abraxaslogs | A much deserved vacation day!

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A much deserved vacation day!

Who: The Free Cities Summoned
What: Beach Party Episode, aka the Summoned take a break and enjoy the new portal
When: June 6thish, post Nocwich weekend. We can timey wimey it folks.
Where: Aquila!

[ooc: these are just suggested prompts, please feel free to roll with any ideas you have! Thanks to Hannah for sharing the code. Descriptions about Aquila are taken from the settings page here and credited to the mods. A player-made Pinterest mood board was created here for inspiration, but keep the world of Abraxas in mind for the reality.]

The Aquila Portal / Time to Go!

An invite shows up on the network from Jesper Fahey to the Free Cities Summoned stating the following:

Hey everyone, I managed to score funds from our money makers to have a group outing through the Aquila portal. We deserve it, don't you think? We did vote it into being after all. So get out your beach day clothes (or lack thereof) and meet at 9 AM tomorrow. If you come later, I'll let the portal people know the list allowed. They've got chairs and such to rent there, so don't worry if you don't have anything helpful.

Let's party like we're in the Horizon! If you need some extra cash while there I know the people to beg.

PS - No arguing, Crows. (That means you Kaz.)

True to his word, Jesper will be waiting at the newly opened portal to mark the Summoned so they're allowed to get through with the money he's collected. He'll smile and wink at them as they go through. He is dressed casually himself for this outing and in high spirits. Summoned can meet up here and go through together if they'd like or maybe be persuaded if they're not really sure about it.

Welcome to Aquila!

Aquila is the world's fastest-growing economy and the scenery in Aquila is also considered some of the most beautiful, with both the mountains and beaches of Andromeda Bay nearby, making it a popular destination for vacationers.

The beach may be exciting, but it isn't the only part of Aquila to enjoy! The massive public market takes up most of the city's center. Anything you might want can be found here. Countless booths and stalls and carts fill the town's center, and traders from all across the nation congregate to offer their wares. From raw materials such as fabrics, dyes, exotic wood and stones, to finely crafted artisan everything. Furniture, clothing, foodstuffs, weapons, art, magical oddities, it's all here. The market opens at sun-up and shuts down sometime after sunset - plenty of sellers will linger, hoping for one last sale of the day.

Art and fashion thrive in Aquila. Studios and galleries of art are scattered all over the city and artists sketching or painting out on the streets or on the nearby beaches are a common sight. This is the time to go looking for new clothes as seamstresses and tailors are all looking to outdo themselves and create the next big fashion statement.

But if it's the beach fun you're looking for ....

Fun in the Sun!

It's more crowded than usual in Aquila thanks to the emergence of the portal, but the Summoned will manage to camp out their own area on the right side of the beach and have freedom to enjoy themselves alone. Nearby one of the entrances of the beach is a local business called The Wave Palace. There people can buy or rent chairs, cloth to sit on, hats, and other beach items to feel more comfortable.

Once settled onto their spot on the beach, the Summoned can enjoy a full day of various activities to either relax or be active. They can swim or race to see who is the better swimmer, do the same on a sand race, and head up to a popular nearby cliff that is perfect to jump off of. Challenge each other to the perfect dive or laugh if someone ends up belly-flopping.

Anyone can lounge comfortably in the sun or maybe they want to get creative and build sandcastles. They can rent bowls and sticks and other instruments at the shop to gather sand correctly. Maybe your castle is remarkably impressive or dismal at best, but the point is to have fun. If you're feeling mischievous you can bury a friend in sand, or even a stranger if you want to test fate. You can find rocks or shells to collect and bring home as a reminder of the trip here.

There is a bar down the beach called The Wave Crash Pub where people can sit and listen to live music or carry drinks back to their chair. At some point in the day, someone suggests playing a game of volleyball or something similar, and a net and ball can be found to set it up. Test your might against each other and no cheating! (Just kidding, cheat away.)

As the day comes to a close, stay long enough to watch the sunset together or do some night swimming to cool off. When it's time to go home, don't forget to either return your rented items or decide to buy it. See if you can convince a friend to get a keepsake or ask their opinion of one on the way out. Hope you all had fun in this beach day episode!

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“You’re incorrigible,” she says, doing the thing where she seems to materialize from nowhere, suddenly settled next to him on the beach blanket spread on top of the sand.

She leans back against her arms and stares out across the beach, watching people in their interactions, smiling, talking, laughing… it’s nice to have a moment like this. Even if a moment is all it is.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he says back dryly, with a smile. Jesper is in no way subtle and he tilts his head as someone runs by to very blatantly stare at them running away. Nice. "I just like being right, and I was the one who said every Summoned is attractive."

