OPEN MINGLE: Welcome to Thorne!

[magicalarchaeologist]

WHO: OPEN to all Summoned in Thorne
WHAT: A party, info dump, and magic study session all rolled into one! Eat, drink, mingle -- make some friends!
WHEN: A couple days after the newest Summoned start appearing
WHERE: A ballroom in Castle Thorne

NOTES: This is an open mingle log where everyone can tag one another! New characters may hear some gossip and chatter about recent important events that happened in Abraxas. They may have heard that the Summoned were invited to the Nether in October to help save the ailing dragons from extinction. Kyle and Rhy Maresh represented the Thorne Summoned in a negotiation with the Nether officials to exchange supplies for assistance with their navy. The dragons are alive and well, and the Draconae are very grateful.

Due to an announcement in November, the Summoned are invited to visit Borrel after Nocwich (the first weekend of the month) for the Maritime Fair. It is a three-day festival with lodging provided for the Summoned and a small stipend.



General.

With Rhy Maresth's blessing, Jill Warrick will be taking over his hosting duties on the celebration side of the mingle. Jill will have sent a written invitation to all Thornean newcomers within a couple of days of their arrival, inviting them to meet their fellow Summoned. Otherwise, there will be fliers posted in the dining area that anyone can see. If your character has CR with Istredd, Jill, or Rhy, you can assume they were told and got an in-person invite -- and you can even assume your character helped with setup if desired (decorations, helping set out food, etc.), since they needed the assistance. Up to you!

Istredd will also be hosting a group meditation to allow newcomers to access to the Horizon (and network). New Summoned who wish to learn how to step into the Horizon have an opportunity to have their connections to the Singularity activated. If preferred, they can also get one-on-one help from those who've been around for a bit. He will also discuss the magic in Abraxas and point them in the direction of teachers of magic, combat, or other things they may be interested in.

Banquet.

The large ballroom is bathed in warm, golden light from dozens of chandeliers above, reflecting off the gleaming inlaid floors and brass light fixtures along the walls. It is at once neatly sectioned, yet naturally open, allowing the length of the room to flow from one potential activity to another with ease.

In the center, a circular area has been left clear, and every half hour or so during the first half of the evening, two native Thornean (apprentice) mages come up to offer magic demonstrations -- mostly flashy elemental magic, adding sparks and atmosphere. If any of the Summoned who've been around longer wish to show off as well, they are welcome to do so.

Along the walls stand narrow refreshment tables, where one can serve oneself wine and liquor from large glass carafes. Hot tea and a variety of warm drinks are also available in a few flavors. For those looking to eat, a large dining table has been set out toward the center of the room, with plates and utensils and large platters of food in the center. Jill arranged for special refreshments to be offered in partnership with local businesses. Dante has also offered pizza for those who want something less traditional.

Both the handful of large tables and the smattering of small, taller tables for standing at are in full view of the demonstrations so the show can be enjoyed with food and drink, whatever your desire. Everything is decorated in Thorne's local winter flowers, filling the space with pleasant smells and pretty atmosphere. There is plenty of space to stand and mingle, walk around, and see what everyone else is up to. In the back of the room, the folding screens offer a quieter area, for more private conversation and meditation as desired.

Magic Studies.

Behind the folding screens made of tall, carved wood in intricate patterns, there are a handful of low sofas and chaise lounges around a fireplace at the far side of the hall. This sectioned-off area has been enchanted to provide some insulation from the sound of the banquet beyond, and once you step inside, the quiet is like a gentle blanket settling over everyone who chooses to spend some time here.

This is the best place to ask questions in some semblance of privacy, to learn about your new home, and to receive guidance on entering the Horizon and using the so-called network of telepathic notes only the Summoned can send one another.

Istredd is the one 'in charge' of this particular endeavor, but others who have been in Abraxas a while are likely also about, lending their assistance to those who are newly arrived and sharing thoughts on their experiences so far. Istredd recommends people visit his Horizon because he has a history of the Summoned and general helpful details written in there for anyone to see.

Just be careful -- even if the insulating enchantment is sturdy, there are still Thornean natives around, refilling refreshments outside and demonstrating their magic. You may want to be careful how candidly you discuss any displeasure toward Thorne or its crown, considering the Queen's notoriously explosive temper, and the rumors of the dungeons deep beneath the castle. It's hardly a secret, at this point: a conflict has been sparked, and the mood around the castle is a tense one, even amidst a celebration such as this.

(( ooc: Feel free to make your own top levels and tag around! This is meant to be an open mingle, with the above as mostly setting and flavor, so don't feel limited if you want your character to do their own magic demonstrations, for example, or even if your thread ends up moving outside the ballroom. Have fun!

