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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Wh--you're sorry!?

[He was taking a nap! has whipped cream on his face! This is humiliating! Yes, he can imagine how tempting it was, to play this kind of prank on him, but it doesn't change the fact that this is a betrayal of the highest order.

Viktor presses the towel against his face, wiping it downwards, then gets to work on his hands.]

Do you know how little I sleep?

I am sorry!

[ Sorry about...she's not sure what so she isn't about to elaborate on that. She doesn't technically regret the prank even if a nap had been sacrificed for the greater good. ]

I do, I see the dark circles under your eyes any time I see you. But this shouldn't be the only place that you take naps or rest.

[ Something about how he should really consider sleeping at a regular time is on the tip of her tongue when her mind belatedly realizes what finger said ring is on. She's by his side in a flash, pointing at the band. ]

Wait a minute - what's that?

You don't sound sorry!

[She's laughing. She hit him in the face with whipped cream and she's laughing.

The anguish, however, is passing as Viktor cleans off more and more of said whipped cream. Probably there's still some in his hair, and smeared in places that he didn't manage on the first pass, but the towel is, at least, a blessing. He's working on one finger at a time when she tries to point something out to him.]

What?

[Truly, he has no idea, because he's still cleaning whipped cream off of himself. For all he knows this is another EVIL SCHEME.]

[ Her laughter is subsiding though. Really it is! The snorts are gone and Perry has been tasked with going to retrieve another towel for Viktor's hair. Washing whipped cream out of your hair was a pain (as she had learned from first hand experience), so maybe an extra set of hands to help will somehow put her down the path to forgiveness.

Thank god for Perry though. Hilda's far too preoccupied now. There's another pointed look at the ring, the corners of her lips twitching as if trying to contain another laugh or smile. ]

The ring? You don't wear jewelry normally. Or ever really. [ Her eyes shine, like she's caught the scent of something but she wants to hear it from him. ] Is it what I think it is?

Oh, uh--

[Now he's even more flustered. Perhaps he'd been hoping that engagement rituals varied greatly, between worlds, but this is now the second person who recognizes exactly what kind of jewelry this is and what it's for. Why is this, of all things, such a universal constant?

Viktor pulls his hands back. This is his own fault, because jewelry-wearing is not conducive to engineering work. In fact, it's outright dangerous, to be wearing things like this in a workshop, where they can catch on various mechanisms. Of course Hilda, with her own interests, would take note of such a thing.]

Jayce made it for me.

[Which both does and does not answer her question.]

Mhmm, and?

[ She grins, scooting up a little closer, eyes growing brighter. It's an answer, but it's not the answer she had been hoping for. Relentless in her pursuit, she presses on with a couple more questions because she knows that it has to mean something, especially considering Viktor's...very practical take on accessories and skin care. ]

Was it maybe for a special occasion? Or was it just one of those, I just felt like making you a gift that happens to be a ring?

It's not--

[But it is. It's a big deal, and Viktor knows he has to be much less resistant to just...saying it, because no matter how impossible it still feels, it's the truth, and it's something to be celebrated. He falls silent. Readjusts. Tries to be less defensive--although this is something that belongs only to him, he doesn't need to keep it so close. Nobody is going to take it away.]

He asked me to marry him.

[ It should come as no surprise that Hilda's immediate reaction to the news that she had already suspected to be true is a squeal of delight. She doesn't even think to ask if Viktor said yes. He's wearing the ring after all.

Immediately her arms are thrown around Viktor to give him a squeeze, not caring that she may get whipped cream on her in the process. ]

Viktor - congratulations! I'm so happy for you two. [ There's a gasp as her mind begins to rapidly spin. ] We'll have to get you on a regular skin care routine to look your best. And oh, have you thought about when - [ Her stream of consciousness is cut off, leaving her wondering belatedly if the sentence had been delivered with less enthusiasm than should be expected by someone who had just relayed some very happy news.

Hilda pulls back, looking hesitantly at him. ]

That's a good thing, isn't it?

Thank you.

[The squeal is a bit much, to say nothing of the fact that he's still got whipped cream in places. Perry deposits a towel on his head, and he busies himself by scrubbing it through his hair, as if that's going to get him out of talking about this.

It's not. Already he shrinks at the prospect of a skin care routine, to say nothing of an actual wedding.]

You'll have to ask Jayce. He's the one who wants the ceremony.

[Viktor, for his part, already considers this a done deal, but formalizing it in their domain with all of their friends is something that will make Jayce happy, so Viktor is willing to do it for him. He offers Hilda a reassuring smile, not wanting to give her the wrong idea.]

It's a good thing, don't worry.

[ Relief floods her features at the reassuring smile that appears on Viktor's face. She had worried for a moment that she had misinterpreted the silence for something else, but what she isn't sure. All she had known was that there was a nuance to the response that wasn't overwhelming excitement (albeit in a Viktor way).

Tamping down her excitement, her smile soften. That doesn't stop the lilt of teasing in her voice though as she takes the other towel Viktor had discarded to help him clean the last remnants of whipped cream he had missed. ]

This might be shocking to hear but I'm not surprised that Jayce wanted the ceremony. And I mean that affectionately. [ There's a pause before she lets out a short laugh at her own expense. ] I was just worried that I had misread the news somehow, which is silly because you two love each other so obviously you'd be excited in your own way.

It's not surprising at all.

[It is very Jayce. He wants the formality of it, where Viktor would be content just professing their commitment in private. Hell, they've already done that, but he understands the impulse to make it official, especially because they won't be doing any Free Cities paperwork about it.

