( 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

[itookashot]

[ Jesper was always the right-hand man, and before Kaz got here, he transitioned that instinct of his to Sam. Sam's right-hand man, before Kaz and Steve came here, when Sam could use someone at his back even when it came to the simple stuff like helping out around the inn or running errands. Sam brought him here when he fled the barracks and he's never stopped paying that debt, it's why he does the same thing every time the newbies start coming in.

Jesper has a loving, if complicated, relationship with his own father. Nadine, Julie, Wanda, and Sam all have their own versions of familial relationships to Jesper and they have kept him sane all this time. Gave him motivation, people to love, people to protect. He knows that Sam is basically the same; they have more in common than they don't, really.

It always is easy with Sam. It's a rhythm and they both are good at keeping the beat. ]

Have all the new people in the vault here.

[ Jesper taps his temple. He's always had an uncanny skill for keeping track of the Summoned. It's what made him a successful right-hand man, after all. It means that he knows who comes in and out, a few details about them and a sussing out, and the funny part is that he gives Viktor versions of it in thirst format. But in a weird way, his book to him is a census of Summoned. A funny one. ]

Yeah another floor might need a permit, ask her. We can get the coin. If people pitch in, it should be easy. I helped with the reconstruction of the Old Public Hall for Alucard, it'll be a lot easier than that.

[ It should be easy in terms of money and manual labor to help out. He knows most of his people will, and he has no doubt that people who have moved out would come back to help out the general good. That's what this community is, and Sam built it. Alucard's work required an entire building and area, this is a floor of an inn. Should be fine.]

I never thought I'd end up a mix between a carpenter, plumber, engineer, and merchant, but life's funny like that.

[ He's pretty sure his dad would've liked him to be all of those more than what he actually was. ]

[falcony]

[ and sam's noticed, of course. noticed it the moment jesper jumped at the opportunity to help, stepped right in whenever sam was looking for an extra set of hands. he knows it's a bit different now that jesper's got kaz, now that steve's around a lot more, knows that it's been a bit different for some time now - but the truth is, jesper had solidified his place in sam's circle a long time ago, and there was nothing that was going to change that. and yeah, a good part of that has to do with the fact he sees himself in jesper, knows that they're more similar than they aren't, but it's also a lot more simple than that.

he's family, part sam's family, and once you're in with the wilson's you're in for life. ]

Man, I'm never gonna complain about that trap of yours. [ and for good measure, sam's gonna reach out and knock on the side of jesper's head - fondly, jokingly, just because he can. ] Especially when we get surges like this one. Saves me a lot of time and effort, and I am not complaining about that.

[ jesper's mention of the old public hall has sam's brows lifting - oh yeah, he remembers jesper doing that. remembers how much of an ordeal the whole thing had been. the money sam's not worried about, he knows plenty of people he could ask for loans and they could always hold a kind of fundraiser, just like for the old hall. it's mostly going to be a lot of paperwork, and a lot of approvals, and sam knows he'll be the one to handle that. ]

Oh- that reminds me. Julie made a comment earlier about you, Inej, and Kaz taking her old apartment up on the top floor. Y'all...do you know can, right? If y'all want to move in together? Not saying you have to, just. You can.

[ because of course that's where sam's brain is gonna go - that they haven't moved in together because they don't feel like they're allowed to make the room shuffle. but hey, he's being supportive. that's what this is.

sam ends up laughing a bit at the last comment, rolling his eyes. ]

You and me both, kid. At least you've got a way to make the work easier for you, and better at the end. I'm just a glorified emailing system. [ a beat, before he remembers where jesper's from and what the technology was like, in the ways he'd described ketterdam. ] Don't worry about it.

[itookashot]

[ That's one way they're similar. Once you're Jesper's, you're his forever. His loyalty is endless, one of his most defining features. While he's far more indifferent about whether he's here or there than most people who have a leaning, he would say that missing out on his Cadens family would be a tragedy. So that puts him more in line with 'staying here' than not. He used to only care more when he didn't have Kaz, but once he showed up, everything felt balanced and right.

