early in the morning.

"Look, Min.  It's got a bridge.  Fancy getting nostalgic again?"





Then they changed into swimwear and went out to their deck overlooking the sea.





Minnie could definitely get used to this.



She had a feeling she was going to enjoy retirement.