It should be noted that if you would like to handwave your character's first experience to the Horizon, you can do so. It's a blanket permission from me / Istredd that he took your character there, helped them leave, and showed them how to go back in with their memory now. Your character can also know anything from the entries I linked to above that are in his library if you'd like to jump-start them into having information, or they can know none of it.

Thanks to Lena for originally designing this mingle every month, and Ammay for joining in on the fun now!))

Comments

[thoughts]

[ river snickers at the sorry state of the dragon, missing a hand and some teeth. they've conquered the beast! she accepts the offered fruit with another proud smile. ]

It's okay, we can do an even split. The finder's fee was a test. You passed.

[ negotiation skills, see? just giving him a hard time to see if he can keep up. she wags the spear of fruit at him playfully before taking a big bite. réncí de shàngdì, but it's been a long time since she's had such easy access to fresh fruit. she seems just pleased as punch by all this. ]

Do you really want to learn? I've never taught before and she skipped most of primary school, but I know the curricula. Could write a curriculum.

[diametrically]

Did I? [ He looks amused. Pleased even as he crosses his arms over his chest before beginning to move down the long banquet table to survey the rest of the food. ] You should have made it harder, River. Never let them know that you're willing to give them more.

[ It's his own lesson to her even if she might already know it or be familiar enough with it. She knows the talk, but can she also put it into practice he wonders? River might be young, but there had been plenty of children her age that knew how to negotiate in Ferrix. They started them young, kept them scrappy, as a lesson of survival.

He shoots a curious glance over his shoulder. ]

I do. I wouldn't ask otherwise. You skipped primary school?

[ It's not unlike him. ]

[thoughts]

[ hey now! :( river very childishly pouts a little. ]

We're a new business, gotta build up clientele. Folks get trigger happy when you try to talk in the 70s, and no one has the patience for counting out the 5s.

[ she has conducted exactly zero (0) business deals but she's spent almost a year watching mal and the crew going at it. granted, their deals don't always go so smoothly, so maybe alyx would be a better role model for doing effective crime. how the tables have turned!

she has much to learn - but she's a quick learner, to say the very least. river follows behind him, trailing her fingers along the table of food as she eyes things. ]

It was boring. And slow. Apparently teachers don't like ten year olds reading about calculus and theoretical physics. They don't like being corrected either, but sometimes they're wrong. Teach wrong and people will go off thinking the wrong things are right. It's mǎ shǐ - horse shit - and a waste of time.

[diametrically]

[ That childish pout is met with a laugh in the form of a twinkle in his eyes but soon he finds himself laughing audibly instead at this bizarre lingo that seems so strange coming out of her mouth. It makes him wonder what sort of company River kept or if this was all lingo from books and stories that she had read. 

With his appetite whet now, he picks up a plate handing one to River before grabbing one of his own. Hopefully Jill wouldn't mind that they were grazing before everyone else arrived there. News about River's childhood surprises him. As easy as it would be for him to doubt childhood brilliance, he doesn't feel an ounce of disbelief. Not when something she says about people teaching the wrong thing and having that be gospel resonates with him.

There's a hum of agreement from him as he plucks a pastry off a precarious tower - not from the top but from somewhere in the middle. Miraculously the tower doesn't topple. But he does give a mischievous little raise of his eyebrow towards River. A silent challenge. ] 

So how did a ten year old go from calculus and theoretical physics to a business overlord? 

[thoughts]

[ at that, she finally breaks and drops the ruse to laugh with him, enjoying the sight and sound of his amusement. still, she sticks her tongue out as she accepts the plate, and then she skips ahead of him to be able to take things from the platters along the table before he gets to them.

when she catches his silent challenge, there's a bit of a gleam to her eyes and she uses all of her five feet and six inches to grab not the topmost pastry but the one directly beneath it, careful not to disturb the first one or let the tower wiggle.

it takes enough of her focus that she isn't ready for his question, couldn't hear it coming ahead of time to be ready with an answer. the momentary falter is there in her expression for just a moment, just a flicker before she manages to hum in faux contemplation like this is still a part of their game. ]

A typical tale of strife. Fell in with the wrong crowd, got in over my head. Now we're on the lam. Not a lot of use for calculus in the outer reaches of space.

[ there's only a dash of the truth in there but she sells it with the same edge of playfulness as her nonsensical business proposals. it's all she offers for now. ]

[diametrically]

[ As she embarks on her next quest, something that can only be called fondness flickers onto Cassian's features unbeknownst to him. Her attempt at pastry jenga is done with a watchful eye; he suspects that she isn't going to reach for a pastry at the top because no, that would be too easy. River would take this challenge head on as fearlessly as she had taken on the fearsome fruit dragon. 

