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[takeatrip]

WHO: Jayden and others
WHAT: Catch-all for May, with OTA and closed starters
WHERE: Cadens, the Horizon, maybe elsewhere idek
WHEN: All month
WARNINGS: TBD


[ Please feel free to PM, message me on Discord at Ami#8741,
or ping me on plurk at amiasha to plot and/or for closed starters! Wildcards also welcome. ]

Comments

Horizon - OTA!

[takeatrip]

[Jayden's domain is overcast at the moment, threatening a little rain, but not quite committing to it. However, thunder rumbles in the distance and the sky looks like it might open up at any moment though, so the hotel might be inviting shelter.

If the visitor hears a piano, Jayden's in the lounge; he's at the piano but doesn't bother playing full songs, just playing for about thirty seconds at a time before getting bored or distracted and stopping, then starting again shortly. He's lost in thought and doesn't immediately notice the visitor, but after another brief round of playing he'll look up, offering a hello that's surprised but welcoming to someone he knows, and friendly but cautious to a stranger.

If it's silent, the lobby is deserted. The lobby's bar is stocked for anyone who wants to help themselves, and the unlocked door is also free to explore.]

[restingstitchface]

[The entrance to the hotel is a grand affair. It reminds him of those extravagent places the newspapers reported on back home: stories on the antics of their favourite billionnaire.

He ventures into the lounge and notices the ostenatious decor. The soft bubbling of the fountain mixes with the mellow tone of a piano - and draws his eye to a man he's met once before.

A warm hello that's slightly cautious in nature? Figures. They don't know each other too well. He tilts his head in acknowledgement and stands in the middle of the seating area.]

What's the song?

[What are you playing, Norman?]

[takeatrip]

[The question shouldn't be a surprise, but it is a little; he hadn't been thinking much about his playing, doing it more on autopilot than anything else. So it takes a brief moment before he even knows what the answer is, and another brief hesitation before he decides how to answer.]

Never ended up namin' it.

[Which is true, though of course the implication left by it--that it's Jayden's to name--is not. But he's not planning to get into that, immediately diverting topics.]

Out exploring?

[restingstitchface]

[Crane remains where he is: neither approaching or retreating. He steals a moment to indulge in silence, shaping his mental observations. Creative influences. Attempts to influence the conversation. He'll mull over both later.]

It seems the "in" thing.

[He sounds lightly surprised but doesn't shake his head.]

A fact that continues to astonish me. One would think people value their privacy.

[takeatrip]

I think people just block off anythin' they don't want someone else to see.

[At least that's the impression Jayden's gotten, and it's what he's been doing here. He continues steering the conversation with a question he's curious about, considering Crane's comment.]

D'you want people to say out out your domain entirely?

Cadens - OTA!

[takeatrip]

[He doesn't really want to be out wandering around, but here he is anyway, meandering through the streets of Cadens half-heartedly looking for a library. His thoughts keep going back to the Horizon, and although he has several reasons to be out in the real world at the moment, it's difficult to keep those reasons in mind and maintain any real motivation.

So Jayden is very distracted, and that combined with only barely looking for something he doesn't know where is, leads to the inevitable. Realizing something suddenly, he stops on the side street he's wandered down, glances around for a moment, and then remarks incredulously to himself--]

Am I lost?

[catholica]

I don't know, are you?

( matt's on the other side of the street but he's close enough to hear the question and it makes him laugh a bit.

he turns, recognizing the voice and sweeps his cane out in front of him to make his way over to jayden. )

Take a wrong turn?

[takeatrip]

I guess that depends on how lost you are. And how willing you are to help.

[He's joking, but all the same it's a bit of relief to hear a familiar voice, as although Jayden isn't terribly distressed--more just annoyed--by the idea of having no idea where he is, it's still reassuring.]

But uh, yeah, seems I did. I was lookin' for the library.

[Sort of. Barely.]

[catholica]

Ah, good timing. I spend a lot of time there.

( so, he was pretty familiar with the place while he continued to get familiar with the laws and regulations of the free cities.

he shrugs and nods jayden over. )

You're a little turned around. Get distracted?

[takeatrip]

[He wanders over closer to Matt, using the moment to decide how honest he wants to be in response to the question.]

Somethin' like that. I like to think I'm usually good at directions.

[And it's even mostly true.]

For Altaïr

[takeatrip]

[Jayden is definitely not sulking. He's just taking a break, sitting outside a cafe with a drink, disinterestedly flipping through a brochure he'd been given by someone trying to draw attention to one of the museums. It does look like an interesting enough place, but he doesn't care to focus on reading at the moment, so his concentration keeps drifting.

It's one of those moments when a flash of movement catches his attention, only noteworthy because it's higher up than he would expect to see normal activity from the people out and about in the city. But it's definitely a person, just one on a rooftop, and a conversation Jayden had on the network weeks ago suddenly comes to mind.