He finishes with the towel, setting it aside and dropping his hands into his lap.]

No, I'm just...I don't like the attention. [Nervous about it, actually.] But he knows that.

[ Hilda's stance on attention has always been a funny thing. She liked it when it was attention by her own design. Unsurprisingly, any attention that fell in the unwanted category was the sort that called any attention to her that didn't have to do with her outward appearance.

Just because it's their wedding doesn't mean that not wanting the attention is mutually exclusive to hosting one with their close friends. And as much as she'd like to tease him about it, she takes a moment to think to herself instead. Taking the towel from Viktor's lap she quietly folds it up along with the one in her own hands for depositing somewhere later. ]

I'm sure Jayce has it covered, but is there anything I can do to help you not liking the attention? [ Her lips quirk. ] And don't say making a cardboard cut out of you to stand in during the ceremony. Although I could if you really wanted one.

[Viktor will want to actually clean off at some point, but for now he's whipped cream-free enough to feel better about leaning back in his chair and continuing the conversation. Though it's an obvious part of his personality--he doesn't like attention and generally avoids being perceived, talking about it is another thing entirely.]

I told him that if he wants a ceremony, he gets to do all of the planning.

[And Viktor will trust him not to do anything he wouldn't like. In return, he will show up to the event, and will not be in his pajamas.]

Though, I have to admit your offer is tempting.

[ The news that Jayce would likely be doing all the planning comes as no surprise to Hilda either. Offering him a wink, she can't help but laugh a little bit. ]

I really shouldn't because I believe that someone getting married should be the centre of attention but since I like you so much, I'll have a back up cut out made just in case. That does mean I'll need to know what you're planning on wearing though for it to be a convincing body double. [ Her eyes light up. ] Oh! I can even get Perry to carry it around so it moves!

[ As much as she'd love to gush and ask a million questions about how the proposal went, making him uncomfortable is the last thing she wants to do. Unfortunately she'd already done that to someone else earlier in the week so her quota had been met. Her gaze softens. ]

How are you feeling about it though? And I don't mean the ceremony.

Oh. I'll be in my pajamas.

[He sounds. Entirely serious about that. Worse comes to worse, she believes him, and she and Perry show up to the wedding with an animated cardboard cutout of Viktor in his sleepwear. He'll get a kick out of that, he thinks.

But suffice to say he will not be spoiling the surprise--mostly because he hasn't thought yet about what he wants to wear not when there are so many other things to think about. His gaze drops to his lap.]

It's not something I ever saw for myself. Certainly not something that could happen back home. That's probably why he did it.

Please don't show up in your pajamas.

[ Hilda looks pained at the thought because she wouldn't put it past him to do just that. She's a good friend but she can still want him to be comfortable while looking his best. All of that is to say that she could still be convinced to make a cutout of him in his pajamas because it would be funny, but she wouldn't be on board with him actually showing up in pajamas.

Now that she knows a little bit more about their relationship in their world versus their relationship here, Hilda doesn't need to ask further what he means by that. It makes her think about their conversation the night of the Old Public Hall reopening, about staying here. About never returning home to things that neither of them wanted to transpire. Better to focus on the here and now. ]

Not seeing something for yourself and not wanting it are two different things though. [ She pauses, mulling her words over. ] Did you ever want to get married?

They could be very nice pajamas. You don't know.

[That said, he could use some help in that department. If he tells her now, though, he'll probably never hear the end of it. Something to keep in his back pocket for later.

He knows they've talked about this already, and at the time Viktor hadn't planned to divulge his recent change in relationship status. Now, however, it's hard not to frame this current conversation with the last one. About how none of this would have been possible, back where he comes from. There's more reasons, however, than just their respective social standings.]

I never thought about it. My work was always the most important thing. [Jayce, he thinks, was the exception, because it was their work. He'd never shared anything like it with someone else before.] I also...wasn't sure I'd live long enough to make it happen.

Are they though?

[ She's going to call his bluff on that. While she's normally supportive of people and what they wear (well, most of the time) of him wearing whatever he wanted, she knew Viktor well enough to know that he wasn't likely to show up in say, a silky pair of pajamas that could be considered fancy.

The answer is a sobering. What did you do when you were certain that you weren't going to make it past a certain age? Hope was a powerful thing and she knew that from experience. As much as she was stubbornly determined to not just survive the war but live to see days past it, she would be lying if some of that was also not fuelled by hope. Some people thought it was better to nip it in the bud and be realistic about your situation and circumstances.

She rarely did nip things in the bud unless they were...well, feelings. But she doesn't want to touch those right now with a ten foot pole and nipping it in the bud is certainly not what she wants for Viktor. She may never know exactly what he's lived through, but she does know that he's destined - and more than deserving - of bright, good things. She grips his hand giving his hand a squeeze and a warm smile. ]

But you will now. [ A cheeky spark appears in the curve of her lips. ] And really, if you can survive the great whipped cream prank of Aquila, I'm sure you can live through anything in the name of love.

[He shrugs! She'll never know.

Viktor is well aware that it's not necessarily a happy answer, but he's comfortable enough around Hilda by now that he knows he doesn't have to sugarcoat or otherwise hold back. There's still a great deal he's adjusting to, but it's helpful, to know he has people to support him. People who want to see him happy and successful, and share in the good things that happen.

He breaks into a smile of his own--softer, maybe more for himself than anyone else. Viktor squeezes her hand in return.]

Thank you, Hilda. I think you may be right.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A much deserved vacation day!

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