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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Wylan hadn't known what to expect from a beach day, it wasn't something that he had ever really done back home. Ketterdam wasn't exactly full of beaches. Canals yes, but no one wanted to swim in those, and he would know since he had. But Jesper had put it together and Wylan would do anything for Jesper, plus he knew a few of his newly made friends were also going to be there. Hilda had wasted no time in picking out clothes for him and he sort of liked what he looked like in them. He'd spent a lot of the day exploring the surrounding town but as the day grew later he found himself on the beach, in the water for a little, and now the sun was starting to set.

His gaze fell on Jesper like it always did when they were in the same vicinity, always drawn to him. Things weren't as awkward as they were when he arrived but he still felt a disconnect between them. He didn't like it, he missed him. He felt wrong not to be in his orbit all the time, but Jesper had a life here and he didn't want to get in the way.

He shakes the feeling off, for now, he wants to go sit with him so he does. Sitting down on the sand next to him and grinning. "Hey you."

Jesper is always very aware of where Wylan is. That's always been the case but more so now, when there is space between them. He does seem like he's been having a good time today though, he's caught him smiling more than once out of the corner of his eye, and it made him feel warm and good. After missing him so much, he's constantly amazed by the fact he could reach out and touch him if he wanted to, except there is an invisible wall there now.

He wants him but he doesn't want only him, and they have a difference in experience, together and apart. But when Wylan settles down next to him, he wants to sling an arm around him or put his head in his lap. He wants those perfect fingers running through his hair. He looks over at him when he sits though and smiles.

"Looking lovely, merchling, as always." It would be a lot stranger if he didn't flirt every time he opened his mouth. He does look good though, even relaxed. Jesper offers him a stone made of seashells and sand, polished into a perfect smooth surface, with a W etched into it. "Something as a keepsake."

Wylan feels his cheeks heat up and he looks down, bashful. It always makes him feel warm inside when Jesper compliments him, knowing that someone "likes his stupid face" as Jesper had so eloquently told him once. "You do too, not that that's hard for you. You always look nice." Even with giant bird on his swim shorts, only Jesper could pull that off.

He leaned against Jesper's side as he took the offered stone, studying it and turning it over in his hands. "Thank you, it was a good day to have a keepsake from. Did you have fun?"

"I know, I'm very hot, but please always continue to tell me. My ego needs regular feeding." Jesper is teasing although Wylan is one of the few who knows that while he's very confident in some ways, in others he struggles with insecurity. His whole fear of being Grisha, the damage ignoring it did to his mind, his shame about his addiction and his father's disappointment, those are all parts of him Jesper is fantastic at hiding from view. But Wylan knows, more than most.

"I did. Everyone really needed it. It's been a rough few months." This is also a reveal that his intention here was precise. It wasn't just for fun, Jesper's caretaking in his own way. Giving everyone a fun outlet after struggling to adjust due to the kidnapping and then exeuction. It's why he's been having a great time but also watching everyone else, making certain his plan is working. He's seen more smiles today than for a long time, so it worked out.

He looks at him with warm gray eyes, sighing. "Sometimes I think you can't really be here and I'm imagining it."

"Your ego never needs feeding." At least not about his looks Wylan knows, just like he knows telling Jesper he's proud of him for working on his Grisha powers means more to him than telling him he's handsome. "Did you make this outfit?"

Just like he also knows this is Jesper's way of caring for everyone, especially those he loves. That if you let him he would love nothing more than to take care of everyone, even if he might hide his nurturing nature behind bright smiles, flirtations, and distraction. He's probably one of the most nurturing people Wylan has ever met, and he suspects he gets that from his mother. "You're a good man, Jesper Fahey." And he means that sincerely, one of the best men he's ever met.

Wylan smiles at him, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together. "I'm definitely real and definitely here."

"I did, it's not really the type of thing they'd design here." Jesper's brand of ridiculous humor is so precise (and immature) that he usually does have to make himself things for the joke. It's one of those displays of his powers that is more subtle. He can design clothing now easily, and make ridiculous images like this. He's made Wylan corecloth like the rest of the Crows, although none of them are wearing it now.

"Don't go around spreading lies like that, Wy." In the past, a comment like that would be hiding shadows in his eyes, his doubts about actually being good, and there is still some of it. As nurturing and kind and loving as he is, he went to a dark place shortly before Wylan got here. He's never gone that dark before. It's easy to forget it when they're on a beautiful beach and Wylan takes his hand.

Jesper looks at him. He thought he'd forgotten the details of what he looked like, being this far apart, but the truth is he didn't. Jesper remembered them past a year. "My domain used to be your house. The Crow Club and that." The Van Eck mansion where Wylan grew up with his terrible father. But they kicked Jan out of it and they were going to start a life together. They did start a life together. Jesper had been so full of hope when he first arrived it took time before he turned it into his current cabin. Months.

"Our house, I suppose. I had an art room for your mother." Such a small detail, as if she would ever appear here, and she never would, but something Jesper would think of. If Wylan came and needed a place to stay, he could have had his domain. That was the thought.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, your reputation is safe." He squeezes Jesper's hand, and keeps hold of it as he speaks. He can't imagine what it would have been like, to arrive alone with no one here waiting, especially after just finding each other really. Wylan sometimes wishes he would have shown up sooner, would things be less weird then?

"I miss you." He knows they see each other fairly regularly but it's not the same as it was. He's been hesitant and Jesper is giving him space, sometimes he wishes he wouldn't.

Jesper can't say that he regrets anything that's happened in the past year or so because it's also brought him a lot. So many people he loves, a new found family that means so much to him. He's found happiness here and while he missed things about Ketterdam, like Wylan or his father, he also carved out his own life. That is why he is not willing to part with aspects of it.

He looks at him pensively and lifts Wylan's hand to his mouth, kissing the palm gently. "I love you, Wylan, and I want to be with you, but I've made relationships here I can't leave. Just as I wouldn't have left you." They did agree to monogamy back then, so this is a more complicated situation, but it's just as true. These relationships matter the same. "I don't want to force you into a situation you are uncomfortable with."

"I haven't asked you to change anything for me." He knows it's futile; he also wouldn't do that to Jesper. "I'm not expecting you to." Wylan knows Jesper, he wouldn't give him an ultimatum, that's not what you do to someone you care about. He gets that Jesper has people here that he loves, and Wylan is glad he's been able to find happiness in this strange world.

He can't say he's not jealous, of course, he is. These other people get a piece of Jesper that he was also supposed to have, and he's not sure staying away is the answer anymore. He's just also not sure what it is Jesper wants from him. He says one thing but continues to keep him at arm's length.

"I know." Jesper lets some of his pensive facade crack and he looks genuinely sad for a moment. "I just can't bear the thought of being someone who hurts you. You've had enough of that." He was supposed to be the one to treasure Wylan, to love and take care of him in a way he never got from his father or anyone else. It was important to Jesper to give Wylan what he deserved.

And the problem with their situation is that it's not easy to stop from accidentally doing that. Jesper's been free with his lovers for a long time now, and even today he has kissed Sylvain and Inej in public, and will Kaz later on too. He doesn't think about it anymore, it's so natural. But he worries about it.

He lifts Wylan's hand to his own cheek, holding it there, leaning into it. "I miss you too."

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A much deserved vacation day!

Sunset

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