Sam's someone easy to look up to. Whenever he talks to people about Sam, there is no doubt the energy of someone proud of knowing him, proud of being someone he looks after and trusts in. For all of Jesper's dark side, his light shines a lot stronger, and the people who cause it mean more.

He laughs at the tap on his head. ]

I was thinking of turning the book I made for Viktor into a real census. I mean, it'll miss my glowing commentary about hotness factors, but I'll keep that for his eyes. The rest of the facts are important.

[ Not that Jesper has any plans on giving it to someone else. Only trusted Summoned like Sam. And that would help him keep updated on who comes in and out. Jesper's thirst comments at this point really are just because it's funny and he likes to imagine what Viktor thinks when he reads them. In a way, he hopes that consistency has helped him post-Jayce. Unlikely that it has, but the inventor still takes his pages whenever he brings them without complaint. So it's something.

Well that's an idea. He doesn't need to consider and honestly the idea is something of a relief. ]

That's a great idea, I'll run it by them. We were starting to feel a little bad about keeping two rooms when new people kept coming.

[ But they didn't want to move out of the inn either. That was an option, but Jesper and Inej both cringed at the idea. The inn is their home in the way the Crow Club was, living outside of it would feel isolating. This is part of the logistics too of building an extra section for Mags. More rooms, more options. He's been in Julie's apartment before and it's still hers in his head, but it would feel right that her bestie would then take it over with his crew. That's how he's going to frame it at least. ]

I know what it is, Julie explained most of your tech.

[ Over the year and a half he's been around, he's learned all about the futuristic tech that he'll never personally get to experince, which is a shame, but he loves utilizing it in his own Horizon. ]

I'm just glad that we're, you know ... all past the bad stuff. Well, some of it. Inej and Kaz aren't always ... great.

[ Jesper doesn't know what to really do with PTSD like theirs. He is there for them, snuggling or comforting, and he knows they're pushing past it to the best of their ability. He sighs and rubs a hand across the back of his neck. ]

Inej especially. She's been kidnapped more times in her life than anyone ever should.

[ And it's his fault, he still thinks. Because he didn't have her back. ]

[falcony]

[ sam's own opinions on staying or going vary; it's a complicated situation that he's of course thought about. because he has built up his family here (he was always going to, always will), and it's gotten to a point that it's hard to think of his life without them. years have passed here, lives have been built, but he hasn't forgotten his own back home, either. his sister, his nephews, people he's missing - again - as lives continue to move on.

but he also knows that it isn't going to stop him from searching out that path home, that way to get there - because when it comes down to it, it should be a choice. if they weren't given it on whether or not they wanted to be here, they should get it on whether or not they want to go home. and while sam might not know, yet, on what decision he would make if he had it, he does know for sure that every summoned here should get the chance to make it.

all this to say - whether it's been explicitly stated - sam will do just about anything to help jesper have what he does want. to stay here, to go, to have a place to call his home. and right now that happens to be here, with sam, and he's pretty good with that for as long as he'll have it. ]

It’s not a bad idea. As long as none of the governments around here can get ahold of it- the last thing we need is for them to use that against us- and they will. [ is sam speaking from experience or just that foreboding 'this has definitely been a comic marvel plot but mcu hasn't touched it yet because it's too close to the holocaust' - either way, he can't ignore that it would be helpful.

but also....sam's pretty sure jesper knows that. he's talking to a somewhat echo chamber here, but that's besides the point.

he sees the flash of relief on jesper's face and sam nods. ] It'll help open up some more space, yeah. Plus, y'all have lived here long enough. You can upgrade. [ says sam with a smile, when everyone knows he's still in the exact same room he's been in since that first day. it's the other bedroom in his suite that's been a semi-constant rotating door, but that's besides the point.

