1.4 round 1 - the lodgings

[tedsies]

1.4 round 1 - the lodgings

reminder: household introductions

and here we are at the lodgings! a communal home of sorts, run by it's live-in host, eydis varanhuus.

she's currently in the process of welcoming her newest houseguest, astra.

though on second thought, 'welcoming' might be a bit of a stretch.





eydis: ... and be sure to always clean away your dishes, never let the washing bucket dip below the halfway point, no voices above a whisper past 8pm.. and oh yes, strictly no overnight guests. any questions?



astra: uhh, no. i think that covered just about everything, mrs varanhuus. didn't you want to ask me anything, though?

eydis: that's miss varanhuus, thank you very much. and is there anything you want to tell me?

astra: oh... well, that depends on what you'd want to know, really. i'm astra langr... yes, of that langr family! my father's business is the largest iron exporter in-



eydis: i thought you wanted to tell me about you. what do i care about your father? tell me - why are you all the way out here, anyway? doesn't seem apt for a rich girl from the capital to come begging for a titchy little room out here in sleepy nordhavn.

astra: who said i was begging? and well, umm, thats quite the story, actually. i may have got into some trouble with-

eydis: a wealthy housewife when you slept with her husband. yes, yes, i know. i suppose he must have been even richer than your father for you to have been offered up as the scapegoat to be sent away like this.



astra: so you already knew.

eydis: of course i did, girl. you think the jarl was going to just omit that small detail when she came looking to me to let you come and live under my roof? now that business with married men... i don't want any of that while you're living here, alright? i bet the wife had quite the sharp tongue on her once she found out, but i warn you, its nothing compared to mine. got it?



astra: uhh. okay. i mean, yes. i get it. miss.

eydis: good. now get out from under my feet. i have work to be getting on with. yes, work. something i suppose you've never had to do a day in your life. that'll all be changing soon enough, though. i promise you that.




eydis is a potter by trade, in addition to renting out her spare rooms.

though she's also known to dabble in weaving and knitting, too.

jarl tordis had told her this new girl could make the perfect apprentice for her workshop - ha! fat chance of that.

in truth, the jarl had been trying to get her to take on an assistant for years now, but what need did eydis have of that? she may be nearly 70 years old, but it had been more than 50 years since she'd last needed to take a day off, and she didn't intend on changing that anytime soon.

yet still, the jarl often talked as if she might keel over and die any day now, and then alas, who would make all the town's precious pottery pieces?

anyway, this new girl would be gone by the winter. eydis was sure of it.




astra: urgh! mirror, that woman was so hideous. i hope not everyone is like that out here in this... town.. village... swamp? let me just freshen up and then i'll go work my city charm on these simple village-folk...




astra: huh? did i say something wrong?




alsa: you can't just walk up to someone you don't even know, call them a poor farm-girl, and summon them to make a meal for you! who on earth do you think you are?

astra: um, okay, whatever... i thought you farmers were meant to be nicer than this. i guess not.





astra gave up trying to talk to anyone else that evening. why was everyone so rude and unhelpful here?

this fresh water was real nice, though.

the bay back in drekigatt is far less blue, and you daren't swim out more than 50m, lest you want to be dragged under by one of the endless parade of passing ships trading in the harbour.



astra: oh fun! this is something we definitely do have back in the capital. a shame there's no one fun around to enjoy it with, though.




astra: hehehehehehehehe! weeeeeeeeee!



eydis' version of an evening well-spent is quite a bit different to astra's.




eydis: so about that mystical concept of work that i mentioned before... i was thinking it could start today. what are you more experienced with - a spinning wheel or a pottery station?



astra: huh? are those some kind of slang words you farmers use?

eydis: ...forget i even asked.



instead of suffering any longer in the presence of astra today, eydis went into town to pick a fight with someone else instead, lol.



kai: urgh! what is your problem, lady?! i was at the well first! you could clearly see that!



eydis: you snooze, you lose! now get out of my way! didn't your mother teach you to respect your elders?

