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eulalia
Time for the last household in the round!
Cináed's illicit goat is now a dog-goat. Her name is Blossom, I think. Salmon is pleased to have another pet to play with.
Also, I had no idea until I changed my pet defaults that he has some brown fur on his face.
And as discussed in the last household, Gwendolen Salter is now Diseta's official apprentice. (Cináed is also kind of her apprentice, but that's a problem for the future.) Gwen is eager to start, but she won't immediately be set to work at the furnace and anvil—there's plenty to learn before Diseta puts a hammer in her hand, and a month or two of hauling around buckets of coal and ore to strengthen her up a bit wouldn't go amiss.
Cináed gets the enviable task of hauling home buckets of water from the well up the street, and then immediately decides to do this.
Diseta: Cináed, stop kissing my apprentice; you both have work to do.
Really, Cináed, you had to jump straight to kissing? Not one charm or sweet talk first? Your sisters would be completely appalled at your lack of romanticism.
Lots of changes for Gwendolen this round. New home, new apprenticeship, now her childhood friend is kissing her?
Diseta: Xiang, are you sure you guys didn't just shrink Drustan?
Xiang: I have seen them together in a room... but I suppose the spirits could have magically duplicated him while we weren't looking.
Duncan: Hey!
Diseta: I see you're in my shop again.
Norweni: Do we have to do this? Can't I just buy a lantern?
Diseta: Don't you have enough lamps?
Norweni: I have fewer lamps since Grendel's puppies knocked over a table and broke my good oil lamp.
Diseta: Suddenly I have a surplus of apprentices.
Norweni: Better to have two junior smiths than none, I s'pose.
Diseta: What about you?
Norweni: I don't want to learn blacksmithing.
Diseta: No, dummy. Look, I'm not trying to be insensitive, but Kinet was basically your apprentice, and he's not with us anymore. None of us are getting any younger. Who will become headwoman after you one day? Are you going to teach one of the girls?
Norweni: You know very well that it's not a hereditary role here. This isn't Evervale.
Diseta: That didn't stop you from teaching Kinet. Headman Cadwulf taught you. You were basically his apprentice.
Norweni: Cadwulf taught me because I made the mistake of being too helpful when I was just trying to avoid farm chores. If I hadn't, someone else would've stepped up when he died. The village won't collapse in on itself without me.
Diseta: You're such a shitty liar.
Norweni: How am I lying right now?
Diseta: You have to realize it's better for the village to have someone ready for the role, to make the transition easier. That's why you were training Kinet.
Norweni: Who am I supposed to train now, Diseta? Senovara wouldn't be suited to it, Cináed doesn't listen to me, Sun is completely focused on her husband and the baby. Kinet's girls? Liona is far too young and Sabren is even more of a hothead than her mother. I might have asked Eisu's eldest daughter if she hadn't left, but that's a moot point now, isn't it? Would you like to be headwoman?
Diseta: Spirits, no. But problem-solving is what you do. I hit metal until it's a useful shape.
Norweni: Legally, all I actually have to do is collect taxes for the king and ensure the village gets aid if it needs it.
Diseta: Well, tax season isn't until after Weodmonath, so you have lots of time to go problem-solve instead. Now get out of my shop.
Salmon likes playing with the goat, but he's less thrilled about being left to eat only hay when she steals his food.
Cináed: So, uh, you wanna go to the market? With me?
Gwendolen: That would be nice.
Cináed: Cool, cool.
Cináed: Sorry if I surprised you this morning... it was an impulse?
Gwendolen: That's alright. I think I liked it.
Cináed: Think?
Gwendolen: I might need a few more kisses to make up my mind?
The way to a Knowledge sim's heart is through their chess table.
Senovara: Hi! What are you doing here?
Cináed: Well, I'm trying to hang out with Gwen...
Senovara: Oh! Hi, Gwendolen!
Destined to always have someone swooping in on his dates. At least it's just his sister this time.
Diseta: Hello, girls! Is it just you two today, Senna? Are you babysitting?
Senovara: Yes. Mummy told Cadwgan to help Faro and Uncle Dinn on the farm, and Sun doesn't feel well today. I think she's having another baby, but she wouldn't tell me when I asked.
Diseta: Well... we'll find out sooner or later if that's true. Don't bother her about it.
Olwen started dancing along to Auntie Senna's lute. <3
Diseta: It's nice you like babysitting Olwen so much. And I'm sure Sun and Cadwgan appreciate it.
Senovara: Winnie is so sweet. And she's learning so many new things! It's really cute to watch.