So he raises a hand in greeting, unsure if Altair will see him--or, if he does, if he would come down off the roof, which Jayden isn't actually expecting him to do--but it seems rude to just ignore him. He supposes, anyway. What's the etiquette for a situation like this? Does it even matter?]

[aquilus]

[On the occasion that someone bothers to look up and sees him on the rooftops, Altaïr is accustomed to being ignored (by the villagers of Masyaf, who are used to it), shouted and shot at (by the guards in various cities.) Rarely is he waved to.

For a minute, it seems as though he may have ignored or not seen the greeting and gone on his way, a figure moving gracefully away overhead. But then he approaches from behind and drops into a seat beside Jayden — coming from the other direction than he'd been heading in, for some reason. Definitely not because he wanted to amuse himself by surprising him.]

Good afternoon. Let me guess — Jayden?

[takeatrip]

[Jayden is not usually easy to startle, but recent events have altered that, and so he does jump when Altaïr drops down out of the wrong direction. He also bangs his knee on the underside of the table, which doesn't really hurt, but causes a brief scramble for his drink as it wobbles unsteadily.

But a moment later, crisis averted, and Jayden fixes Altaïr with a flat--but perhaps the faintest bit amused--look.]

Got it in one. Nice to meet you in person.

[aquilus]

[He should probably feel bad about that. The amusement, at least, is well hidden behind a positive-neutral expression.]

Likewise.

[If nothing else, he can now attach a face to the 'handwriting'. It's helpful.]

Did you decide on what you wanted to create in the Horizon?

[takeatrip]

Yeah, I figured it out.

[Which is an understatement; he's spent more time in the Horizon than he has in the real world since returning to Cadens, and has gotten quite good at shaping his domain.]

It was a lot more natural than I thought it'd be.

For Michael

[takeatrip]

[Although Jayden has spent most of the time he's been in the Horizon keeping to his own domain, he has ventured near others on occasion. But it always felt a bit like showing up at someone's door unannounced, and he also hadn't felt much like a lot of social interaction, so he's kept his exploration limited.

But at this point he's started getting a little bored, as well as more sure of himself when it comes to the Horizon itself, and so he's begun to be a little more daring. So when he wanders into a forest he decides to look around a bit, and stumbles upon two buildings that are so different from each other that incongruity is almost funny, he's far more curious than cautious.

The diner is much more inviting than the church, and so after only a momentary hesitation, he decides to step inside.]

[familysucks]

[Michael is not by any means a rare visitor to the Horizon—he needs to do something with all those waking hours the rest of Solvunn spends sleeping—but he's been stopping by his domain more frequently now that he has a regular visitor to it. Castiel turns up napping in the oddest of places. Usually it's his church, but after checking inside the confessional, under the pews, and behind the altar, Michael had made his way across to the diner. Against all odds it's become the place of greater comfort to him.

That sneaky younger brother is whom he's expecting to see as the door swings open. Instead, it's—someone he doesn't recognize. For a moment Michael only stares, like an animal confronted with an unfamiliar organism. The silence stretches out between them.]

If you were hoping for a meal, the menu is only for display.

[The lingering smell of pizza and fries is misleading. There's not a single member of staff in the back, and Michael with his inability to taste food the way humans do certainly isn't qualified to run the kitchen.]

[takeatrip]

[Jayden just stares back, clearly as unprepared for this encounter as Michael, and the scene would probably be very funny if anyone were around to see it. But it's probably best that they aren't.]

Oh, uh, that's okay.

[He hasn't been too interested in food in the Horizon, and if he wants something he can always summon it up himself.]

Sorry if I'm uh, intruding. I guess I was just kinda' surprised to see a diner in a forest.

[And the church, too, but he decides not to mention that just yet.]

[familysucks]

[From Michael's perspective, the church is easier to explain than the diner. It is Saint Michael's church, after all.

But the man doesn't ask for any justifications—which is just as well, because Michael doesn't answer demands from strangers. Having decided he's facing someone who's out of his depth and possibly new around these parts, he settles back into his seat, expression pulling into neutral.]

You aren't. If I were set on privacy, I'd lock the door.

[Which is how he tends to leave the place when he isn't occupying his usual spot in the booth: door sealed and windows shuttered, lights off.

He waves a hand at the dining room. Despite the lack of staff or patrons, the tables set with cutlery and condiments suggest it'll be bustling with activity at any moment. It's almost inviting—and the gesture is all the invitation Jayden will get to take a seat of his own.]

Here I was thinking my domain relatively unremarkable. Just passing through, then, or are you looking for something?

[takeatrip]

[It's hard to get a read on this person, but he doesn't seem upset, just perhaps reserved, so Jayden hesitates only briefly before stepping further into the diner. He glances around curiously, noting the apparent readiness for customers, but it creates a strange effect when contrasted with the lack of anyone other than Jayden and Michael. It's almost dream-like, not bad, just slightly surreal.

