Jocelyn's Vignette

[HorizonsDream]

"Couldn't you help find other girls to replace the ones that are there?" Jocelyn asks. "I assume they aren't there against their will?" she asks.

[JadedDM]

"I've been trying to, but I haven't had any luck," Skye explains. "They aren't there against their will, but most women don't want to work there unless they have no other choice. But the economy is good right now, so there aren't many girls desperate enough to want to work there."

[HorizonsDream]

"I'm afraid I don't know much about business, but if you can't find new girls then your father is going to have to find a way to make the old girls look more appealing," Jocelyn says. "But I can't advise you to marry Hugh."

[JadedDM]

"Alright," Skye says, disappointed. "I'll do my best on my own then. Thank you." She turns and walks out.

Later on, word eventually reaches Jocelyn that Skye did not marry Hugh, and eventually the brothel managed to stay afloat, but only just barely. Hugh used his money to start a campaign of propaganda against Jocelyn and the church, claiming she was in support of sleazy brothels that exploited young women for profit.

==========

End Scenario

Budget: Decreased (-1 points)

Before proceeding, you'll need to decide where you want to take away the point from:

Defense - 1
Decor - 2
Hospital - 2
Morale - 3
Charity - 1
Holidays - 1 (-1)

[JadedDM]

Turquise 10, 312 (4:00 PM)
A couple of months have passed, and winter will soon be here.

One day, shortly after lunch, a woman steps inside the temple. Jocelyn recognizes her as Sigrid, a woman who attends the church services every week.

Sigrid is a middle-aged woman with blond hair. She is married and has a young daughter. Mostly Jocelyn knows her because she is Andar's sister-in-law. He's been staying with them this whole time.

"Hello, Pastor," she says politely. "I was wondering if I might trouble you for some advice." She sighs, then looks around to make sure nobody is listening in. Ursula is off running errands in town, and Linwood is in his room, furiously doing calculations (he's been becoming more and more in a panic as the budget has decreased).

"I'm worried about my marriage," she explains. "I've done everything I can to hold it together, but I'm not sure it's enough. It feels like it's going to come crashing down around me, and there's nothing I can do about it."

[HorizonsDream]

~Oh, more advice giving. I'm so good at it,~ Jocelyn thinks to herself as she listen to the woman's story. "What exactly, do you feel, is going wrong in your marriage that you can't seem to fix?" she asks.

[JadedDM]

"It's that hussy, Leta!" Sigrid says passionately. Leta was the owner of the local tavern, Jocelyn remembered. "She's always coming over, making eyes at my husband, pretending she needs his help with something, but she's so obvious! Who comes to a blacksmith to buy one nail, I ask you?" She shakes her head. "And that bitch, Skye! She's always bringing over baked goods. 'Oh, I had some left over, and thought maybe your family would like some!' she says. How stupid does she think I am? Besides, I'm perfectly capable of cooking for my own family, thank you very much!"

She continues ranting, "And then there's Shona, Marisha, and Ayida," she goes on, growing increasingly upset.

Sigrid's husband, Alvor, does not attend the services. He has made it clear in the past he doesn't think much of Jocelyn, especially as a replacement for Richard. Still, she's met him before. He's not an awful looking guy, but he's certainly nowhere near as handsome as his brother, Andar. It seems unlikely that every woman in the village is hitting on him like Sigrid insists.

[HorizonsDream]

"Sigrid, have you given any thought, what so ever, that it isn't your husband that is drawing in the attention from these ladies?" Jocelyn asked gently.

[JadedDM]

"What else could?" Sigrid asks, placing her fists on her hips. "Surely I can't be expected to believe all these beautiful young woman are drawn to our place for nails, horseshoes and buckets!"

[HorizonsDream]

"No, of course not," Jocelyn says. "But, I'm sure that all of these women would make up these excuses to get a glimpse of Andar."

[JadedDM]

Sigrid stares blankly at Jocelyn, before blinking. "...Andar? Wh...why? Why would any woman be interested in him?" she asks, clearly incredulous. "He has no job, he's a complete layabout. I don't think he's even interested in women, actually. He seems to be scared of them, come to think of it."

[HorizonsDream]

"Because he is young and very attractive," Jocelyn points out. "I've seen women make complete fools of themselves upon just meeting him."

[JadedDM]

She blinks again. "You're serious? Looks fade with time, but stability is what is most important in a man. I thought everyone knew that." She looks away, rubbing her chin. "Still...if that's true...maybe finding him a wife would finally get him out of my house..."

[HorizonsDream]

"Andar has been through some trauma," Jocelyn admits. "Matter of fact, I was one of the people that saved him from that trauma. I'm not sure he is ready to find a wife just yet, but you could always send him here if you are wanting to get him out of the house for a little while. I might be able to help him a little with whatever he might be going through."

[JadedDM]

Sigrid thinks this over. "I'm not sure we can really afford anything like that. As I said, he has no job and my husband's work barely makes ends meet as it is."