abraxaslogs | Smart men are always looking for loopholes.

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Smart men are always looking for loopholes.

WHO: Jesper Fahey and you!
WHAT: Catch-all for October
WHERE: Cadens, Nocwich, Horizon
WHEN: Throughout October (may add event things)
WARNINGS: Nothing right now.

[ooc: feel free to wildcard below or ask me for a custom starter on plurk]

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Jesper most of the time can be found at the inn and these days he is often seen chatting with Mag and Sam and going over a list of items of interest. It isn't evident at the start of the month, but he is planning on helping her refurbish the inn space and throwing ideas around about what can be updated and added to. While he's not an official contractor, Jesper has done a lot of upgrading on his own, so he's excited to do something that might be good for her and the people in the inn.

He's also generally there tending the bar, cleaning up late at night when others are asleep, or finding ways to get out his high energy. While he's never a waiter, he is really good at keeping things tidy. You might spot him fixing table nicks or loose floorboards, as simple as reaching over and using his abilities to smooth them over.

For people who know, the Crows have now taken over the top floor apartment previously lived in by Julie Lawry. So their former rooms have been vacated and open to new people. Their living space is a little more private so someone would only be expected to knock if they have friendly connections to one of the Crows. And those friends are always welcome.

Jesper can also be seen in the market of Cadens selling his typical wares. He doesn't have a formal shop but he does have a little table and a set up that the merchants around him allow because he does sell much comparable to any of them. It's mostly cute trinkets, jewelry, scarves for the desert to protect the hair, sunglasses that he's learned to make, and a few miscellaneous things travelers enjoy getting for cheap. Everything he sells is of very good quality despite being cheap.

Or generally Jesper is around and about the area, always friendly and willing to pause and have a chat.

Edited 2023-10-05 00:40 (UTC)

In the first weekend of the month, Jesper is more than happy to get away from the drama of the rifts and Free Cities for a few days and hang out in Nocwich. It's a relief to get a break so even though he doesn't sleep there, he is wandering the square and area every day they're there. As usual, he's his chatty self, joking with the local merchants, making an entire tavern laugh with one of his stories, which are now peppered with some monster stories. He does love to tell a tale or two.

Jesper's hunger for hunting did not go away with the monsters since he didn't really get the satisfaction of any kills, so he's back on the hunting grounds in Nocwich to keep his skills strong. While he isn't allowed to have his guns in there, he's found other ways to use weapons to hunt and often can be seen pulling bodies out to sell for parts. He'll take any excuse to make more coin.

There are times when he seems to be walking the square and the surrounding areas with no exact reason, although he's got 'scheming face' which is Crow code for someone making a plan and it seems evident on their face. Jesper's unlikely to admit to what is cooking in his mind. He can't sit still long enough for the plays although he enjoys the music. He loves taking advantage of the bathing areas since he's tired of being stuck in sand all the time.

Edited 2023-10-04 23:54 (UTC)

Jesper can be found in his Horizon off and on during the month, usually in the Crow Club. He likes to sit there and pretend play poker and is delighted if he spots someone in the club. The whiskey is good and the ambiance is gritty, but it's still home to him and the Crows, who all share this space. He can be seen there having a drink and hanging out, relaxing.

For people who get curious about his little cabin or know exactly where it is, they can find him either inside, playing the guitar or the drums with no actual skill, just for fun, or outside at the shooting range. There are a large variety of guns at the range and it's all meant for good fun, although Jesper's happy to teach people how to use it.

Edited 2023-10-04 23:54 (UTC)

The Crows have now moved up into Julie's old apartment which is basically just the top floor of the inn, still big enough for two bedrooms and a nice little living area. They've still stuck to their roommates, Jesper and Inej and Kaz and Wylan, but it's a formality. They're all under each other's thumb these days, as they often were in the Crow Club.

The most 'them' thing in there is Jesper and Kaz having put an entire section of handmade maps of the Free Cities to the side where making notes. The ones from Solvunn and Thorne are in the Horizon and not in here because he hasn't gotten them all in. But the Cadens one is in extremely detail, having been filled in by the group, and the Libertas and Aquila ones are pretty good.

