abraxaslogs | OPEN ✿ february solvuun mingle

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OPEN ✿ february solvuun mingle

WHO: Anyone in Solvunn!
WHAT: Mingle Meet & Greet for new and old Solvunn Summoned!
WHEN: Early through Mid-February
WHERE: Primary Settlement: The Drunken Lamb and Welcome Committee's Tree House

[ ooc; This is an open log so feel free to jump in and make your own top-levels! You do not need to have CR with Himeka, Wanda, Nero, or Rocket to stop by as it's right off one of the major roads in Solvunn and would be well-known to the locals, but you are free handwave a word of mouth to get your character there or to the tavern if needed. ]

i. The Drunken Lamb

If walls could talk, these certainly would. The Drunken Lamb, an old staple in the Primary Settlement is where many go to relax and chat after a long day's work. A cup of locally brewed ale and good conversation are a great way to pass the evening and some nights get livelier with heated arguments over local produce and game, and friendly contests over mead and cards. A few nights a week there may also be a musical performance by a bad or just an impromptu sing-along when someone gets the urge. Luckily if you're drunk enough knowing the words may not be necessary.

Don't forget to say hello to the there is an old ewe who hangs out by the front door, either outside or inside depending on the weather. Her name is Myrtle and if she spits on you it's considered good luck.

Though it is usually filled with locals, this evening has been set aside as a special gathering spot for the Summoned, old and new. A few locals will still be in attendance either out of habit or a curiosity about the commune's newest additions, but most of the patrons will be your fellow Summoned. As you enter the Tavern, you will be greeted by a member of the welcoming committee (they're doing shifts this time). (That is until the evening drags on. Later guests will find a table of bags with a sign that says "take one" because they can only handle so much.) In it you will find nice soaps from Wanda, a couple custom tea bags from Himeka, and an expertly drawn brochure explaining all you need to know about Solvunn in minimal detail, by the local acclaimed artist Nero. There is also one small slip of paper with a number on it. Be sure to keep it handy. Now you have been officially welcomed.

The atmosphere inside the tavern is warm, stone walls lit by torches and candles. Everyone is welcomed by the local tavern owner standing behind the counter. You're free to grab a drink or order dinner right away should you like. The tavern boasts some of the best mead and meat pies in the Primary Settlement. It's a great time to chat and get to know your new neighbors, but your hosts for the evening also have a few things planned.

If you want to try your hand at the tavern's beloved mead drinking contest, you are highly encouraged. Some of your fellow Summoned have even been crowned as champions before! They will be facing off one another as well as taking on other Summoned who are also capable of making poor decisions. But worry not! If alcohol isn't your thing (or even if it is), there are a few card and dice games available for any patrons to take up and play with one another. There is also a knife throwing board on the far wall. Because you know knives and mead work well together. For the musically inclined, Wanda has created some simple instruments for anyone to give us an impromptu performance, or an instrument of choice upon request. Sing us a song, piano-man!

Towards the end of the evening, you'll find out that the number you received is actually a raffle ticket! You have a chance to win one of the following prizes...

A gigantic wheel of cheese from the Gardsbruk farm.
A golden chocobo egg...for you to either incubate or eat.
A "Nero will lift something heavy for you" certificate
Small (non-game breaky) item transmuted by Wanda
A "casting with fire" magic lesson from Himeka
An afternoon with Rocket. What does this entail? Who knows. Could be dangerous. But isn't he just too cute?

If you want to put your character in for the raffle, please reply to this comment and we will roll for winners!

ii. The Tree House - Evening

If you haven't had quite enough of your friends and want a place to stay for the night, Himeka and Rocket have made themselves the designated drivers. (Designated to drive, sobriety non-withstanding.) In carts and carriages designed by Rocket and pulled by "Donut" the Thomas and "Porridge" the Chocobo, you'll all make your way out of town and along one of the roads towards the Secondary Settlement. The cool evening air may keep you awake through the wobbly ride but they will eventually veer off the main road into a grove of nearby trees just south of one of the lakes.

Welcome to the Tree House! Named the "Tree House" because they haven't decided anything differently. To some the tree house may be a familiar sight as many of Solvunn's Summoned helped build the homestead when the old Gardsbruk crew left that family farmland. To others, the image of crisscrossed rooms attached to the trunk of a large dark tree may seem ominous in the darkness, but the land lights up as if on cue when the carriages draw near. Built off of the land with local materials, local efforts, and a bit of extra magic to boot--the treehouse looks like it's been there for longer than it really has, welcoming anyone to stop by.

You may be greeted by Clover, "The Little Idiot" otherwise known as "Dot", a plethora of impossibly active lizards, or the resident menace on the property: Eli, the goat. He was originally a member of the Gardsbruk farm but decided to join the Summoned on their move. He thinks he owns the place and he would be correct, no structure seems off-limits in his mind and he has a way of staring unblinking at you from odd corners when you're least expecting it. It's highly likely that you will run into Eli at some point whether you want to or not. Make sure he doesn't try to eat your hat.