He draws closer but doesn't take a seat, instead setting his hands on the back of a chair and leaning on it just a little.]

Just exploring. I wanted to see what kinds of places people make when they can make anythin'.

[He isn't trying to be nosy--not in a rude way, at least--but he's curious. When people can choose where they want to be, and it can be absolutely anywhere, it says something interesting about their experiences. That would be fascinating enough even without the added layer of people being from entirely different worlds.

But on that thought--]

This place also looks like the sorta' diner I could find in my world, so it's nice to see somethin' sort of familiar.

— motorized hijinks

[theidlemaiden]

[ When the call for help had gone out from the Secretary of Agriculture, she had thought it would be a brilliant excuse to drag Jayden out of his room. How could he deny the good people of Cadens and her insistent doe eyes and pouting?

She had even been considerate enough to politely sign them up for something that didn't have anything to do with the mushrooms leaving them choice of heavy lifting or something to do with driving some kind of device. Heavy lifting had quickly been vetoed which left the driving task. What could possibly go wrong? She's even got a cute little outfit on suitable for some (light) work and sensible boots for the task ahead.

Hilda all but drags Jayden the last couple of metres towards the small transportation devices. ]

These are so cute! So much easier than lugging heavy buckets up from the river, right?

[takeatrip]

[In general, Jayden is quite good at ignoring doe eyes, but Hilda's on another level. Probably because it isn't just the doe eyes, but that she's just so genuinely nice.

Also, as much as he hates to admit it, he really needs to be spending more time in the real world. Mostly, the side effects of being in some sort of stasis while in the Horizon--not needing to sleep, or eat, or anything of that sort--have been incredibly useful, but he's only just realized that it also means he's healing incredibly slowly. It turns out to be for the best that Hilda had no interest in doing any heavy lifting.

But just because he knows he should be out doing stuff doesn't mean he has to like it. So he's a bit less enthusiastic as he follows after Hilda, though at least he's not actually sulking, and does find himself a bit more intrigued upon catching sight of the vehicles.]

Yeah, much easier.

[At least if they can figure out how to work them, but he finds himself feeling pretty confident about that part.]

Looks kinda' like a really old submarine.

[theidlemaiden]

[ She hadn't been anywhere near the level of a helicopter parent when it came to Jayden. Awful cultists aside, he was a grown man and could look after himself.

...But Hilda would be lying if she hadn't also been keeping an eye out for him. As a results she had noticed that he had been notably absent from his usual haunts. A quick investigation from Mags had told her everything she needed to know; so as a result it's less niceness and more determination that fuels the doe eyes and enthusiasm this time around.

As lovely as the Horizon can be, they live in this world that they've been taken to, not the one in their minds. ]

Is that supposed to be another creature from your world? [ She offers him a playful grin over her shoulder. ] Kidding! I figure if it's a creature then we wouldn't need the horse and cart of pull it - but I still want to know what it is.

[takeatrip]

I dunno, horses pull creatures all the time. Like humans.

[He returns the grin, being a little obnoxious just because he can be, but continues closer to the vehicle in curiosity.]

Submarines are boats that go underwater. They're all enclosed like this, sealed off so air doesn't get out and water doesn't get in, though that's kinda' the opposite of these.

[But these sure look like submarines, or at least depictions of them in fantasy. Though he has to ask, glancing over at Hilda again--]

Are those not a thing in your world, or are they just called somethin' different?

too cool for the beach >:c (for blake)

[takeatrip]

[Jayden would've had zero interest in the beach party even had the events of a few months earlier hadn't happened; the beach is just not something that appeals to him, and he's never liked parties, so mixing the two is just not his thing. But recent events did occur, and so the entire thing is even less appealing, because he's not sure he wants to see seawater ever again.

So he fully intends to avoid the beach, but does that mean he's going to pass up a free trip to Aquila? Absolutely not. He's curious about the city in several respects, and even more so after hearing from Blake that apparently there had been a string of crimes there. The empathetic part of him hopes that whatever was going on has been taken care of and that there's no longer some murderer running around, but there's still another sizable part of him that wants to investigate. To do something he's good at, something with a sense of normalcy.

But that's not exactly the point of this outing, and he puts it out of his mind as he reaches the location of the portal a little early, mostly to scope out the setup. He also puts out of his mind the desire to suddenly cancel, to go back to the Inn, to return to the Horizon and just spend time there instead, and also ignores the spike of anxiety caused by having that feeling at all. It's fine. If there's a problem, it's a problem for later.

Right now, he's just waiting, fiddling with his sleeve to be sure it covers the bandage still on his arm--he'd only figured out recently that the downside to not having to eat or sleep while in the Horizon is that he also doesn't heal--and keeping a watch for anyone else approaching.]