Jesper did alert everyone that it was Wylan's birthday, including complete strangers, because even if the two of them weren't together, he still was his merchling. His feelings have in no way gone away but he continues to be respectful, waiting for Wylan to decide. It's not easy. He looks at Wylan with sad eyes sometimes, when he's not looking, and his flirting has in no way lessened, but he doesn't push it past light teasing. Considering he is romantically involved with the other two Crows, it's all a bit complicated.

Still, Wylan will always be his person, so he is ready that morning when Wylan gets up, waiting in the dining area with breakfast at the table and a packed gift. "Don't worry, I didn't make it." Jesper smiles and gestures for Wylan to come over. Mags made it for him and she knows everyone well so she's already picked up on Wylan's favorite foods, and therefore he's getting a specialized breakfast.

"Happy birthday! Come sit. Inej and Kaz are out, they'll be back."

Edited 2023-10-04 23:35 (UTC)

The Crows moved into the top floor apartment of the inn which means they're essentially sharing a nice two-bedroom apartment, complete with their own bathroom, kitchen, and some living spaces. It used to be Julie's and Jesper would come up here regularly, so he feels at home. They've already started making it their own, with their weapons set out places, dishes in the sink, and Jesper took over a little section to the back for their mapping project.

He is there now, putting out the general Free Cities map. Jesper started doing an on-foot mapping in his mind of Cadens when he first moved, and when Kaz came there, it started to make sense to put it all down. This is not the kind of map an official would make, it's much sharper from the eyes of someone who knows how to run the streets, marking where exits are, which roads are easier to get lost in. Kaz and Inej are also excellent at this way of thinking, so they started with Cadens. Now there is a Libertas, but Aquila took a little longer due to the cost of going.

Jesper sets his guns on either side of the map to keep it down on the table right. "I don't think we have to worry about the rift damage and change any of these, they'll replace it." The barracks for example. This one is not as detailed as they generally have placed each city, but also the mining camps and locations that were hit by the rifts. And the pathway he, Ciri, Claude, and Gideon took out of the Free Cities into Solvunn.

"Thancred and Wanda said they'd get me what versions they could. Wanda doesn't seem to think Solvunn will be easy as it's mostly farmland, and as someone who grew up on one, I get that. Maybe just the borders are what matters." AKA where people can get in and out. Solvunn does seem like it would be helpful places to escape in, with all that land though. "I trust Thancred to get us a good idea of how to get out of Thorne."

This is all in case of an emergency, but it's given Jesper something to do, some mindset that they could escape. He isn't on team 'make a new colony' like Inej, although he supports her in every way, but an escape plan, that is something they are all good at.

Edited 2023-10-04 23:43 (UTC)

[ooc: whatever!]

Abby spotted Jesper doing his thing from her spot on a nearby roof, selling to anyone who will buy. Someone she's never sad to see, someone who makes her feel like she might actually be worthwhile. If only for the moments she buys into that delusion.

She surveyed the area, spotted an archway just the right height for her purposes and wandered on down. "Never actually had you at face level standing up. It feels weird."

Abby's standing on the small archway which does put her head at the same level of Jesper's. Of course, Abby's upsidedown which might have something to do with why it's weird. Or she's just very used to him being a pretty mountain and her being short.

Naturally a tiny girl standing on a surface people don't stand on gets her some weird stares. But she is very much not giving a fuck about that.

It's been a year since Kaz came to this place. A year of making a new life, of being whoever he wanted to be which was still a double edged sword he wasn't sure what to do with, and of working on putting together all that he wanted here.

If he's honest, he hasn't put it together as much as he's marveled in the idea of not having to do even that. Even before Ketterdam it isn't as if his life wasn't a certain way with certain expectations. The idea of drifting as he has been is such a foreign concept that he's not even sure what to do with that.

Except to enjoy his time with Inej and Jesper, and to get to know Wylan better and to work on one project that he's put his focus into.

The maps.

