( 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]

[ His extroversion is a level very few people can achieve, a feather in his cap that he adores. He loves finding wallflowers and trying to drag them out, it's why his closest friends are introverts in stark contrast to his overwhelming bright energy. Besides, Jesper never really needs a reason to chat up a handsome redhead. That's fun all on its own. ]

Big enough for this inn to be fully ours. Not that I think anyone else would want to stay here, with us being the primary inhabitants. The Summoned have a reputation for trouble following us, quite against our will, but still.

[ If it's not nightmares following them into reality, gods wrecking havoc on their lives, or mass kidnappings, it's something else. They may not be directly responsible for Libertas, and they helped save the city in ruin, but Nocwich was only open because of the Summoned, and consequences come from choices leading to there.

Jesper is on fantastic terms with many natives to Cadens, he'd have to be in order to keep selling his wares and gathering his information. But there is a distance between them and the Summoned outside of Mag's inn, and he thinks it's for the best. They can at least handle the trouble. The local butcher just trying to live a quiet life, less so. ]

You can live here in exchange for helping out sometimes. Bartending. [ He gestures to his ale jug. ] Being a handyman. I'm sometimes a plumber and carpenter too.

[ Jesper smiles and rolls his shoulders casually, offering over his hand. ]

Jesper Fahey. Been here about a year and a half.

[thepath]

[ A reputation for trouble? One corner of his mouth notches upwards. Well, that's nothing new. The wanted poster with his name and face all over it that the Empire blasts out to over six million planets across the HoloNet ensures that trouble always follows him too. Rather, it follows Cal Kestis: Jedi Padawan, terrorist, and active rebel.

(Though he feels like he should note that he's a Knight, not a Padawan. Jedi Knight. The Empire's records are out of date.)

So it would've been nice to have less trouble, this time, but that's never the way things work out for him, is it? ]

Cal Kestis. Been here about... [ He nods his head back and forth, as if he's actually struggling to recall. ] Three days.

[ But he takes Jesper's proffered hand and gives it a shake, his grip solid and very calloused. After retracting his hand, he wraps it around his mug, drumming his fingers against the glass, and leans back in his seat. ]

That's a wide skillset. [ He thinks about it for a beat, then concedes: ] I don't know about bartending, but handy I could probably do.

[itookashot]

Welcome to the madness, and be glad you're not in goatville or in a gilded cage. The Free Cities may have its own issues, but I'd take it over those any day.

[ Jesper doesn't trust the army, he's very anti-military in a general sort of way. He doesn't mind occasionally working with them, but he doesn't trust them, and he's been waiting to see the shoe drop since he got here. What they want from the Summoned, what they're expecting of them. They haven't said so yet, and he sometimes wishes they had told them what to do by now, just so they'd know what they were looking at.

But it's still not a cult farmland or the castle of crazy, so he's picked his poison willingly. ]

I'm a man of many talents. Those aren't even the best ones.

[ Jesper winks at him, and turns a glance around to look for something. He didn't bring a cup with him so he reaches out a hand and telekinetically snaps a glass from across the room over to it. That way he can pour some ale and share one with Cal. He doesn't hesitate from the gesture when he might have a year ago. Around here, it's all normal. ]

Sam and I are thinking about convincing Mag to let us help put an extra floor or something in here, we'll probably need handy folks.

[thepath]

[ Goatville or a gilded cage. Cal doesn't know hardly anything about Solvunn or Thorne, but the description alone is enough to get a chuckle out of him. He's still reserving his judgment—he literally just got here, after all—but so far the Free Cities' rampant you're-on-your-own-kid attitude has felt almost like home to him.

Which isn't a flattering comparison, really. But at least he knows where he stands here. Mostly.

That wink earns an eyebrow raise—if that's supposed to be innuendo, oof, because it sails straight over Cal's head—but the casual display of telekinesis earns a different reaction: he goes still, his grip around his glass tightening. He almost didn't sense it—there's something off about the way Jesper used the Force.

Or not the Force. Cal can't quite put his finger on it, but it felt like something else, some other kind of manipulation.

Then the moment passes and he comes back to himself, shaking off his surprise—or, at least, his outward surprise. His shoulders relax again as he gestures towards Jesper's cup, aiming for a casual tone. ]

That's a neat trick.

[itookashot]

[ It's somewhat innuendo but also not, Jesper is basically eternally flirting but only sometimes with intention. And usually the intention is very, very clear, even for people usually not good at seeing it. He's not using the Force, although there are elements of Grisha abilities that could be cross-over. The Grisha like to say it's science and not magic, what they do, but Jesper's never been one of them. And he'd say that's semantics.

