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

[itookashot]

Jesper walks him toward the beach bar, holding his hand the whole way there, because why not? He always leans into the effortless affection he shows people. It does get them away from the Summoned crew and none of the natives around are noticing them, so it's the closest to privacy they're going to get on a beach.

He listens as Sylvain explains what's going on and that does sound unfortunate. Jesper has always been the peacemaker in his group of friends so when conflict happened, he's usually the first to step in, either to make a joke or try to diffuse the situation. Outside of the one time he and Kaz tried to beat each other up, but that was a long while ago, and they were in a bad place.

"Have you told them about how it makes you feel? I wouldn't be surprised if knowing they're hurting someone they care about would make them realize they're being selfish."

It seems like they're both in their feelings about whatever this conflict is, which means thinking about other people isn't at the top of their mind. Sometimes telling them to get their shit together for someone else is the best approach. He's done it himself. He doesn't know enough about their individual relationships to guess about this.

There are no Summoned at the bar so they picked a good time to get drinks. "Do you think it's sexual tension? I've seen a lot of people fight like they want to take each other's throat out, and then start making out instead." Hello, he is people.

[philancer]

"I'm pretty sure they're very aware of how I feel about it all, considering I finally lost my temper at both of them yesterday and stormed out after yelling at them."

He huffs out a deep sigh as he lifts a hand to wave over the bartender and then orders a drink, glancing over at Jesper to let him do the same. He sinks down on one of the stools at the far end of the bar. It's quiet enough here at the moment. Besides, he doesn't want to spend the entire drink dwelling on all this. He's been doing enough of that of late.

It's clear he's not proud of his own part in all that - Sylvain's temper normally burns on an extremely long fuse, and he's pretty sure that's actually the first time he'd ever been truly angry at either of them. But Jesper's question gets a snort of amusement from him, because he can only imagine Claude and Hilda's expressions if they heard that.

"If it were only sexual tension, I'd have found a way to push them both into a closet and lock them there till they got over this by now. No, this goes deeper than that. I suspect they've both been in love with each other for years, but it's never been something they've broached before. With the war back home, I can see why the time wouldn't have been right, but here... If they've started broaching it now, it's not going well and there are feelings hurt all around. That's not so easy to resolve."

Not that he got involved in messy feelings often. That's usually about when he starts running for the door. Or the nearest window.

"Of course, 'resolving' still requires them to be able to have a civil conversation with each other, which neither one of them seem capable of at the moment."

[itookashot]

"Good for you," Jesper tells him sincerely. It doesn't matter if Sylvain isn't proud of losing his temper, because it sounds like he absolutely deserved to communicate with them. If it's yelling, fine, the point is that it's talking of some kind. Sylvain shouldn't have to feel unhappy all the time because they can't figure themselves out. He's defensive of his lovers, unsurprisingly.

"Oh love is a lot harder than lust." If Claude and Hilda are in love, and are in this sort of state, it's probably more complicated than needing to make out in a closet. Jesper hmms and takes a sip of his drink. "I know poly situations are very popular in the Summoned, but it's not for everyone. Jealousy is a killer of relationships of all kinds." Meaning, maybe they're feeling jealous and possessive if that's how they've felt about each other all this time.

Jesper tried monogamy back home and it went well, but he and Wylan are at odds at the moment because they aren't quite on the same page about it. "There is the obvious, darling." Jesper reaches out to run his fingers affectionately through Sylvain's lovely red hair. "Maybe you should move out and give them some space, come back to the inn, for a little while. Until they sort their shit out. There's no reason you should have to stay in the midst of it."

He smiles at him and leans in to kiss him gently on the cheek. "Not that I'm saying this for selfish reasons like having reasons to sneak into your room." They can do that anyway, he's just trying to make it sound more appealing.

[philancer]

“Jealousy?” Sylvain blinks at him a moment, looking completely baffled, but then just shakes his head with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure that’s the least of their problems.” He’s well aware they have nothing to be jealous of, if they could stop sniping at each other long enough to realize it. He’s pretty sure that should be his role here, actually, but he already knows he’s on borrowed time with them. He’s known that from the start.

But he just gives a rueful chuckle as he shakes his head and leans into the touch of those fingers in his hair, eyes sliding closed in enjoyment for a moment before he reaches for his own drink and downs several long swallows in quick succession.

Just in time to get kissed on the cheek, but he turns his head at the last one and catches Jesper’s lips with his own for a true kiss before he can pull away, grinning at him cheekily. “You know very well you have never needed a reason to be in my bedroom, other than you wanted to be there - sneaking or otherwise.”

But his suggestion is a valid one and he hums as he gives it some thought. “I’ll think about it. I’m not quite ready to give up on it all just yet. Maybe it’s naive of me, but I’m still hoping they’ll figure their shit out before it comes to something like that. Besides.” His wry smile turns into a smirk as he leans into steal another kiss. “I’d miss my new kitchen too much.”

[itookashot]

"I'm not sure. If they've loved each other for a long while but never got to talk about it, and then are here, there's really no good reason to avoid getting together outside of maybe insecurity or waiting for the other person to say it first." But if they're going to keep being mean at each other, neither will say it. Jesper shrugs, sipping his drink. "But you know me, obnoxiously communicative."

He knows it is overall a good trait. It has kept all his relationships healthy and in order and his friendships close. The people in his life he loves and cares for know that he does, they never have to doubt. But it does mean it's harder for him to understand not taking shots.

"Inej and Kaz only got their shit together when we came here. Kaz in general, actually." Jesper knows exactly where Kaz is at the moment. He always does. He's also difficult to miss considering he's clothed head to toe and avoiding the actual water. Jesper found them a spot in the shade so he could have some distance during this trip. "But they're happy, finally, because of it." And Jesper too, for being with both of them. The Crow dynamics are complicated.

"I'm not saying move out forever, just temporarily. Like a week, to give yourself a break. It's always an option." But Jesper gets he doesn't want to take that option until he has to. It's just nice that all of them have it. Mags' inn is there for the Summoned no matter what. He cups Sylvain's cheek, running his thumb gently along his skin.

"You can put your own sanity first sometimes, that's all I'm saying. Your happiness is important too."