Now that they have their own space, it isn't something hidden behind a tapestry on the wall in his room, and the pieces he's gathered of late can be added. There's a stack of carefully rolled parchments that he sets alongside the map laid out, looking it over beside Jesper.

"We can explore some of the harder hit areas after they rebuild and ensure that none of the major egresses have changed," he agrees with a nod. "They do seem to rebuild as it was though, so there is at least that."

He considers what Jesper says and nods. "One day we might want to know more about the details of those farmlands but right now knowing where the boundaries lie could serve us as well."

Not stumbling onto someone's property who might not be appreciative for one.

"I put together what I could of the outlying areas while the rifts were open, and I have what I could of the Feywilds as well without being noticed doing so." But there had been a reason for roaming with the children, after all, and playing tricks for them.

Beside entertaining the children.

"I know we've already been working that way but I want these to have a unified imagery code so they're useful to everyone," he points out, not looking at Jesper as he makes it clear he wants to ensure that Wylan can translate all of their work as well.

Jesper likes that Kaz has gotten to slow down and take his life one day at a time, rather than always being scheming and uncertain of his future. This place has opened many opportunities for the Crows, and while he misses their dangerous adventures sometimes, he values the life they've made together here. Just the fact he can kiss Kaz at any time is a reason worth being kidnapped into another realm, to be honest.

"Yeah, wish I'd gone when I had the chance, to be honest, but I was still hunting leads." During the kidnapping, there was a brief chance for people from other factions to go to Solvunn. To prove they were not all crazy cultists trying to destroy the Summoned. It would have given him a chance to get a look at things himself, but he and Sam Winchester were out in Aquila then. Too bad. He'll have to rely on Wanda.

Kaz and Jesper work at their best as a team and they do it unconsciously, because while Kaz was working on the Feywilds map, Jesper was doing the same thing in other parts. He was mostly focused on the census though. Jesper has collected information on every Summoned into three copies, one with Viktor with hilarious thirst notes, one with Sam who he trusts, and the other one is hidden in the floorboards here. The Feywilds meant all the Summoned had to go there so he could get a good look and note down everyone. Information gathering, always.

He glances over when he makes the note about the imagery code and smiles, leaning over to kiss Kaz's cheek gently. Even now Jesper makes sure to telegraph him moving closer so Kaz won't be surprised when he feels lips on his skin. "I'm sure he appreciates the thought, love."

He knows that Wylan's managed to soften Kaz's edges just as he does everyone he meets eventually. The two of them are attempting to work their shit out, but it isn't perfect yet. Jesper's romance with Kaz and Inej are not the problem, if anything, Wylan thought that made perfect sense. Jesper runs his fingers along Kaz's back gently.

"Thancred seems to think the best option would be getting the Thorne Summoned onto a ship on the south-east coast over to Solvunn."

Jesper never minds company when he's out there, some days are pretty boring, and he plans on going in semi-soon to go through plans with Sam and Mag about the inn upgrades. They're still in the very early stages, but since he'll have to focus on that for a time and not sell, he's trying to get the hours out of what he has now. He'll likely make Wylan merchant for him during those days, his big sad eyes do wonders in the right audiences.

For now though it's his flashy smile and casual comfortable nature that makes him pretty popular, not only with customers, but the other merchants tolerate him too. He glances up at her and chuckles at her statement, reaching over to tousle her hair although since she's upside down it only fluffs a little.

"You've become very spry lately. Killing monsters from roofs, wandering upside down. You could probably take spy lessons from Inej." Inej can do all of that too but it's because of her background. Jesper's known her for years and he still doesn't know how she does half of it.

Abby's hair works exactly as normal, played with, and falling 'down' her back. Of course 'down' her back is actually up. Everything a matter of perspective. And gentle contact works the same as normal, Abby leans a little into the touch, content like a cat being adored.

"She wants me to go rooftopping with her. I assume it's pretty much what it says on the tin." The name was pretty straightforward after all. Jesper is one of the few people who can praise Abby without her desire to refute the attention. She knows it's fruitless to try, and he's really fucking good at it. "Between the monster and this, I think falling into a wall was a little more surprising. Even if the monster was a little more terrifying."