It used to be Jesper didn't use his abilities at all let alone in public. Such a drastic difference and the fear never comes up anymore. It doesn't occur to him to worry about Cal's response because if he had a problem with powers, oh well. He wouldn't make it long in the Summoned with that. But he can see there isn't a negative response, but there is one. ]

Telekinesis. It's one of the things I can do. The majority of people in the Summoned have abilities, whether it's natural or learned here. Magic's everywhere.

[ The Free Cities isn't magic heavy but it still is everywhere all around them in little ways. They lean on New Magic which uses it in a different way, but it still is. He only has one major ability that he's hiding from the public and specifically from Cadens, but the rest, they're all out there. ]

Want to see a fun trick?

[ Jesper snags a fork off the table and puts it in his palm, his other hand reaching down to tap onto the metal. It shimmers and turns into liquid underneath his fingers, and he pushes it into a knife shape instead, tapping it again and it becomes a solid metal knife instead. He does it again, this time forming it into a spoon. ]

You can see how I'd be a handyman, and a plumber, and a carpenter.

[ If he can liquify and change any object into what he wants, or sense the problem within it and fix it, there aren't many little jobs he can't do around the inn. ]

[thepath]

[ His brow furrows, then relaxes as Cal tries his hardest to keep his expression neutral despite the fact that his mind is whirring: Jesper's straightforward admission of his abilities, his casual assertion that it's normal here, his seeming lack of concern for Cal's or anyone else's reaction.

Where Cal comes from, that kind of thing can get you killed. In fact, it probably will get you killed, thanks to the Empire's unrelenting and nigh-unlimited resources. Cal has been a marked man for a decade now, since he was just thirteen years old.

And here it just means nothing? People with abilities—people like him—can use them openly and without fear, as simple as that? It doesn't seem real.

When Jesper picks up a fork and starts to transform it, Cal sits up a little straighter, his eyes quickly darting around the room to see if they've drawn interest—but nobody seems to care. Then he watches as knife becomes spoon, still trying to narrow in on what he's feeling through the Force, but he's only more confused now. That is definitely not something the Jedi teach.

With genuine recognition: ] Yeah, I can definitely see it. Handy.

[ That was a deliberate pun, by the way. I'm sorry he's like this. ]

Nobody's bothered by it?

[ He taps a finger against the table in front of the transformed spoon, indicating it—rather, indicating... whatever Jesper did. He'll probably get to that later. For now, he's still trying to wrap his head around the idea that "magic" is just... accepted here. ]

[itookashot]

No, it's normal here. Well, to a point. These are not skills I actively show the military. It seems like a one-way ticket to getting me pushed into enlisting.

[ Jesper has been investigated before so there is someone in the military who is aware that he can modify matter. He had to explain how he created a bridge out of tree and rock when they were in a hurry to do a supply run, which he thought had been hidden. No one's come for him yet, but he's paranoid. That part will never fully leave him, the fear of the army coming for him. ]

Where I'm from only a few things happen to people like me. Grisha. We get murdered by one country, we get forcefully enlisted in another country, the other countries sell us to either side depending on who is paying more, or you hide.

[ He's explaining because it might seem like he's all confident and comfortable, and he is, but it took time to get there. It's been a year and a half for him. And for all his cocky confidence, Jesper did used to be terrified. Truly afraid, in the start. Until Wanda, until Sam and Julie and everyone who looked out for him. It makes a difference when people are at your back. He's always had the Crows, but he lied even to them for a long time.

He does explain all that very calmly and casually like he's discussing the weather but that's the sort of thing that happens when something is that normal back home. Sure they burn Grisha like witches in Fjerda, and Ravka uses them as cannon fodder, that's just how life is. ]

But if you hide, you get sick, so really, it sucks. I may not always love being here, but I don't miss the fear, that's for sure.

[ He doesn't blame all of his bad habits and his addiction on his disuse of his powers, especially as it's continued to happen while using them, but there was a catalyst. ]

What about you?

[thepath]

[ Cal hasn't had quite the same experience with the military back home, but from what he's seen of the military here, he's inclined to agree with Jesper, even if that makes him paranoid too. In any case, he's seen what happens to Force-sensitives who are taken by the Inquisitorius, and that feels analogous enough.

He's not joining the military, voluntarily or otherwise.