Diseta: It's good practice for if you ever have your own children, too.
Senovara: Someday, I hope...
Diseta: No cute boys you've got your eye on?
Senovara: *sigh* No.
Diseta: You can always talk to me about it, you know.
Senovara: Maybe if there was anything to talk about.
Diseta: Is there enough for three? Shep's supposed to come over sometime soon.
Cináed: Should be plenty.
Diseta: Well, thank you for making supper!
Shep: I brought the first bottle of spring mead! Should be a good one, hopefully. You have to taste it and tell me what you think. I gotta come up with some kind of hook for it before I try to sell it to the hall-keeper.
Diseta: Maybe another time. Uh, I'm trying to cut back a bit. Norweni thinks I drink too much.
Shep: Oh, what does Norweni know about anything? I don't think that's true. Sounds more like your ex-wife trying to control you again.
Diseta: She did know—knew of, anyway—my father, who... liked strong drink a bit too much.
Shep: I haven't heard this before.
Diseta: It's been quite a while... he died, oh, about two years before you moved here, I think. Actually, right after it happened is when I learned the lawspeaker codes. I asked Norweni if she would teach me and she agreed for some reason. It made a good distraction, though.
Shep: I guess we can save this bottle for a special occasion or something, if that's what you want. I'll ask Xiang or someone else to test taste the batch. Or maybe I'll market it as mystery mead! OooOOoo, what will it taste like? Fruity? Floral? It's a surprise!
Diseta: Is it bad if I say that it all kind of tastes the same to me?
Shep: Excuse you.
Shep: This is good!
Diseta: Cináed cooked, actually. See, having children does have benefits.
Shep: Ha! I dunno, Gytha used to cook for us and I didn't have to go through all the pain of raising her.
Diseta: Guys, no messing around in the shop—
This gentle scolding has been interrupted by lightning striking the tree beside the smithy JUST as the rain was ending. Disaster nearly struck, Gwen nearly caught fire, the bucket brigade took their sweet time because there's only a fire alarm INSIDE the house, etc.
That was the tree Diseta's children used to play under while she worked. :'(
The shop still opens once the smouldering ashes have cooled.
Girls, if you need a hearth, I think your mother will just give you one.
I really want Gwen and Senovara to be friends. I think Gwen's 'no sense of humor' trait and few playful points could really complement Senna's literal mindedness.
Blossom would like to be involved in this. It seems like something that requires a goat somehow, as all things in life do.
After the chaos of the fire, the rest of the day is rather slow. I love how Xiuying always greets Cináed like that and he's just like 'hey', lol.
The house feels empty when Diseta comes in after finishing her work. The fire's lit, but Cináed and the pets are all asleep. It would be nice to have someone else waiting for her at night...
Salmon and Blossom make sure to supervise Cináed while he plants a new tree.
Shep: Hey, babe!
Diseta: Hey! Hang on a moment—
Cináed secretly thinks his mam and Shep are cute together. I saw that nod of approval, Cináed!
Shep is also a good choice for Gwendolen to practice her sales techniques on. Probably not an easy task for such a shy sim, but she does her best to extol the quality of Diseta's wares.
Actually, the smithy was quite busy today. Diseta had to close early because they were selling out of things faster than she could replace the stock.
Cináed: So, like, it's really romantic out here in the rain, isn't it?
Gwendolen: *giggles*
Gwen has to head home for now, though. Cináed spends the rainy afternoon with one of his books, and Diseta catches up on a few chores.
Cináed: Is it cool if I go out later? Some of the other kids are meeting up tonight, and I said I'd walk Gwen there.
Diseta: Well, ideally you'd ask me before you promise to do that, but yes, that's fine. Just so you know, Shep and I are meeting for supper, and she might come over after—
Cináed: Cool, I'll be sure to make a racket coming in so I don't have to see anything gross.
Diseta: We're not that bad.
Cináed: All parental kissing is gross, no matter what.
The drizzle of rain that's been coming down on and off all day put a bit of a damper on the teens' usual forest hangout spot, so Cináed suggested they head back here instead. And his mam isn't home yet, so they've got the place to themselves—score!
Senovara: Is Gwendolen your girlfriend now?
Cináed: Kind of? We haven't really talked about it like that.
Senovara: Seriously? What are you waiting for?
Cináed: Not all of us are boy-crazy like you, Sen. Or girl-crazy, whatever.
Senovara: You are so bad at being romantic.
Kara: I win!
Lune: No! Curse these hands!