Once the carriages are set aside, you'll be given free range of the property. There is a fire pit by the garden and are several balconies open to the canopy that you can enjoy if you'd like to stay outside a little longer. This time of year may still be chilly, but there are several ways to stay warm. Wherever you go, the kitchen is serving hot cider and pastries that you can take with you

There are guest rooms available if you'd like to stay the night in a proper bed, but you are free to lay your head wherever you wish. There are comfy couches in the main living area and sometimes you may even find Nero napping in the shed. Just be careful, Eli sleeps there too.

iii. The Tree House - Morning

The day may start with some rustling around the house. Before the sun is up, some residents like to take trips to the nearby lake. You can join Himeka for early morning fishing or even go take a dip in the chilly waters yourself. In addition to fish, there are other creatures to find by the waterside, most who are friendly.

If you'd like to start your day with something a little less brisk, the underground sauna that Nero spent months working on is finally complete. (If you were here during their move, you may remember the large amount of holes dug around the property. He did have to find the perfect place for it.) Heated by magically imbued rocks and with wood sourced by surrounding trees, it's a great place to relax. There are also small rustic wooden tubs to bathe in if you'd like and there is one that is suspiciously raccoon-sized.

You can spend some time in the garden where you may find Wanda tending to flowers despite the season or run into a willy little shrieking weed. If he's in the ground, best let him stay where he is unless you want to hear him sing the song of his people.

If you'd like to stay inside, you can explore the rest of the tree house. Maybe you're adventurous enough to travel all the way to the top and sneak your way into Rocket's workshop. All sorts of scrap materials and projects are strewn about and he is very adamant that it is his space. So, tread lightly. (Though Dot wanders about freely.)

However you spend the morning, there will be a hearty breakfast served banquet style, so help yourself! It's the perfect time to wind down, share stories, and thank everyone for joining and being a part of what Solvunn has to offer.

You know. Other than all the weird gods and cult stuff.

But talking about that may be a good idea as well...any takers?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( it doesn't make wanda feel any better (or worse, for the matter) to know that she was one of likely thousands—millions?—whose lives were upended by the mad titan. it somehow makes it more painful, still, that this had been going on for so long and no one could stand up to him, put a stop to the madness, before he reached her corner of the universe.

nothing good comes from trying to put sense into it.

wanda draws away from the railing of the balcony, stands with her shoulders straight, hands at her elbows. much of nebula's body has been twisted and changed, there's no denying that, but she will not stare to see those invisible scars. )

Thanos feels like a lifetime ago. It's been over five years for me since we were brought back. ( worse (?) things have happened. ) Has it been long for you, too?

[ She wishes Thanos felt like a lifetime ago. A not so small part of her wonders if there will ever feel a day where it doesn't feel like some part of that life consumes her - maybe never, because she barely had remembered what any life before it was. ]

[ She turns away from the view, leaning against the balcony as she folds her arms across her chest - metal over mostly organic. Cocks her head in question: ]

... If we're going by the Terran calendar, sometime in the year 2026. [ So a few years later - longer in some ways for her, having survived it all. Thanos had been gone for her; His revival a short curse and reminder. And yet, their work as a Guardians for those five years kept a constant reminder of his work. ] There's still plenty of work to be done.

( the year is not too far from where wanda left off, before being taken away and summoned into abraxas. she hopes that there are no other cosmic disasters on nebula's end of the universe—outside of some self-contained disasters, if at all. )

There's always plenty of work to be done.

( that much is a reality that she came to realize in her younger years. 'fixing' one situation doesn't make everything that came with it immediately vanish. )

—but you're here now, whether you like or not. ( wanda says as much with a bit of a sigh; this is always the hardest part of the newly summoned. ) How are you finding it so far?

[ Nebula doesn't respond, she merely stews - both agreeing or disagreeing. There's work to be done because there are children she needs to help. Her mouth a thin line, nose twitching in minute irritation like she's managing to still her tongue on that fact. ]

[ Like she's already going through a million and one ways on how to get her ass off this stupid planet in retaliation at the idea she's trapped here. It really is just another prison, isn't it? And for someone who's used to the universe, it's a small one at that. Small and wrong - or maybe that's just her. ]

[ Because it's not just the thought about the Starchildren on Knowhere that has her stewing, fuming, but her own body. Her own existence, weaker and - wrong. And tackling that is another can of worms she doesn't want to get into, least of all to a stranger. In this regard, Wanda is a stranger afterall. ]

[ So she snarls, irritated and furious: ]

It's bullshit.

[ ... That. About sums it up. ] Especially the fact they expect us all to just play along.

Edited 2024-02-19 02:24 (UTC)

I suppose you could think they expect that from us.

( nebula's comment on it being bullshit is neither rude nor an understatement, and it only tells wanda that the other woman must have been going through something particularly important to want to remove herself from this place entirely.

wanda, without any real prospects for her future, finds being in abraxas a gift.

things that they both don't get to share with one another, though. )

But you can also establish your own rules. We have the tree house removed from the settlements so we can have our own space. Rocket has his workshop and he can do all these electrical things that don't make sense to those in Solvunn. Were any powers taken from you?