As for the Grisha... it sounds similar enough to his own situation, to any Force-sensitive's situation, that he can't help but sympathize, his heart aching somewhere in his chest. It's all the same, isn't it? Across galaxies and universes. ]

I'm sorry you have to go through that.

[ It's quiet and sincere. Jesper may be explaining all this casually, like it's normal, and it is—but Cal remembers what it was like to feel safe, once. He was old enough, during the Purge, to know what was taken from him—to know more and more every day, as he gets older.

It'll never be normal to him. That's why he still fights.

But the direct question, turned around on him, catches him off guard and it shows. ]

What about me?

[ It's habitual, at this point—his first instinct. To deflect. To deny. It's habitual because it's kept him alive all these years, against all odds. ]

[itookashot]

So am I. I managed to hide all my life, so I'm better off than most. But I probably won't be able to forever. This is something of a break, from the Grisha hunt, at least.

[ It's not that Jesper hates his home. He loves Ketterdam. He loves his father, and his friends who aren't here. He misses it a great deal, and his life there. He's made himself a good one here that he also loves and he's content to stay, he's been here a year and a half. He could go home, he could stay here, and he'll roll with whatever option it is. But he does like not having to worry about Grisha problems here.

His eyebrows go up at Cal's response because he isn't that great at hiding his thoughts, and Jesper's someone who is very observant. Even people who are good at hiding their thoughts can be watched closely and not notice when his laughter and warm eyes turn sharp and watchful. For someone who just admitted to being actively hunting his whole life, it makes sense to learn that as a survival tactic. ]

A good portion of people here have supernatural abilities like me. Not all of the Summoned, but many of them. You'd be surprised how many people in this room do.

[ He glances to the rest of the room and that's the people he knows for sure, the newbies he's uncertain of yet, but he's normally more surprised when someone doesn't have powers. Still, considering Jesper just explained his own situation, his expression soften and he smiles, shrugging a shoulder. ]

You don't have to out yourself though, either way. And you can always learn new magic here, it's everywhere.

[thepath]

[ Oh, for someone whose survival depends on secrecy, Cal is actually very, very bad at hiding his thoughts, at keeping his emotions from showing all over his face, at lying. He's an honest person by nature, which battles against the furtiveness and reticence he's had to learn by nurture.

He knows he's bad at it, but that doesn't actually make things any easier.

Besides, he's so easily swayed by... by decency. Someone showing him a little understanding, and the understanding he feels in return for someone who's in the same situation as he is.

He's quiet for a moment, letting the silence lapse as he stares at spoon Jesper transformed earlier, his eyebrows drawn in thought. Weighing how honest he wants to be. How much danger he might be putting himself in, as always.

In the end, his nature wins out, and he raises his hand in front of him and calls the spoon to him with the Force. It flies through the air into his open palm, where he curls his fingers around it in a tight grip, his knuckles white. ]

It's the same where I come from. People like me—Jedi—are called traitors and hunted down by the Empire. Killed. Taken by the Inquisitorius and turned. Or worse.

[ He pauses, loosening his grip and gently setting the spoon down onto the table in front of him—using it as an excuse to keep his gaze averted. ]

I don't really know what it's like to live without that fear anymore.

[itookashot]

[ Jesper already suspected he was hiding; he knows what it looks like. He just described to Cal the ways in which it was him, how he understands that fear intimately well. For him to do it so openly only comes from the kind of reassurance you get over a year and a half of constant support. It doesn't some easily. So he isn't surprised when Cal uses his telekinesis, but he notes the tight grip, and the general discomfort. ]

It won't go away tomorrow, or a month from now. It may never go away entirely. But it does get better, being around people who get it. And magic's everywhere here. You'll see kids on the street able to do that without fear.

[ Even in the Free Cities where magic is less popular due to Thorne's overreliance on it, they use tons of magic, for their New Magic, their machines, their technology, and all the kids learn it young. Jesper plays games with them all the time, he's very popular with children. It doesn't matter if Cal sees kids every day using telekinesis innocently, the feeling he has won't go away easily. ]

Wait, the Jedi? Like ... you use the Force, right?

[ Jesper forgets nothing, no details that he's heard, that's how his brain works. A locked trap, for someone who also pretends to be stupid at times. ]

There was a man here named Obi-Wan, he went away though. And a girl named Rey. And Anakin lives in Thorne. They all used it.

[ So Cal's not the only Jedi who has shown up around here. Jesper likes all three of the Force users he knows, although he also remembers what Anakin's said of the Jedi. He just tends to use his brain more than assuming one person is right about everything. But Anakin had a second start here too, like everyone else. He's not going to ruin that for him, if Cal doesn't know the name.]