i'd like to say this behavour is just because she's in a bad mood...but... i think that would be a lie.



okaaaay, so i guess kai and ivarr aren't even trying to hide this fling any more??



i don't know if kai engaged in this act of pda just to annoy eydis even further, but its working 😆



eydis: you should be ashamed of yourself, captain! back in my day a man in your position would never have abondoned his sacred vows of marriage, let alone be in cahoots with whoever this troublemaker is! gah, has everyone around here completely lost their mind but me?! hmph!



kai: new enemy unlocked

i guess eydis is kinda the mrs crumplebottom of nordhavn, lol.




little did eydis know that whilst she was out berating other townsfolk, astra actually decided to give the whole pottery-making thing a go by herself.



astra: wait... am i actually good at this?? oh my watcher!



maybe not...



she even tried a bit of spinning, too. though that only turned out mildly better.



still, astra felt as though she deserved a reward for at least trying to do something productive, and so headed out to the mead hall that evening.




and as a romance sim, she really only had one thing on her mind.

astra: hmm. you're a man. you have scars. tattoos. at least some facial hair. sure, lets do this!





they do have pretty good chemistry, actually.

this is harald, by the way. the soldier who threw up on ivarr's shoe in the previous update. yeah, thats how he's going to be known now.

he's just one of the townies i made for nordhavn, but i guess we'll be seeing him around every now and then.




harald: are you sure i'm allowed to just come over here like this? miss varanhuus isn't known for her hospitality..

astra: allowed? what are we, children? the woman falls asleep at 6pm every night, anyway. trust me, we're good.




i'd say that its kinda rude that he just up and left straight after they woohoo'd, but honestly, i think astra would’ve done the exact same to him.

and plus, i think he just wanted to get out of there before eydis woke up 😂




the next morning...

eydis: hmm. why are there clothes scattered all over the landing? and is this a man's undershirt?



wow, okay. so i guess there were no housing regulations back in the 300s that stopped landlords just walking into their tenants' rooms without an invitation.

eydis: yes... definitely a man's underwear. hmph.

so eydis, you're telling me harald walked out of here missing a shirt, whilst also going commando?




eydis: have a man in my house again, and you're out of here!! understand me, girl?

astra: how did you... yes, miss varanhuus.




eydis: oi, you! new boy. were you the one to sneak in and out of my house last night?

alf: excuse me?



eydis: you're from drekigatt too, right? i bet you knew her from back then, eh? i ought to have known all you city folk would be nothing but trouble!



alf: uhh, i seriously have no idea what you're talking about, lady.



luckily tordis was around to save alf from any further torture.

tordis: eydis, what trouble are you causing in my market square this time?

eydis: its that darn girl you brought to me! i knew it was a bad idea, i don't know why i even...



tordis: give her a chance, eydis. have you even begun her lessons, yet? how is she to be your apprentice if you aren't willing to teach her anything? she's having to settle in to a whole new way of life here, remember. try and imagine what that must be like for her.

eydis: but she....! urgh, yes jarl.

wow, tordis is a magical eydis-whisperer.



eydis: screams internally at her disdain for everything and everyone



meanwhile, back home...

oh. my. gosh.

i swear i had risky woohoo settings set so low, too...




when eydis got back from the market, she put on her best fake smile and tried to take the jarl's advice.

eydis: astra. about that whole apprenticeship thing... how about i-

astra: sorry, miss varanhuus... i think i need to head back to bed... i'm really not feeling too good...

eydis: you wha-... breathe, eydis, breathe



it was only by evening time that astra had begun to stop hurling her guts up in the chamber pot.

though she probably should've known better than to leave the (relative) safety of her room.




eydis: have you seriously just been lounging around like this all day long? i thought you were supposed to be in bed, but now i see this is all just a game to you! this isn't just some free inn that daddy paid for you to stay in, you know. i'll be having have none of this!