[ Look, ladies maybe if you'd share you'd feel better!!! (You wouldn't) ]

[ She's probably seen Rocket's workshop in passing during exploration - and after living with him for 5+ years you begin to recognize his space and work, even if you know better than to investigate it. The fact Rocket's comfortable here - in some way - is not something she can quite wrap her mind around, if only because she doesn't feel she could be. ]

[ ... Maybe it's just because of those differences. She doesn't have an answer and though there's some words she could say, they freeze as she does at the question. Tense like a strung wire and she hisses out: ]

I don't have any powers.

[ It's not in fact a lie in these it's not the truth - by Terran standards most aliens have super physiques. But she's not like Mantis or that one Ravager, she doesn't have outward powers. She's not in fact telling a lie that it comes out that way, but from the too quick, heated way in which she answers there is in fact clearly something wrong. ]

I'm just asking.

( most everyone feels depleted of whatever power or underlying skill they have, as the singularity "fixes" them into their arrival post-summoning. rocket didn't necessarily suffer any of that, though he was without his items and tools, which made him crabby.

wanda can't quite pinpoint why nebula would feel otherwise strained in her admission, because she doesn't seem the type to care about having or not having 'powers' in the grand scheme of things. )

We arrive here with nothing to our names. ( she glances down at nebula's arm, a quick skim back to her face—wondering about the 'body' thanos took from her. ) Are you missing anything that you need?

Edited 2024-02-19 22:32 (UTC)

And I answered.

[ Nebula answers in the same dry, serious way. A "that's all there is," tone if one ever heard at not matched by the way she doesn't quite look at Wanda — noticeable despite the dark color of her eyes. ]

[ She doesn't care about powers. She cares about her body not feeling her own and - suddenly - it feels even less than it ever has despite its appearance and pain being the same. ]

[ Her mouth remains set. Listening before giving a shake of her head 'no,' because she's not missing anything - it's all internal. ] Prefer it if I had a blaster.

Or a sword.

[ Anything! Really! ]

( what's with the people from her world and violence? she's not one to speak, personally, but it really probably says a something about the whole lot of them if all they can think of wanting is a blaster or a sword.

wanda gives nebula a bit of a look—

listen, she's not afraid of ill-impressions on people. she's not here to fake it, so nebula can take or leave her as she is. )

I can get you a sword in the morning.

( (that does imply staying the night, nebula.) )

Would you like to draw what you have in mind for one? I can work with that.

How?

[ Her brows furrow, attention snapping to the other woman. ]

[ Is she going to procure one? Look, sometimes a sword or blaster is your comfort animal and she needs one - or two, ten, fifty. A lot. She considers. ]

... It does not have to be something fancy. Simple is fine.

( nebula is willing to leave it in wanda's hands? well, she's certain she can imagine something that would be particular to nebula's fancy. probably something much lighter and smaller than what she originally concocted for sandor some many moons ago. likely something less highly-decorated than nero's own.

she shrugs. )

I can create it with magic. I've done it for some guys before.

( all she wants to know is— )

You're not going to get into fights for the sake of it, are you?

You create it with magic.

[ Repeated. Not dubiously, exactly, but repeated in (mild) confusion. Out of all the things she's seen in life magic as it is is still something of a rarity. ]

[ ... She frowns. ]

I do not seek out fights. [ A beat. ] Anymore. That does not mean I won't finish them.

( truth be told, her magic wasn't magic by the time they got to become acquaintances with each other however-many years ago. it's quite a new thing, even for herself, because of her history. )

I just don't want you to use your sword to cause chaos in the settlements. I don't care if you finish fights.

( there are quite a few dumbasses here who would start fights.

raising a hand, wanda closes into a fists and allows plumes of red curl around it—only to reveal, within a few seconds, when her fingers unfurl, a tiny wren, hopping about in the palm of her hand and turning its head from one side to the other, looking up at nebula with its black eyes. )

This is just scratching the surface. Solvunn has a lot of magic, and you might end up learning some yourself.

( this is suddenly a short crash course into things nebula will have to come to accept and understand pretty quickly in this world. )

I said I wouldn't.

[ Nebula responds, temper quick. Petulant at the idea of someone not believing her on declaration - because Nebula does not lie. Has no real sense of it. Not that Wanda knows, not that she said it so directly. ]

[ ... And perhaps it is for that reason she pauses, brows pinching together as she frowns an expression unlike her constant brusqueness and irritation - confusion, apologetic maybe. It's hard to say. And she huffs out a sound as she looks away for a brief second. ]

I do not know why this place would summon me of all people. I do not know what role it is I'm supposed to have, but I am not the person I once was. Any blade I have is used to guard, nothing else.

[ The sharp, too serious way she says lingers. She means it, as Nebula means for all things. Sure, her temper is quick still, but that - violence for the sake of it is something she's grown past. ]

[ At least Wanda turns her attention away from the awkwardness of that comment - at least in her book - and she casts a furtive look between wren and woman. ]

You call creating life "scratching the surface".

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

OPEN ✿ february solvuun mingle

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