And it's because he's watching that he catches the flicker in her expression. He'd touched on something that he hadn't meant to when he had asked the question despite her playful tone that hadn't skipped a beat when she replies. Her answer could be as much fiction as it is fact - puzzling which it is is something that he'll ruminate over long after this conversation is done. Pretending that he hadn't noticed is easy as he gently steps around to the other side of her, scrutinizing her pastry move. ]

The ship you were on was probably made with some kind of calculus. But that tells me you weren't an engineer. [ His eyes don't stray from the pastry she's contemplating removing. ] You have a crew you're traveling with then? 

[thoughts]

[ she bites her tongue between her lips as she concentrates on keeping everything steady, and when she finally makes her grab for the pastry, there's a lightning fast deftness to it that might seem a little out of place. nothing on the table wobbles and the topmost pastry lands neatly in its stack; like swiping a tablecloth from beneath a full set of tableware.

she beams at alyx victoriously and takes a big bite before adding it to her plate. ]

Crew of Serenity. Kaylee is the mechanic. She doesn't fly with math, she flies with love.

[diametrically]

[ The display of dexterity and slight of hand is impressive if the expression on his face is any indication. In fact, it earns her a short round of applause where the bottom of his plate takes the place of one of his hands. He leads them a little further down the table towards another display of precariously arranged pastries. These ones are rounder on the bottom proving a little more challenging. Absently, he can't help but wonder if magic also had a hand in this or if the pastry chef in the kitchens was just that talented. ]

Love, hm?

[ He can't help but hum a little at that as he scrutinizes the tower. ]

Do you think all the best pilots fly with love?

[thoughts]

[ the question gives her pause and she ponders it for a moment, still walking alongside the table in a bit of a daze. her voice sounds off when she speaks again, almost mellower as though it's coming from someplace else in her thoughts. ]

I think the best people go with love. Everything else is just dishonest.

[ everyone has a reason for doing the things they do. pride, power, greed drive so many folks across the 'verse and it's a violent place for it. those driven by love might still be violent, but an honest love keeps you going. maybe that's why the captain is so sad; his love for serenity is an act of desperation, and the woman slips right through his fingers.

what are you fighting for if you've got nothing to hold onto?

she stops by the end of the table, not realizing alyx had paused sooner by another impressive tower of pastries. the moment passes and she gives him a joking smile. ]

Besides, doesn't hurt when the pilot's wife is onboard. Marginally less likely to crash, but only just so.

[ wash would never! except for all the times he nearly has. ]

[diametrically]

[ The shift in River's voice doesn't go unnoticed, his attention turning to watch her as she continues down the length of the table. Absently he can't help but think about how it always came back to love. The sentiment is steeped in the same quality of Maarva's last words to him. 

What is worry for someone if not love? What was sending those closest to his heart away on a ship while he stayed behind if not love? 

A splinter of longing crashes through his expression that he can't hide before River turns to face him. But just like when he misses a step, he recovers quickly placing that mask of levity back onto his features. ] 

That's the best incentive of all. I should take that advice if I ever get the chance to pilot again. [ He cocks his head towards the tower. ] Want to go first?

a good place to wrap soon maybe? c:

[thoughts]

[ she catches that momentary slip and wonders if it isn't exactly the same as her own, things in their past that they'd rather not talk about. fair is fair, and she steps right past it to rejoin him by the pastries. the game is simple and easy; maybe that's all they need right now.

river eyes the tower, very seriously contemplating her next move, then looks up to him with a teasing glint in her eyes. ]

Try to keep up, háizi.

[ and so she goes for one right at the base of it, smiling happily and looking forward to the messes they'll make together. ]

consider it wrapped! 🎀

[diametrically]

[ Whether or not she saw beneath the crack in his mask is something Cassian decides not to dwell on. Rather, he moves on, keeping to the assumption that she hadn't because that was easier than knowing she had.

This is easier. This playful platonic dynamic that they've forged in a very short amount of time. His own eyes spark with amusement that doesn't feel that hard to call upon in her presence. Giving the tower a quick scrutinization, he picks his pastry - one also at the base of the tower. ]

If that's New Chinese for "old man", you might want to rethink what you said.

[ There's a ghost of playfulness that threads through his expression along with a quiet challenge. Whether or not the tower has yet to be seen. Whatever the outcome, he's certain that they'll face it together. ]