Abby makes healthy life choices, of course. Like said 'dive bombing a monster' when she had no idea how well that'd work.

"I was hoping I might find you here today."

That's the greeting Claude offers as he approaches Jesper's table. Having memorized its general location sometime back means it's only a matter of making sure the man behind it is there when he stops by. There's a grin on his own face as he walks up, shading his face for a moment with a hand when the fall sunlight seems like it's decided to aim itself right into his face.

No matter, since he also has a bit of browsing to do for an idea that'd occurred to him a few days ago and hadn't left him alone since. The variety of things on the table catch his interest as they're part of what he has in mind - with a little bit more to it since he knows Jesper's the right person to go to for it.

"Tell me: if someone, say, possibly me, wanted to commission the making of an item not unlike what you have for sale here by the artist in question himself," with a wave towards Jesper purely for entertainment's sake as said artist being referenced since despite the playful way of putting this, Claude actually does feel that's an apt title for all his creations, "what's the best way to go about that?"

People never act without reason. There are intents and motives - different between one and another - that follow a pattern. Crimes of passion, crimes of opportunity. Crimes driven by strong impulses and sheer excitement. Crimes of necessity that involve everything from stealing to murder. He travels around the square, from one corner to another, between one merchant and another, playing a game inside his mind.

Others cannot tell they are playing. Those who know they are are few. He knows where they are. He knows who is local. He knows who is not. He knows he is being tracked and hardly looks bothered. He has been under a more stern and watchful gaze for half his life.

He continues on until their paths come close.

Despite having spent time with Jesper while they completed the Unofficial Welcoming Committee duties and she saw him pass by the loft from time to time, it had been long overdue for the pair of them to spend any personal time together. After a quick tour of the Crow Club, they had meandered their way out towards the shooting range.

Guns and artillery were still a relatively new thing to Fodlan so the guns in the Free Cities, however tightly locked down and sparse as they were, still piqued her curiosity in the way that anything new did. The principle seemed similar to bows and arrows in the sense that you had to point and shoot - something she had never been particularly good at.

Much of Hilda's own training had gone into smacking something as hard as she could with an axe. Sure she could throw an axe, but that didn't have quite the same technique involved. Holding a gun and shooting it, unsurprisingly, had a lot more finesse involved. She peers with bright curious eyes at the array of guns in front of them. "So which one of these are your favourite then? And do they all do different things?"

[ This is Julie's third year doing Halloween in Abraxas, so the fact that people don't know what a jack-o-lantern is doesn't surprise her. It is, however, the first year she has had a house to decorate, and it's clear that she intends to take advantage of it. She's already decked the front porch and windows out with homemade decorations -- paper spiders and their webs are pasted on glass, and orange and black streamers are hung off the railings and banisters of the porch, while little lanterns cut to look like haunted houses line the steps. Inside, gauzey ghosts of cloth loom magically near the ceilings, and tiny orbs of light float spookily through the halls.

One thing missing so far are the pumpkins. Of course it makes perfect sense to Julie that one might keep slowly rotting, carved gourds that are also a fire hazard, purely for the aesthetic of it. Of course that makes sense to her, and she has previously had many of them in her domain throughout the month of October. But no one has ever asked her about them.

It wasn't until she went looking to buy pumpkins that she learned that, a) pumpkins as she knows them don't even exist in Abraxas, and b) that Jesper had never carved one, and was in fact confused by the idea. So she did what any resourceful woman would do: she got Jaskier to make her a bunch of pumpkins, she bought a bunch of knives in various sizes as well as some paint, and she plunked it all down on the kitchen table with some ladles and bowls. Then she told Jesper to come over. ]

You can't use powers. It's no fun if you're usin' powers.

[ She's sitting with both legs pulled up in her chair, folded underneath himself. On the table, besides the actual tools, there is a flat baking sheet, as well as some wine and a plate of cookies, that are... well, she definitely tried. Both in terms of decoration and taste. Baking is not her forte.