They have blatant proof of it at the moment. Even the old guy Cadfael was probably foxy in his day. Viktor is the one who has his book of hot people, but Jesper's book is permanently in his head. Writing even now. "I'm looking very respectfully!"

“Yes, you did. I remember.” She laughs and shakes her head at him again.

She hums a soft noise, sliding to lay beside him, her head propped in her hand, “Of course, naturally.” she bites her lip, a hesitation only because it’s just so… public, but when even that realization doesn’t really deter her first thought, she gives in to impulse and leans over to give him a kiss. Soft, chaste, but still not easily ignored.

Sure, no one is actively watching them at the moment, but it’s a big step for her to put any of her affections on display at all.

Jesper may be 'looking respectfully' at everyone, but once she sits down next to him, the only person he's looking at is her. She gets his full attention and that is why he is smiling right at her when she leans in to kiss him. He stays perfectly still as if dealing with a skittish deer until her lips touch his and only then does he return it very gently.

Inej is not a PDA person so it touches his heart, stirring up an array of butterflies in his stomach so his heart is pounding as if it's more than a nice chaste kiss. His wooing of her has been careful and genuinely respectful, and he cups her cheek, caressing the line of her jaw.

"Wow, I think my heart literally skipped a beat." Jesper laughs quietly and kisses her cheek sweetly. "An Inej kiss is a higher currency than any gold."

Having Jesper’s complete attention is a giddy sort of feeling, very different from the intensity she feels under Kaz’s full focus. She likes both, they’re just different variations of the same look, filtered through the person giving it to her.

Jesper, she has realized, is something of a chameleon lover, easily becoming whatever the person he’s with needs. Never in a manipulative way, which is an impressive balance to keep. With her, he is soft and gentle, lets her set the pace, but she never feels uselessly coddled by him, either. She isn’t made of porcelain and he doesn’t treat her like she is, either.

She leans her cheek into his hand as the kiss ends, a grin on her face at his comments. “Flatterer,” she says, playfully insulting but she can’t really stop smirking all the while.

Jesper is a chameleon in general, but in this way that adaptability is most easily perceived. He can be a different person to everyone he meets, but at his core he still is himself too. It's never him pretending. Inej has been his best friend since the moment he met her, and after the life she had, he would break the neck of anyone who looked at her wrong. And break the legs of any person who didn't respect her boundaries in a romance. He'd have to break his own legs, and probably would, if that ever happened.

Instead they always seem comfortable and on the same page. He lets her lead but not because she is made of glass, if anything giving her full say over everything is about how she's made of steel. Jesper likes women who have power over him, in all honesty, not that they've joked about that yet. It's probably implied.

"A silver-tongued devil, I know." Jesper leans in to give her a soft kiss again, so they both can get a nice little taste together. He leans back to look into her eyes. Dark and beautiful, windows to a beautiful soul without compare. "How are you doing, my love?"

She hums a soft amused sound into that kiss, her agreement with his statement lost in his mouth as she kisses him back.

When he breaks it again to ask her that, Inej settles against him, head on his chest, ear above his heart so she can listen to the steady thrum beneath his ribs. “Good… better. I think… we needed this.” Meaning all of the people here, but perhaps even more especially: them. The Crows. She knows things can be rough on all of them in different ways, and the chance to simply relax like this is good for them.

“What about you?” she asks softly, catching one of his hands in hers and tangling their fingers together. “And Wylan…?” That hasn’t been perfect, she knows. Her thumb trails against the edge of his hand in a soothing, steady motion.

"Yes, I think we did." That is why Jesper put in the work to make this happen. He's good at wheeling and dealing and with the coin and right silver tongue, it all worked out well for the day. He doesn't know if he can make this a regular thing, but it was really needed for the group here now. Healing takes time. A beach day won't fix their issues, but it gives them all something. A distraction.

Even for Kaz, who hates the water and is dressed head to toe, but he is here. And Jesper keeps glancing over at him, checking in, and despite those obvious details, he seems to be doing alright. Hard to tell with Kaz.

He lets her keep one of his hands, their fingers curled together, while the other one caresses against her hair. "I don't know," he says honestly. "He's good at adapting." They know that well of the merchling. He's smart and sharp and he can surprise people.

But he also knows that's not really what she's asking. It's about them, somewhat. "It does seem to hurt less, unless he's hiding it very well. He still is letting me in as a friend." Which is all Jesper can ask for in the end. His friendship. "I got a year back of memories. It happened all at once, when we got back. So now it feels like I'm two years ahead of him. A year being here, and a year being with him."