Lune: So how do you make the dart stick in the wall?
Xiuying: I don't know. I wasn't trying to do it.
Lune: Maybe it's in the mortar?
Senovara: Ooh, can I try?
Xiuying: Sure.
Maybe you'll hit the target better if you do it with both feet on the ground.
Diseta: So I've been thinking about this a lot... for a long time, actually... I want to ask you something.
Shep: Ooh, sounds mysterious.
Diseta: Ha!
Diseta: Shep, would you marry me?
Shep: Oh. Oh, Diseta, I...
Diseta: That's a no, then.
Shep: Why? This is good! What we have is already good! Why can't it just stay like this?
Diseta: Because I want more! I want someone to call me 'wife', I want someone to come home to every night. It wouldn't be so different from what we already have, would it?
Shep: Di, I spent twenty years building my home and business from scratch! It's everything I have! And you want me to just give that up? How do you think this is going to work? Am I supposed to, what, stack my hives next to your forge?
Diseta: That's not what I'm saying. You can keep the house as a workshop, like when I...
Shep: Do you even hear yourself right now?
Diseta: ...Yeah.
Shep: I'm sorry. But I told you that I don't want to be anyone's wife, and I meant it. I—I think I should go home. For now.
Norweni: Diseta, are you alright?
Norweni: What are you doing?
Diseta: Take me home with you. Take me with you, I know you still want to—
Norweni: Andraste's tits... the only place I'm taking you is somewhere safe you can sleep this off. Again.
Diseta: You said you still loved me. Or was that a lie too?
Norweni: You are nowhere near sober enough for this conversation, or anything else for that matter.
Diseta: You didn't want me, Shep doesn't want me...
Norweni: I wanted you. I... wanted something else too, which is my usual downfall. And I'm shit at expressing my feelings clearly, and you're too quick to anger to let me try to fumble through it, and then it's like we're each speaking languages that the other can't understand.
Diseta: Why are you only this ela—eleq—elo—why're you only this wordy when I'm plastered?
Norweni: Dunno. Maybe I have more to say when you won't remember my words well enough to turn them back at me.
Diseta: Do I do that?
Norweni: You're probably entitled to it. Let's go find your girlfriend.
Diseta: Aren't you listening? She doesn't want me.
Norweni: I'm sure—
Diseta: No.
Norweni: *sigh* Fine. Come on, then.
(Content note: Norweni talks about her experience during Maccus's war in one line. Also: *waves hands vaguely at their relationship mess and Norweni's past infidelity*)
Diseta: Um...
Norweni: Fortunately for all of us, Senna was already spending the night at Eisu's place with Xiuying. You slept in my bed and I took hers. I'm not doing this a third time, Diseta.
Diseta: Sorry.
Norweni: Whatever you and Shep are fighting about, I'm sure you can work it out. There's tea on the table; drink some and then go beg forgiveness, or listen to her beg forgiveness, whichever it is.
Diseta: I asked her to marry me.
Norweni: Oh. And she said… no?
Diseta: Obviously.
Norweni: Right. I'm sorry. Um, you seemed good together.
Diseta: Sorry for trying to kiss you. I, uh... yeah.
Norweni: I'm surprised you remember.
Diseta: I wasn't quite that drunk... I also remember you actually talking for once, assuming that I wouldn't remember.
Norweni: And...?
Diseta: I think we should probably talk now.
Diseta: I still don't understand why you did it, besides that you wanted to.
Norweni: What do you want to hear? That I'm an idiot who fell for attention and cheap flattery?
Diseta: I don't think you're an idiot. Did... I kind of wondered, did it remind you of when you were fighting with Maccus? All the soldier talk and Lady Knife bullshit I heard him spouting?
Norweni: Sort of, I guess.
Diseta: Do you miss that?
Norweni: *laughs* No.
Diseta: No?
Norweni: No. No one liked me back then, besides Offa and probably Maccus. And Eisu, obviously, but he wasn't there. So in that way, it didn't remind me of it.
Diseta: I find that hard to believe.
Norweni: I was an insufferable nineteen-year-old who didn't know how to talk to anyone. That nickname didn't start as a compliment. The soldiers liked that I could fight well and Maccus's other advisors liked that I knew the land and farms and how to, I don't fucking know, calculate grain usage, but that's about it. Half of them thought Maccus kept me around because we were fucking. Joke's on them, I suppose.
Diseta: See, I've never heard any of this! Why don't you ever talk about this stuff?