[thepath]

[ There's sense in Jesper's words, Cal knows, but even if his rational mind accepts it, his instincts still can't quite believe it: a life without fear. A life of not having to constantly look over his shoulder, to always keep his guard up, to dread the moment when his luck finally runs out.

What's that like? Honestly, at this point, he can't picture it. The idea alone seems daunting.

The fact that Jesper recognizes the Jedi, though, catches Cal wholly off guard, astonishment written all over his face. Maybe he shouldn't be surprised, since he's met Anakin already and heard that Master Kenobi had been here, but still. He would expect them to be as secretive as he is about their identities.

But maybe he shouldn't expect that either, if they don't have to be afraid here. ]

I— [ He closes his mouth, working past his surprise, then opens it again. ] Yeah, I use the Force. I already met Anakin, and I heard about Master Kenobi, but...

[ He trails off, not really knowing where he was going with that sentence. A sudden pang of... of grief, probably, lances through him at the irony that as many Jedi have been here as he's ever met back in his own galaxy, before he sets the feeling aside.

With a small, humorless smile, he continues: ] I guess I don't have to explain that much to you, huh?

[ Since Jesper already knows about the Jedi and the Force. ]

[itookashot]

I mean, Anakin's only told me the general idea. The Jedi are an organization of Force users, the Force is the source of your magic. We had some of those things in common.

[ Jesper wasn't too keen on the Jedi in a sort of general way because it sounded a lot like what happened with the Grisha. They'd find the kids capable of it and took them to the army to be raised as soldiers. Maybe not the same kind of soldiers as Ravka, it was a darker mindset for certain, but still. He's iffy on that kind of approach, based on his own experience.

He knows Anakin isn't too keen on it either and that things didn't really work out for him, that he hated the Jedi now, but Cal doesn't seem to know that or if he does, it's not a problem.]

What he did tell me is that you lot aren't allowed to fall in love, which is a line in the sand for me. I'm a very romantic fellow.

[ Jesper has many lovers and he's in love with several of them so he would probably lose his damn mind if anyone tried to put limitations on him that way. He doesn't know entirely what happen to Jedi who refuse to do it, outside of that it's a major part of why Anakin resented them. ]

Sorry if that's offensive and you're used to the monk aspect and all, it's just an absolutely not for me.

[thepath]

[ Cal would quibble on the point of the Force being magic, but—well... if that helps provide context, then he's willing to let it slide. This time. He's willing to let Anakin's explanation stand unchallenged for now too, even though he's pretty sure Anakin wouldn't have given a... flattering account of the Jedi Order.

Not that Cal can really begrudge him that. The Order wasn't perfect. It made mistakes. ]

It's— [ He smiles a little, shrugs his shoulders. This isn't the first time he's gotten comments about the Order's no attachment policy—though maybe not quite so bluntly. ] It's not offensive. That's just how things were.

[ Though it's perfectly normal to him, a lot of people seem to struggle with the idea of a life without romantic relationships, he's noticed. When he first landed on a Bracca, after the Purge, it was actually a bit of a culture shock how freely and openly his fellow scrappers dated, hooked up, married, had children. The Jedi just... didn't do that.

Even as he got older, that kind of thing was always forbidden to him under the code, so he'd rarely given it any additional thought. Like a door he'd always kept shut.

Until recently, anyway. ]

But if that's how you feel, you probably wouldn't make a very good Jedi. [ His smile fades a little. ] Not in the Order, anyway.

So sorry! I'm back from vacation. Maybe we can wrap on this one as we have the other one :)

[itookashot]

[ Jesper usually summarizes everything into 'magic' when it comes to special abilities. No matter what people call it, if you're born with it and it does supernatural things, it's magic-adjacent. The formal Grisha actually hate that term for what they do, they call it the Small Science, but Jesper absolutely refuses semantics on this one. They've got powers.

Jesper is very, very blunt when it comes to these things, but it's also because he's open-hearted. Almost too much at times, very dramatic in nature and as romantic as he claims. He and Mat had to get guards in Luna because they kept creeping into each other's rooms when they were told not to. He'd never have made it in the Order. ]

I'm not a good Grisha either. [ Jesper shrugs. ] No discipline. Go by instincts alone.

[ Jesper would have gone crazy in the Ravkan army. He thinks he would've tried to flee so often they'd have to tie him down. So it turned out well that he stayed hidden. ]

But hey, if that's your thing, I support that. Everyone's got to live the way that makes them happy.