astra: i... i know. i told you, i've been feeling rough all day... it must've been something i ate last night or... i don't know. i'll be ready for our lessons tomorrow, okay?



eydis: oh, so now you're insulting my cooking too! blaming me for your supposed ill-health! thats it, i've had it with you. i want you out by midday tomorrow!

astra: what...? you can't be serious. you need to loosen that bonnet of yours, crazy lady.



urgh! astra could not believe how truly intolerable that landlady of her's was.

you know what! she was glad to be out of there first thing in the morning. that place was nothing but a prison. no, even a prison would be better than that, she was sure. at least it wouldn't have her there.

where she would now go instead was a whole other matter, though... maybe things back home had finally blown over and she could return to her family...?

she didn't see the point in dwelling on that tonight, though. the mead hall was calling!



astra: umm, harald... my eyes are up here, thanks.



harald: y'know... you can always stay with me if you like. we could do stuff like this all day long... and then... maybe i could even get to become playable.

astra: oh... yay. thanks for the offer, guy i thought i just had a meaningless one-night-stand with... great...



i feel like the bartender at the mead hall is already so sick of everyone's drama in this town, lol.



astra woke up with a ravenous appetite the next morning. she had the strangest cravings...



eydis, you seem suspiciously chipper.

and i'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact astra is due to move out today...



eydis: is that your third... or even fourth... plate of breakfast this morning? i hope you aren't trying to make it seem like you suddenly enjoy my cooking now... its too late for that, my mind is already made up.

astra: no, its not that... i just... i don't know. i spent all day yesterday throwing up, and now today i find myself with an almost unquellable appetite ..

eydis: hmmm. i see. come, sit over here so i can take a better look at you.




astra: what is it, miss varanhuus? you're giving me an odd look. actually, can i just.. i really wanted to apologise about-

eydis: did they teach you nothing in that fancy household of yours growing up? your stomach has been turned inside out, your appetite insatiable, and now i see that your belly is growing by the day... girl, how do you not see it? you're with child.



astra: i'm w-w-w-w-what? thats not possible.

eydis: oh you silly girl.

astra: i... i can't be! i simply cant. my family will never take me back now! you must be mistaken or-



eydis: i'm not mistaken, girl. you think i haven't seen this all before? urgh... now what i am to do with you?

astra: i.... i....



eydis: look, people around here might consider me a horrible old witch, and whilst they're mostly right, i'm...urgh, i cant believe i'm saying this.. still not the type to toss out a young mother and her babe when they have nowhere else to go.

astra: wait... you mean... i can stay?

eydis: sigh. yes... i suppose you can. but don't think this changes anything! once that babe of your's is born, i'll expect you to work doubly as hard to earn both of your keep here... oh, and just so you know, i hate children even more than i hate adults, so don't go expecting me to be-



astra: oh... i could just hug you right now, miss varanhuus!

eydis: please, don't ever say that again.



astra: oh, mirror. how did i not notice this big ol' belly of mine sooner? one night with a nordhavn man and this happens... now, what was his name again...?

next: hafsaer household

Comments

[eulalia]

Harald, man, get it together! first the shoe vomit incident, now you've lost half your wardrobe to Astra's floor! 😂️ Eydis is amazing, someone needs to get her a nice proper Crumplebottom purse stat.

[tedsies]

he’s putting in a good audition for me to just add him to the rotation, honestly 😂 and oh yes! she definitely needs her very own purse. what else will she hit kai with?!

[eulalia]

I think I'm pro Harald becoming playable--sometimes townies just get too big for their britches and need to join the rotation, lol. Also, I want to find out if he's unlucky or just a sloppy drunk. 😂 (Do you play with traits? b/c if you do, I think he's got that unlucky trait, lmao.)

[tedsies]

right! looking at you, brigid 😂

i do play with traits, but i'm not sure he has any yet. when he does, i'm definitely making sure he gets unlucky now, though 😆

[katatty]

This round was soooo funny, I love how you write Astra and Eydis' dynamic! And it's getting so juicy already, too!