Norweni: Once during a fight I stabbed a woman, but it was raining and she slipped in the mud and fell into me. I ended up on the ground underneath her dead body with about half a pint of mud up my nose and mouth until someone noticed and helped me up. I dream of it whenever I get tangled up in the blanket and it ends up over my head. Took me forever to scrub that tunic clean.
Diseta: ...
Norweni: That's why I don't talk about those things. That look on your face.
Norweni: This… trying to sort out whatever's in my mind and put it in words is hard sometimes. Add to that sorting out whatever everyone else is saying, what they actually want... well, Maddan always says what he means—for better or worse—and he didn't ask for much. That's a bad excuse, but there you go. It was a shitty mistake I shouldn't have made, and I'm sorry for it, and now we all have to deal with it. Happy now?
Diseta: Not really.
Norweni: Join the club.
Diseta: Sometimes I really don't understand you.
Norweni: I know. You've said so. And I—when you look at me like you don't understand me, when I frustrate you and you ask why I'm like this—everything that has ever come naturally to you, I had teach myself by brute force. Spirits only know where I'd be without Eisu willing to hold my hand and walk me through the most basic shit back when we were kids. I have never had an easy time putting words to feelings, my own or others'. I know I don't think the same way that you do, the way most people seem to. I am aware. It's fucking exhausting sometimes, Diseta. Do you understand that?
Diseta: Oh. I've hurt you too.
Norweni: Sometimes. I assume most people don't enjoy their wife asking what's wrong with them like that.
Diseta: Ex-wife.
Norweni: Ex-wife. Either way.
Diseta: I'm sorry. Sometimes I just get really frustrated by whatever crap we're arguing about now and that's what comes out of my mouth. I don't put as much thought into it as you seem to think I do.
Diseta: You know, if we're hashing this stuff out… you have a bad habit of deciding things that involve other people and just doing it without asking them about it. You did it when we were married and you still do it sometimes with the kids.
Norweni: Like what?
Diseta: Oh, let's see, building this hall and moving here, moving Senovara out of my house—
Norweni: That one was Senna's choice.
Diseta: The horse.
Norweni: You're going to fault me for giving our daughter a pony after she spent ten years asking for one?
Diseta: I'm going to fault you for spending the spirits only know how much money on a horse for our then sixteen-year-old without informing me first, yes.
Norweni: It's not like it was your money at that point. *sighs* I do see your point. But sometimes the answer just seems obvious. I'm trying to be helpful—
Diseta: But it's not helpful, it feels dismissive. Like you don't care what the other person thinks.
Norweni: Fine. I'll try to be more aware of... not doing that.
Diseta: Thank you.
Norweni: So is all this your attempt to delay talking to your actual girlfriend?
Diseta: I kinda think we've been overdue for this discussion for a while now.
Norweni: Sure. That's not a no.
Diseta: You're here, she's not.
Norweni: Still not a no.
Diseta: Ugh. If you're trying to kick me out, just say so.
Norweni: If I was trying to, I would.
Diseta: Back when... did you actually mean it when you said you'd have "let" me be with another woman if I had asked?
Norweni: Well, yes.
Diseta: Were we ever on the same page?
Norweni: Sometimes, I think.
Cináed: Are you going to open the smithy before the festival starts?
Diseta: I'm going to do some work on a few orders, but I won't open the shop, so you're free for the day.
Cináed: Aren't you coming to the festival?
Diseta: I don't think so, but you should ask your girlfriend to go with you! Maybe you and Gwen will dance around the bonfire? That's pretty romantic.
Cináed: Maaaaaaam, she's not my girlfriend. Yet.
Diseta: So I guess you're here to break up with me.
Shep: You know, I don't want to. I really thought we were on the same page, Di. But you want something I'm not gonna be able to give you, and if we keep trying, you're going to be unhappy and I'm going to feel pressured.
Diseta: I... I did tell you I would say if I wasn't okay with our relationship being just this. And I think I haven't been okay with it for a while.
Shep: I wish you'd said something sooner.
Diseta: Me too.
Diseta: I guess it's just you and me for the afternoon, Salmon.
Salmon is okay with that. Look at that face. No thoughts, head empty.
Cináed does end up spending most of the festival with Gwendolen. She even introduces him to her mother—Cináed and Brigid are mutually unimpressed by each other.
He also attempts to wow her with some royal gossip, lmao.
Cináed: Yeah, no, Cadwgan's siblings are nothing like him. They're kind of a riot, but I also overheard his sister saying to Sun 'you do have another dress, don't you' all snooty like. Total girl insult.
