( open ) an informal family dinner

[theidlemaiden]

Who: the summoned of cadens
When: beginning of august
Where: the sarstina inn and tavern
What: the welcome committee (sam wilson, hilda, jesper) has come back together again for another cadens welcome event! everyone might remember the last event and this one will be much of the same. Including, but not limited to, another invite by hilda! | sam art credit!
Warnings: will update as needed!

THE DINNER

Just as before, this is kicked off with Hilda's invitation, and if any of the Summoned come by Sarstina's that evening, they will find it set up a little differently than usual, but very similar to last time.

There is a long table set up near the bar that has a whole party-spread, a ye-old-southern-party kind of set-up, if you will. There are dips, charcuterie plates, sandwiches, drinks, a pastry/dessert bar and almost anything else that Sam could get his hands on. It is all, of course, limited by what’s available in Cadens, but thankfully he’s been here long enough to figure his way around the food options. Behind the bar is Mag (because no one else is getting their hands on the alcohol stash, thank you very much) and she will serve whoever it is that comes up to ask for a drink and will refuse any sort of payment - it appears someone is covering the tab tonight.

The rest of the tavern is set up for a party, with tables and chairs scattered around, a stage set up in the corner, and a decently sized space in front of the stage for dancing if the night gets to that point. There may or may not be some live music later in the evening, no promises have been made, but if anyone else wants to get up on the stage they are more than welcome.

Nadine has been kind enough to provide little apothecary bags filled with a mild sleeping tonic and things to help settle the nerves that new (and old) Summoned can take with them. There’s a table near the door and by the bar that have these bags in wicker baskets with a small sign that reads: Visit Salves and Stitches for all your medical needs!

The vibes are definitely low-key and casual – come get an ale, come eat some food, and if you're new there is a very good chance you'll end up (gently and in the most friendly way) cornered by either Sam, Hilda, Jesper, or any of the other Summoned. They are here to help answer questions and give a bit more background on what the hell is going on. And also let you know about the deal that has been going with Mag and the Inn for almost two years now. Aka, if you're looking for a room, there is one here for you in exchange for work. You can leave whenever you have a job, or you can stay as long as you like. It’s all about helping Summoned get more settled, and as long as you’re good at taking instruction and picking up after yourself, Mag hasn’t had any issues. Not a bad gig, right?

And if being social isn't your thing, or you’re just not the party kind of person, the Welcome Committee understands. But also, really, who is going to turn down free drinks and free food? The Cities work on coin and commerce, so turning down a free meal isn’t really the smartest thing. Plus - there’s alcohol. And the food is pretty damn good.

OOC INFO

- this is a totally open post! There will be some TL’s below from the Committee Members, but otherwise, have fun, meet some people, and put up a TL of your own! there are various places to run into people around the tavern, and if you find someone who is willing to help you into the Horizon (Sam is happy to help, but he’s helping Host), Sam's been letting people know they can use his room upstairs.

- the only Rule is there will be no fighting. You want to duke it out? Take it somewhere else. There will not be warnings or second chances, so don't be an ass. Summoned have lived in this Inn since they were all portaled here ages go, this is their home. and if ANYONE is seen giving Mag a hard time, there are a few people here who will not hesitate and who are not afraid of squaring up. Also, you cause problems, and you will not be invited back :)

- The whole purpose of the Welcome Committee is going to be going overboard to be welcoming, especially to new faces. Even if your character didn't see the big invitation, feel free to have them invited by word of mouth, or chased down by any of the members. Some Summoned may have also checked the barracks for any new Summoned to bring them into town.

- Mag is an NPC who you can read a little more about in the NPC section of the Cadens setting page. Feel free to have her come in and out of your tags as needed!

THE INN

Magmara (or Mag) has run the inn for years and has been a familiar face in that neighborhood as a woman who always made ends meet, almost in spite of the way she took care of her friends and neighbors above all else. Most weren't always sure how she managed to run the place on her own, but she made due, though she always seemed a bit overwhelmed and exhausted. When the Summoned arrived in the Cadens through that first portal, Sam managed to stumble in and make quick friends with Mag. In exchange for manual labor, fixing up and cleaning up the inn, as well as whatever other various tasks Mag needed to be done around, Sam would be given free room and board (a deal she now offers to any Summoned that arrives in the city for as long as they need it).

The inn itself is 4 floors tall, with the top three floors making up the 15 or so rooms (around five rooms per floor), and the entire bottom floor reserved for the restaurant area. The tavern makes up the entire first floor and is a large open floorplan, with a small stage in the corner, a walled-off area for the decently sized kitchen, and a large wooden bar where Mag does all her business for both the inn and tavern (where can almost always be found standing behind). It serves drinks of some variety (though not nearly as large a selection as some of the more well-known taverns) and some food (usually a single, large meal that will be served to the tenants and whoever comes in throughout the night for a moderate price). It can be busy some evenings, but in general tends to keep a more 'dive-bar' kind of feel, filled with more locals and regulars than a casual dinner-going crowd.

The rooms themselves vary from fairly simple, single-bed inn-style rooms with a small bathroom and little else, up to a two 'bedroom' suite style with small kitchenettes and spaces for sitting rooms. Each bedroom has its own small bathroom for the tenants, with cleaning, washing, and chores left to those who live there. What used to be more of a working inn now serves as a kind of boarding house for newly arrived Summoned (or simply those who won't leave), and Mag has found herself quite okay with that.

