[ OPEN ] an informal event.

[falcony]

Who: the summoned of cadens
When: beginning of february
Where: the sarstina inn and tavern
What: sam is hitting two birds with one stone - his February (or whatever February means in abraxas time) family dinner AND a kind of new-summoned-social event. he even had hilda help spread the word!
Warnings: will update if needed!

THE DINNER

As per Hilda's invitation, if any of the Summoned come by Sarstina's that evening, they will find it set up a little differently than it's normal tavern sprawl. There is a large long table set up near the bar that has plenty of food spread out across it - which appears to look very southern-inspired in its intention, limited only by the kinds of ingredients a certain Sam Wilson can get his hands on. Behind the bar is Mag, who will serve whoever it is that comes up to ask for a drink - it appears someone is covering the tab tonight.

There are various tables and chairs set up around the place, as well as a stage on the corner for some live music from one of their very own later in the evening. The vibes is definitely low-key and casual - come get an ale, come eat some food, and if you're a new face there is a very good chance you'll end up (gently and in the most friendly way) cornered by either Sam, Hilda, or one of the other Summoned here to help answer questions and give a bit more background on what the hell is going on and also let you know about Mag's whole deal. Aka, if you're looking for a room until you're a little more on your feet, you are welcome here. Room and board in exchange for work. Not a big gig, right?

And if being social isn't your vibe, Sam's kind of betting on the fact there aren't many here who would turn down free food and drinks. And believe him - the food is pretty damn good.

OOC INFO

- this is a totally open post! I've got a TL below for various scenarios you can find Sam, but otherwise have fun, meet some people, put up a TL of your own! there are various places to run into people in the tavern, and if you find someone who is willing to help you into the Horizon, Sam's been letting people know they can use his room upstairs.

- Sam's only Rule is there will be no fighting. You want to duke it out? Take it somewhere else. There will not be warnings or second chances. Don't be an ass. He has lived in this Inn since he first got here and considers this his home, and if ANYONE is seen giving Mag a hard time, he will not hesitate. He's not afraid of squaring up, but you will not be invited back if you cause too many issues. :)

- this is open to any and all Summoned in Cadens, no matter loyalties or factions. Sam is going to be going overboard to be welcoming, especially to new faces. Even if your character didn't see the big invitation, feel free to have them invited by word of mouth.

- Mag is an NPC who you can read a little more about in the NPC section of the Cadens setting page. Feel free to have her come in and out of your tags as needed!

- any questions? message me at disarmingly

THE INN

Magmara (or Mag) has run the inn for years and has been a familiar face in that neighborhood as a woman who always made ends meet, almost in spite of the way she took care of her friends and neighbors above all else. Most weren't always sure how she managed to run the place on her own, but she made due, though she always seemed a bit overwhelmed and exhausted. When the Summoned arrived in the Cadens through that first portal, Sam managed to stumble in and make quick friends with Mag. In exchange for manual labor, fixing up and cleaning up the inn, as well as whatever other various tasks Mag needed to be done around, Sam would be given free room and board (a deal she now offers to any Summoned that arrives in the city for as long as they need it).

The inn itself is 4 floors tall, with the top three floors making up the 15 or so rooms (around five rooms per floor), and the entire bottom floor reserved for the restaurant area. The tavern makes up the entire first floor and is a large open floorplan, with a small stage in the corner, a walled-off area for the decently sized kitchen, and a large wooden bar where Mag does all her business for both the inn and tavern (where can almost always be found standing behind). It serves drinks of some variety (though not nearly as large a selection as some of the more well-known taverns) and some food (usually a single, large meal that will be served to the tenants and whoever comes in throughout the night for a moderate price). It can be busy some evenings, but in general tends to keep a more 'dive-bar' kind of feel, filled with more locals and regulars than a casual dinner-going crowd.

The rooms themselves vary from fairly simple, single-bed inn-style rooms with a small bathroom and little else, up to a two 'bedroom' suite style with small kitchenettes and spaces for sitting rooms. Each bedroom has its own small bathroom for the tenants, with cleaning, washing, and chores left to those who live there. What used to be more of a working inn now serves as a kind of boarding house for newly arrived Summoned (or simply those who won't leave), and Mag has found herself quite okay with that.

Comments

[wiedzminka]

Dice game. If you feel like it.

[ She doesn't mind just drinking and chatting. Ciri takes the mug, gives it a sniff, and knocks back a big gulp of the stuff. The mead would lend a mellower ale some nice sweet flavor, probably, but the Sarstina's got rougher fare. It's a blend of bitter, hoppy, and somehow the least pleasant note of sweetness that doesn't go with it at all.

Impressive, honestly. Ciri grunts, wiping her mouth on the back of her other hand as she hands the drink back. ]

Interesting. Had worse.