of course julie explained it, honestly she's a godsend at this point. sam should just start pointing people to for classes - she's obviously much better at it than he is. he nods at jesper, making the note that he maybe doesn't have to be so concerned with his modern references.

the mention of inej and kaz, though, has sam shifting a bit - his expression going from something easy, casual, to something a bit more focused. he knows...well, he knows a bit about inej's, the things she's let him know and mentioned to him, and kaz he was able to pick up on what he feels like enough when they'd met. hearing about it from jesper, though... ] You know- if you ever wanna talk about it, I am here. I used to work with a lot of people who went through some tough shit. Sometimes trauma responses can get...intense.

[ from what he's heard of inej, soldiers struggling with ptsd and half the shit those kids have already gone through are a lot closer than sam is comfortable with, but still. if this place has taught him anything, it's that skills come in no matter the circumstance.

the inej especially gets a nod out of sam, a brief moment where he rubs at his jaw. ] I don't know all of it, but she's told me some. Enough, really. [ he shakes his head. ] You all should have a chance to feel safe- especially here.

[itookashot]

I would normally just put it in the Horizon, but then when people disappear everything they have does too. It's better to have a physical copy. Maybe I'll figure out a failsafe for it. So it'll be destroyed if the Free Cities tries to snag it.

[ Jesper's very clever, he can probably come up with a way. He could put an enchantment on it that if someone doesn't know a magical 'passcode' it would automatically be destroyed. He will think up something smart. Then there's the reality that it all lives in his head anyway. He hasn't forgotten a single thing that he wrote in that census for Viktor. As Sam playfully knocked on his head only moments before, his mind is a steel trap for details. It's why Kaz tolerated him as his second even when he was out of control.

It's true that they've been there long enough to have an upgrade. It'll take the guilt off them too. He and Wylan still haven't figured out their shit but it's still a two bedroom situation. In general, them all being kind of involved, it could be a mess or it could all work out. The Crows are pretty good at working out their stuff as a team, if not their shit independently.

He raises his eyebrows at Sam's words and frowns. He wants to refute it and pretend he doesn't know what Sam's talking about, because he could do that, about how they were the ones who suffered and he was just on the outside doing his thing. Jesper doesn't know entirely how much Sam is aware of what he did during that time because frankly he doesn't remember all of it. Talk about a trauma response. He knows some of it was public. It would be impossible to miss the viciousness of which he killed every acolyte that he saw when they were chasing the escapees.

If the blood he spilled was on actually on his hands, he could drown in it. And he was still ready to kill the rest of them too. Jesper was all for execution and he's even given some thought to finding them. Wherever they were sent to for prison. Finding them and taking them out one accident at a time.

He may be young but he's far from innocent. But that is where Jesper's mind was during that whole thing. He's quiet and doesn't reply right away, deciding whether or not to even address it. Jesper's expression tightens and then hardens, gray eyes sharp.]

She was taken prisoner by our enemy back home, because of me. He almost broke her legs. We separated when we were looking for Kaz here, so I didn't have her back. That's two that's on me, and I don't want to hear how it isn't, because it is.

[ It's on the people who captured them, and on fucking Van Eck, yes, but it was Jesper's job to be her partner. She loves him and he loves her, and he shouldn't have let them separate. It was stupid, reckless. They didn't know people were still being captured at that point, but it didn't matter. Inej had to suffer through the same experience because Jesper wasn't good enough and he can't fathom any other mindset. ]

I've killed before. [ He doesn't say how much. He still cares what Sam thinks about him. ] But I've always held myself to the standard of doing it because I have to, not because I want to.

[ If Sam has fought beside Jesper before he probably already knows that his choices are deliberate. He'll shoot hands or feet, or knees or shoulders, to disarm people, but he doesn't go for the kill. 9/10 times he will always shoot to injure and considering how precise he has to be just to keep someone alive, he takes it seriously. ]

But I really wanted them all to die.