A much deserved vacation day!

[itookashot]

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!

Comments

[techmaturgy]

Contrary to what some might believe, Viktor actually does like the water, and his memories of Aquila are now fond enough that he doesn’t mind a return trip. He and Jayce have business here anyway, so it’s a good excuse to further operations and get in some additional relaxation time. Jayce is attentive as always, and though Viktor will express a desire to go into the water later, when the sun is less intense, he’s content for now to enjoy the shade of the umbrella and the comfortable chair.

He’s brought books and a notebook, true to form, but he doesn’t work so hard that he isn’t watching Jayce. It’s hard not to, given how at home he is under the rays of the sun, and he must admit that this is not a bad look for him at all. Maybe he even stares a little.

So he’s in good spirits when Jayce returns, leaning forward in his chair and reaching for him, hoping to pull him in for a kiss in greeting.

“Hi,” he says, leaning forward in his chair and reaching for him, hoping to pull him in to greet him with a kiss. “What have you brought me?”

Lunch, apparently, and Viktor reaches for it to start picking through. He has more of an appetite now that he isn’t sick, but as a rule he doesn’t eat much, and that hasn’t changed. Fresh fruit is nice, though, and he’ll reach for an apple, to start, taking a long look at Jayce as he settles in next to him, not bothering to hide his appreciation.

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself out there.”

[hextechhead]

"Very fresh fruit." Which Jayce knows that Viktor will want, and he proves that by immediately reaching for it. He knows his appetite was never huge in the first place, but for years now Jayce has put food down in front of him as they worked, and it's just a natural part of their dynamic.

Jayce knows the feeling of Viktor's eyes on him so he's felt them more than a few times today, and always shot him a warm look back and a bright smile. He's rarely the relaxing sort himself, always constantly working, so being active for no more reason than fun is a rare thrill. He settles into his chair next to him and playfully does a full body stretch, part for his need, part for Viktor's gaze.

"I am. The desert, not for me, the beach, sometimes for me." Jayce probably wouldn't want to spend all day every day here either though, it's beautiful but distracting. He does miss the metropolitan of Piltover, the city energy, that doesn't quite feel the same in Cadens. He misses the tall buildings and unique architecture. But less and less does that stay at the front of his mind.

Sometimes he wonders what it would be like to see Thorne. He's seen Luna, Nocwich, and Solvunn now, and all their incredibly unique looks, but they were only on the boundary of Thorne. Some day, maybe. The world keeps opening up more and more by the day, and he's still an optimist.

"It's good to see everyone enjoying themselves." They could really all use it. It's been a rough few months. "After a childhood of being too weird to be invited to group activities, it's fun to be an adult and just weird enough to be invited to group activities."

[techmaturgy]

"Mm--," he answers, mouth full, reaching over to the basket to see what else is there. When he finds it acceptable, he leans back in his chair and continues to enjoy bites of the apple, appraising Jayce as he sits. Viktor is not at all subtle about the way his gaze travels from Jayce's eyes downward, then back up again. He reaches out in response to that full body stretch, hand just grazing the smooth curve of Jayce's arm.

A great deal has changed for them in the past month, and as a result, Viktor seems more amenable to open displays of affection--or maybe he just can't resist, given the way Jayce practically glows.

"Sometimes. I saw you showing off."

Glances exchanged, both of them knowing exactly what they mean. Viktor is glad, too, that Jayce feels comfortable with their community of summoned. He knows more than most what it feels like, not to belong.

"Yes, I think something like this was sorely needed." For all of them, but Viktor isn't going to say no to another beach getaway with Jayce. He's even getting some work done, though that's probably not surprising. "Do you want to see what I've been working on?"

A rhetorical question, of course. Viktor is going to show him anwyay.