Still curious about the prison toilet alcohol and what the hell you made it out of if you were stuck in a cell without so much as knitting supplies.

[ She doesn't seem to care about the actually being in prison part, and doesn't ask. That's Vi's business. And maybe not a great conversation to start off with when speaking with a newly Summoned who may have come from a difficult situation. Vi doesn't particularly seem like one of those types who spend their first days entirely being distraught they're here and hoping to get home; she seems to be adjusting quite well so far, as far as Ciri can tell. If nothing else, between the booze and the easy laughter between them, it's a pleasant first impression. ]

[dxvi]

[ a chin planted on a fist, Vi watches on with eyes warm enough from liquor to melt the mercury in them, laughing at her grunt and not lingering on how their fingers brush when she takes the cup. there's an ephemeral drunken thought about how now they have the same flavor in their mouths, but she keeps it to herself. ]

Most alcohol is just fermented fruit. Goes in a bag with some yeast, something sugary if you can find it, then leave it alone for about a week and hope you don't get caught. [ an affable shrug. ] I've only ever been a consumer, not a maker.

[ and, well, she spent most of her time in solitary where sometimes she didn't have the luxury of a toilet with a lid. these are, of course, the high tales of her captivity; Ciri seems to have enough sense to keep it light and fleeting, to not ask questions, which gives her the accommodation of having common sense Vi so often misses seeing in others. ]

And I do. I do feel like your dice game.

[wiedzminka]

Could change that. Could start your own... hooch-ery. [ Ciri suggests with a grin, her own gaze lingering slightly longer on Vi's eyes, caught in the intensity of them. ]

Except in a normal barrel, I hope.

[ --oh. Right. The dice.

She pulls back. Gestures to a passing staff member at the bar to bring two more drinks. ]

Just a simple betting game. There are six dice. We can play it easy: you just have to guess whether there will be more evens or odds. Or we can try something more challenging: guessing specific numbers that might come up.

That's the game, though I haven't anything to bet. We can play without.

[dxvi]

Hooch-ery? [ parroted with a grin that rounds in the flush of her cheeks, exposing a sliver of gap from a missing premolar. maybe it's the booze, but she finds it hard to force her mouth out of crooked. ]

Okay okay, got it. [ easy enough rules — she exclaims it with gusto just before she throws back the rest of the mead and beer mix and feels it foam down into her stomach, exhaling and shuddering all at once. elbows sweep across the table's surface to clear a space capable of accepting new drinks, scooting in closer to Ciri like they're about to share a secret. ] How about this...

We take turns guessing even or odd, and loser has to tell an amusing story. Deal?

[ an elbow plants on the table as though they were about to arm wrestle, well-bandaged hand open to take the seal. ]

[wiedzminka]

[ Ciri grins back, a little flushed herself between the alcohol and the laughter, and just kind of gives a shrug as if to say, "hey, you're the one who came up with the silly name in the first place."

Vi scoots closer, and Ciri responds in kind without thinking, automatic. Something magnetic about her proximity, as the legs of Ciri's chair scrape the floor, pulled up against the table's edge. ]

Has to be your own story. No cheating with made-up ones. Something you did worth telling about.

[ Ciri's got plenty of monster-killing tales herself. Vi's got that air, the kind that says she's ready for a fight, and Ciri finds herself curious.

She leans forward, clasping Vi's hand briefly, firmly, before pulling away to grab up the dice again and shake them in the cup. ]

All right. First bet's yours.

Total dice -- even or odd?

[dxvi]

Yeah totally, I'm not a loser.

[ which she feels the need to place extra emphasis on, for some sudden reason. maybe it's the liquid bravado she just drank down or how a plane of Ciri's scars catch the light, the contrast of her smoky make-up and the fairness of her hair. Vi wants to be impressive even on her worst days — of which she's had many lately — but tonight feels like a warm glow at the end of a tunnel. how dangerous. ]

[ a bartend putting their drinks down on the table makes her flinch from under Ciri's hand, not out of shame that she so enjoyed the warmth of her palm but embarrassment in how she'd yearned for it to linger. ]

Hit me with odds, baby, hit me with those odds. [ callused hands rub together eagerly, expectation leaning her forward. gambling isn't her game, but any little competition can get her blood going regardless of how silly it is. how else do people pass the fucking time? ]

[wiedzminka]

[ The drinks might be paid for ahead of time (thanks, Sam?), but when someone comes by to get them new cups, Ciri pauses in her dice-shaking a moment to slide a few coppers across the table at the serving staff with a nod of thanks.

Vi's excitement just makes her laugh. ]

Let's see...

[ Slam goes the cup, upside down on the table. The muffled clatter of dice from inside, settling into their positions. A beat, and then Ciri draws the cup away with a flourish.

They both take a quick moment to count. ]

Ooh, bad luck. Even.