Gwendolen: Really?
Cináed: Yeah, like we're from some pit instead of the valley. Never mind that Mum owns a stupid amount of land here.
Cináed: So, uh, I'm glad you like me back? This, us, just feels really... natural, y'know?
Gwendolen: Yeah. I feel the same way.
Cináed: Oh, good.
Sun: Hallo! Mum suggested I bring Olwen for a visit—is now a good time? I think she just wanted us out of her hair, personally, but...
Diseta: Of course! I'm always happy to have my favorite girls around. I was about to scrounge up something for lunch, if you're hungry.
Sun: I can do that if you keep an eye on Winnie. She's getting into everything today, I swear.
Grandbaby snuggles are kinda soothing, it turns out. It's harder to be sad in the face of Olwen's bright smile.
Sun: So why does Mum seem concerned about you?
Diseta: Oh... nothing you need to worry about. Shep and I broke up, that's all.
Sun: Aw, Mam! I'm sorry—
Sun: Hang on, I think I might need to puke again.
Sun: Sorry. Anyway, that sucks. You guys seemed really good together.
Diseta: Sometimes things don't work out, even if you are good together... so is Senna right in guessing that you're pregnant again?
Sun: Oh, she was bothering me about it the other day, so I wouldn't tell her... but yeah.
Diseta: Well, that's something to look forward to! Do you think you're having a boy or another girl?
Sun: I have no idea how I would even guess that. If it's a boy, I think we might name him after Cadwgan's da, but we're not sure yet.
Cináed comes back well after Sun and Olwen have left. He and Diseta wind down the night with some reading and music respectively.
Gwendolen: Good morning Ms. Diseta, Cináed. That smells really good!
Diseta: Cináed cooked today. He's quite the catch, huh?
Cináed: Mam, you're being embarrassing.
Diseta: That's half my job as your parent.
Gwendolen: *giggles*
Diseta: Need a box of nails, Gytha?
Gytha: You can let this gag go any day now.
Diseta: Nah. I can't say that apprenticing your sister has made me think any higher of your stepmother; maybe a few strategic nails would actually set Brigid straight...
Gytha: Well, in that case... but unfortunately I don't need yet another reason for her to try to stop Gwen from talking to me.
Speaking of Gwendolen, alongside her other tasks, Diseta has given her a list of exercises to do to get strong enough to actually wield a hammer effectively. She much prefers hauling around coal and boxes.
Gwendolen: Ugh, I'm all sweaty. Can I please borrow your wash basin and some soap?
Cináed: Oh—yeah, sure. Man, I'm glad Mam's training you and not me.
Gwendolen: Don't let her hear that or she'll have you doing it alongside me!
Senovara: Hi! Can I have a sandwich too? Also, I brought Mummy with me, she's just outside.
Senovara likes Cináed's girlfriend-who-he-claims-isn't-his-girlfriend. Gwen is really nice! And maybe now Cináed will stop trying to kiss Senna's friends?
Diseta: You don't have to keep checking on me, Wenna.
Norweni: I do this to everyone and you know it. Also, I do like to spend time with our son. You know, the one who lives here with you?
Norweni: I don't know if this is appropriate to ask, but... how'd things go with you and Shep?
Diseta: We broke up. You can ask; you'd find out eventually anyway.
Norweni: Ah. Sorry you couldn't work it out.
Diseta: So am I.
So we end round nine with Diseta broken up yet again, Gwen settling into her apprenticeship, and Cináed falling in love.
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Date: 2026-09-14 02:09 pm (UTC)cinead and gwen are a great match! she's really proven me wrong since me saying a couple households ago that i didn't remember she existed 🫣😅
and poor diseta...though unfortunately i think we could all see it coming except her! her and norweni's relationship though... it continues to be increasingly complicated but utterly fascinating!
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Date: 2026-09-14 09:47 pm (UTC)they're really cute, and it works out well with the whole blacksmith's apprentice/blacksmith's son thing, but I am lowkey mad at Cinaed for robbing Gwen of a sparkly heart bubble first kiss moment, lol.
I knowwww, I feel bad for her, even though I just couldn't see a way it would work even if Shep hadn't rejected the proposal. and yeah, Diseta and Norweni are the most divorced couple ever, and also Norweni still loves her. Di can't forgive the cheating, but not only have they had to co-parent, they live in a small town where their respective roles mean they can't avoid each other forever. it's not a dynamic I've really written before, so I'm having way too much fun with it. :D