Comments

[righteously]

( Sam's not too off-base in his associations; there are a number of striking similarities between Dean and another man Sam knows. Some similar themes in the loss of control, of consuming guilt, of recovery. One of the key differences, though, is that Dean has never been good at being alone. He's never been good at isolating himself from folks, he's too codependent, too lonely at a core level.

So yeah, it only takes a few weeks for him to start tentatively crawling out of that shadow, as opposed to months. He's got an unfillable black hole constantly craving familial attachment, too dense and consuming to ignore the efforts of somebody reaching out the way Sam did.

The hand gets shaken and, in a gentle but fluid movement, transitioned into a loose side-body hug. It's done with the tenderness of somebody entirely too aware that they've thrown fists to cause harm to the person they're touching — even if Sam wasn't the focal point of the altercation, he was still present at the fight. Dean still fully would have killed him if given the opportunity and the slightest hint of a reason. That's a rough reality for a man like him to swallow, given his MO is supposed to be protecting his family.

They peel back. Food's mentioned, and Dean reacts the way he's supposed to, the way he knows people expect: with exaggerated, deep appreciation. It's not a wholly sincere response, a fair amount of it's just going through the motions for the sake of keeping things light. Pretense, slapped like a coat of paint over top of how tired he is and how unsure he feels about his footing. )

Oh, hell yes. I'd destroy about a pound and a half of Mac right now.

( More accurately, he'll pick at some eventually when he has a few drinks to take the edge off of being in this crowd.

Don't mind him just redirecting the conversation away from himself here: )

How you holdin' up? New blood runnin' you ragged yet?

[falcony]

[ sam would argue that it's not a bad thing to be bad at being alone; that the need for those connections, that the simple nature of needing someone else around, it's a first step. a first step that some, who will not be named at this current time, tend to push back against more than they really should.

either way, sam's glad to see dean. glad that he doesn't seem against coming out and about, even to something akin to a freshmen orientation. and see, here's the thing: sam can do awkward side hugs just as good as the next person, pretty phenomenal ones at that. but he also kind of hates them, no longer carries with him the subconscious anxiety that a full hug has anything weird connotation to it. which, of course, means that as soon as dean is gently and fluidly moving from the handshake to something side-body, sam is going to equally gently and fluidly turn and - chest to chest - give dean an actual hug. one that may or may not say that he knows, and that dean doesn't need to worry about it.

hardly the first time sam could have easily been murdered by someone he (now) calls a friend.

and when he pulls back, it's like nothing has changed. dean reacts, overdramatic and enthusiastic, and sam can tell it lacks a foundation. an honesty. he knows that dean is putting up a front, and as always, there's a part of him that almost wants to call him out on it. a part of him that probably does, in that quiet way he just sort of looks, sees, and then makes a very specific decision not to press. ]

Good, I made too much kinda hoping you would. The cheese woulda gone bad otherwise.

[ but they can get to that later - sam also needs a drink, so they're going to have to get that sorted first. ]

Honestly, it hasn't been half bad. Feels a bit like getting back into a routine, as much as you can have one around here. But there are a lot of new kids this time; almost a weird amount. Haven't seen Mag's this busy in a while, especially since everyone moved out. [ pointed, friendly look. ]

[righteously]

( How dare you fully embrace him in a warm and enthusiastic hug, Sam?? What's wrong with you?? He doesn't need this kind of overwhelming emotion and acceptance in his life right now, he's one strong gust of breeze away from shedding that single man tear. Stop it this instant. That's downright irresponsible of you.

Look, they both Know that he's full of shit, and they both know the other knows. He's not trying to be convincing over here, he's just trying to keep it together. It's for his own benefit, not Sam's.

They amble in an unspoken agreement to head toward the booze. Dean takes the initiative of pouring Sam a drink from one of the open bottles at the buffet table, and offers it over without even asking. )

Hey, don't look at me like that. She caught me scoring Devil's Traps into like three different rooms and threatened to take my head off with a cast iron skillet. I needed somewhere I could renovate. Speaking of which, I ever get around to doing yours?

( Because he has learned no lessons and is still full willing to vandalize Mag's, especially now that he doesn't live here and therefor is harder to decapitate with cookery. )

[falcony]

[ oh, he'd dare to do a whole lot more than that if given the opportunity - but right now, sam's a bit too clued in on just how fragile dean's whole situation is right now. and while he would absolutely support - nay, encourage - a single man tear, he's also not gonna throw dean's already fragile pride under the bus in front of everyone else. so for right now, he's gonna get a hug, and then a very easy and seamless continuation like nothing at all had occurred.

so yeah, he's there with him in that keeping it all together. and they can keep keeping it all together.

but yes, they're moving, and they're talking, and sam's all but agreed not to press on it any more right now. does that mean dean's not at risk at any given moment after this evening? that sam might just show up at his house and start being direct and focused and now it's time to talk about it? yes. but again, baby steps.

he takes the drink. ]

Well whose fault was that? I would've done the same if it were my place. You can't really blame her. [ but sam's still grinning, takes a long drink from the cup he'd been given - it is entirely possible there is some much needed relief in just how big of one he takes. because yeah, as good as he is with all this, sometimes you just need some alcohol. ]

Don't think you did- actually. Lemme know when you want to come by and you can give me the whole Ted talk with it too. I figure it's got some sorta hocus pocus to it, yeah?