She has a pencil (made for the occasion by herself), and she uses it to start quickly sketching a traditional jack-o-lantern face on one of the pumpkins. ]

So, the most popular thing is to give the pumpkin a face, but people carve all sorts of stuff. Like to look like a graveyard or a ghost or whatever. You can carve the face however you want, but we usually use triangles for the eyes and nose, and the mouth big. The idea is you can see the candle inside.

Wylan remembers birthdays up until he was eight as exciting, wonderful affairs. His mother would wake him up with a smile and a big birthday breakfast of his favorite foods prepared by their cook. His father would delay going to work so that they could both be there to watch him open presents. He always had more presents than he could ask for and one special one every year from his father. A piano, a new flute, and the year he turned eight the pocket watch that had been in the family for generations. He had still had that pocket watch up until he came here.

After he lost his mother birthdays weren't really celebrated anymore. His father barely acknowledged them and one by one the staff in the house was replaced or had forgotten. Wylan isn't sure he's celebrated at all in the last ten years.

So he's a little surprised to find Jesper waiting for him with breakfast on the table. He knows he probably shouldn't be, it's Jesper, but he'd almost forgotten it wasn't just any other day.

"Oh." he stumbles through his surprise but manages to put a smile on his face as he sits. "Thank you, I didn't expect anything. You didn't have to go through the trouble." He doesn't mean to sound ungrateful, he's just not used to it.

"It is, it'll be fun. It takes a bit of fearlessness to jump across the tall ones, but it's a rush." Jesper's done it more than a few times himself. He doesn't have the grace that Inej does and sometimes in the past he stumbled, but not nowadays. He's not surprised that Abby gets along with the other Crows. Inej misses Nina so much, it's nice to see her bonding with another girl.

"Cadens isn't like Ketterdam though, not as many buildings in as cramped a space." He sounds a little wistful. While he's been here for a year and a half, he does still miss Ketterdam, which has always felt like his true home. From the moment he stepped there, fleeing the farms for a better life, he loved it. Cadens is decent but it'll never be the same.

"Don't feel bad if it takes a bit to get used to it, no one's as good as Inej. She's been running on tiptoes since she was little, in a circus family and everything."

"Always an exciting thing to hear."

That anyone's looking for him, as long as it's not the guard, but the fact that it's Claude is particularly delightful. Jesper grins back at him, having had a good day already, although he's generally a good mood type of guy. He's shuffling a set of cards since he plays games by himself as the day goes on, he does have a short attention span, so visits are always encouraged.

What an interesting way of putting it. Jesper tilts his head curiously at him, amused at the theatrics since he absolutely adores theatrics, and he waggles his eyebrows at Claude.

"Well all you'd have to do is flutter your eyelashes at me and I'd probably drop everything." God he's so pretty. Jesper could look at his face all day. It's unfair that everyone from his world has that visible perfection, like Sylvain and Hilda. It's nice to always have pretty window dressing around him though. He reaches out to steal a chair from another merchant who isn't looking, using his telekinesis, and he sets it down next to the one he uses himself.

"Sit down, handsome, tell me about your hopes and dreams."

Usually when it comes to the Crows, crime is first and foremost the most likely thing on their minds. They may have gone legit here, through forced necessity, but there are other ways to stay themselves while generally following the rules. Their current project is mapping out all the areas they can in Abraxas. Most of the Free Cities is covered, and they have to rely on other people for the other factions, but Nocwich is in their jurisdiction too.

Any and all mapping is done in the mind though, they don't risk the chance of drawing it down and it raising suspicions. Jesper has a sharp mind so he's on foot memorizing where he can. Ikorr is still unknown though. Frustrating. As he's wandering, he spots Crane from a distance. He notices when someone he knows shows up, and while most people would get an immediate wave, Jesper simply watches him for a time.

Crane is a snitch, there is no question about that. Generally, he doesn't have a problem with it, it's not like he has much loyalty to the people here, although he doesn't like giving the army anything special. But it's the vibe.