She leans a little into the feeling of his fingers in her hair. "Well, I know that much," she points out, rather obviously. Not exactly what she meant, but she knows that he knows that, too, so she doesn't bother pushing the point.

He still gives her more without the prodding anyway, and she nods a little. "That's good," and friendship may be all he can really request, she knows that. She still holds some hope that Wylan can... adjust to the shifting dynamics among their group. "It's a lot," she nods again, "but maybe it's just time you both need."

She makes a note to herself to send prayers to Sankta Maradi of Impossible Love. It can't hurt, and it might help, too.

"I think he'd probably be fine sharing me with you two. We're ... us." The Crows. And Jesper, Inej, and Kaz have always been a unit. It isn't a surprise to know that they've become what they did. It took time for them, for Kaz to be comfortable with them both, for Inej to be ready for all this casual affection and sweet kisses too, but it did make sense. It was so very natural.

Wylan didn't seem surprised at all about them, and there is something about it being their group. There is an inherent trust. They have a history, they've been through a lot together, as a crew. There is nothing unexpected with the group of them. But everyone else is an outsider. An unknown.

"I haven't technically told him about Mat. I told him there were others, plural." That he wasn't willing to give up, and that is the real summation of the situation. Jesper wouldn't give up Sylvain, Wilhelm, and Kell either, unless it was their choice. "I think I'm afraid if I tell him how serious we are, that door will shut for good."

Lying by omission is not a good look and Jesper is aware of that, but he was hoping for Wylan to get open to the idea of other people first, and then bring up the serious relationship he's maintained for a year. It's complicated. There is no easy path and he hates that.

There is something very natural about the subtle shift in dynamics among the group of them. It's how she's felt since the first time she and Jesper kissed, all those months ago now. It didn't feel strange or unusual like they were doing something they shouldn't be, it wasn't something to keep secret. It was just the natural progression in their relationship, it made sense, it... fit in a way she hadn't really ever considered before. But once the idea was there, it was hard to believe she'd never seen the possibility before.

As he hands over that little admission, her head tilts to one side as she levels him with arched eyebrows. She doesn't even have to say it, the words are painted so clearly on her face, but she voices it anyway, "Lies of omission are, technically, still lies, Jesper..." her voice is soft, like this is a truth she doesn't want to have to put in his hands. Even if he already knows it. "you have to tell him... everything, Jesper... or it won't work." that, at least, she's sure of. Anyone can get over anything that they're aware of- but no one can get past something that's being hidden from them.

She presses a soft, barely-there kiss to his lips. A balm against the sharpness of her honesty.

Jesper sighs because obviously he knew she was going to say that. And if he didn't need to hear it, he wouldn't have brought it up in the first place. Inej is always honest with him. He can lie to most people, but not to her. "Even I wasn't sure if I had this much space in my heart for everything I felt. And I'm me."

Meaning that Jesper wasn't sure he could maintain so much love and relationships at the same time, despite it feeling so very natural and easy for him. Because feelings are complicated. And yet it only showed him he was right. Each person he takes into his heart doesn't take a piece from anyone else, it's just that he grows in the space needed.

But that's Jesper. People would expect him to be able to do this. For Wylan, it's different. "After everything he went through with his dad and feeling like he wasn't good enough or chosen, I don't want to be another person to make him feel that way. Like he isn't special." And he is special to Jesper. Wylan will always be important to him. He's been without him all this time and yet he's never been far from him.

She smiles softly and presses a hand flat against his chest, just above his heart. "If there's only one thing that is true of you, it's that you love truly, and deeply, and never in half-measures." It isn't a surprise to her, really, that Jesper lends himself to love like this, wide-spread and never limited. Silly to think that you only love one person for all of time, especially with so much room in your heart as he has.

"As long as everything is open and on the table...I don't think you will have trouble making him feel special," she admits, "I never feel less special with you just because I know you have other lovers... you're very in the moment, all the time."

She hums a soft, curious sound and tips her head to look up at him a little more, "I could talk to him, too... after you do... if you want."

"You are special." He's relieved though to hear that she knows she is, that he's never made her feel otherwise. Jesper is so sincerely himself but that means he could miss that. "And that's partly why. You're always willing to take care of the hearts of others. And I love you so much for it." Jesper smiles and kisses her one more time, holding her close.

The sunset is better to share, with his Inej.

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A much deserved vacation day!

So many hot people everywhere;

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I think we said wrapping on all past things so official wrap!