"Now why is your pretty face looking like it's casing the joint, Crane?" He says when they finally cross paths. Yes he still sees the pretty face. It's just a distrustful one.

His pretty face is partnered with a gentle and pleasant tone: a sharp contrast against his coldness and control. He is not easily intimidated. He knows what this man thinks of him. He speaks in bored monotone and looks disconnected from their discussion.

"Perhaps because you are staring in the mirror."

One should not cast the first stone, sir.

"Of course I did, love." As if Jesper does anything that isn't 100% maximum effort placed into, especially for the people he loves. He has all the love languages but acts of service are definitely up there. He also has a foot up on Wylan at all times, unfortunately, having experienced a year of a relationship with him so he already knows about the birthday. That's the problem with all this frustrating time jumping.

He would've made a big deal either way.

"Mag went through the trouble of the breakfast, to be fair, you wouldn't have wanted my attempt." The funny part being that Jesper at least considered attempting but she took one look at him and was like 'no.' He sits with Wylan and offers the wrapped gift to him.

When Wylan opens it, it's a beautifully crafted flute made of a very special metal, which Jesper is excited about. "See, this is made with fancy werewolf metal, it amplifies magic. And I got it enchanted so that it always sounds clear and loud." So Wylan doesn't have to worry about blowing on it harder or cleaning it out, it'll sound brand new for the rest of its life.

Crane reminds him of Jan van Eck which is probably where his instinctive vitriol comes from. The man being the worst person he's ever met, but gentle and pleasant and sharp as a tack, vicious in executing his plans. The man was made of ice, happy to murder his own son with a polite smile. It may be unfair to project someone like that on another, but it's a consistent feeling of his.

"Are you calling me pretty? How sweet." It's funny how with most people his flirtatious tone is used in fun, and with Crane it's almost like poison, because he knows it annoys him. "I think your crush is misplaced though, Doctor."

Rachel Dawes compares him to a snake: cunning, slippery and venomous. She holds him responsible for poisoning Gotham but people polluted the city themselves. He is not responsible for creating a market for drugs and contraband - yet she faults him for taking advantage same as any other? One might believe he is a scapegoat for her anger towards another person or problem.

Here is a similiar feeling. Words oozing familiarity, dripping with dislike after only one conversation. But he remains disinterested. Rachel's comparison was a poor one. He prefers the mongoose. Independent, resourceful and most importantly able to adapt.

"Well, can you blame me? You need to stop sending mixed signals."

He's tried imbibing various spirits and wine on a few occasions with this face, but the Doctor just can't abide the taste. The one time he did try here, he'd promptly spit it out (and had...simply set the cup back down on the bar), with very little awareness it might not have been the most pleasant thing to witness for anyone who caught sight of him. But he comes here often now for the company. Never good alone for long.

With just as much high energy and very little need to sleep, he lingers around while most have left and makes it his business to notice when a young man appears to be fixing blemishes and loose floorboards with relative ease.

"Hello there, I'm the Doctor! Haven't properly introduced myself before. Dreadful oversight. I was going to offer assistance but you're managing beautifully! How are you doing that?"

Basically, oh this is shiny and cool, do it again please and tell me everything.

"Well, if I miss it just really hurts to roll across a wall." It didn't kill her, but she was practicing jumping across the nonsense Escher geography she built into the back yard of her Horizon. Floating mountains and chaotic waterfalls she could leap across and worst she does is sink into the ocean.

All she had to do was make enough of the gap to hit the wall on the other side, so she was a little more at ease with the idea of rooftopping now. Plus- she can't be afraid of jumping from rooftop to rooftop after jumping from rooftop to monster. Which, you know, was a stupid thing she should have been more scared of.

If she thought about it.

"Getting used to things is pretty much all I have to do here." She's been here long enough to know she's got no idea what the hell is next.

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Smart men are always looking for loopholes.

General Cadens OTA

Nocwich OTA

Horizon OTA

Wylan - Backdated to his birthday

Kaz

Wilcard

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market!

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loitering around the bar;

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