[OPEN] welcome to farmville

[aquaveiled]

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 Gardsbruk Farm

[ 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 to stop by the farm, but you are free handwave her as a word of mouth to get your character there or to the tavern if needed. She will easily talk to anyone. ]

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. In these colder and darker times of the year, the tavern herself gets more and more packed with those looking for a little respite from the new chill in the air. 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.

Everyone is welcome at The Drunken Lamb, and that includes the Summoned!

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, but if you want to meet up right away, you get a nod towards the back of the tavern to the tables by the stairs where your fellow Summoned wait.

Oh, and 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.

ii. Gardsbruk Farm

[ ooc; Pretend the mountains are much further away in these reference images, lol ]




On the roads between the Primary and Secondary Settlements sits Gardsbruk Farm. A once thriving homestead servicing the community and housing several generations of the Gardsbruk family has fallen into disarray in the past decade, a shell of its former glory. Left to the care of Maeve and Declan Gardsbruk, the twins had somewhat hesitantly allowed the help of local summoned in their efforts to restore the farm. Himeka Sui, Kay Faraday, and until recently Estinien Wyrmblood and Relena Peacecraft had called the farm a second home. With new trust in the Summoned, the Gardsbruks finally begin to reach out and ask for help of the larger community.

Muddy pastures start to look green once again, but the cooler months are a time to prepare for the oncoming spring. A few crops may be planted for family use, but the main stock of this farm is sheep.

And there are sheep! You may be greeted by up to two dozen sheep when you enter the grounds, though not all of the livestock may welcome your presence. Hopefully that doesn't put you off because there are a few ewes to be milked. They will not be sheared again until the springtime is in full swing, but for those that are interested there may be an opportunity to make sheep cheese. If you do well, you may take home a sample as well!

It isn't just all fighty ewes and cheese, though. It seems that a few of the ewes are due to give birth! If you're not squeamish, you may help deliver lambs into this world. The miracle of life may not be pretty, but you will earn a cup of hot cider for your efforts.

Comments

[carmesi]

[there is much of himeka's own life that wanda is unawares of—they've just met, after all—as is the fact that many of the summoned seem to have been here for a longer time. for sam it was nine months; was there anyone who had been here longer, still? intricacies, details, moments, lost to wanda who is relatively a newcomer.]

Some strange man?

[in the end, this theory brewing in her mind doesn't hold much weight, but she wonders...]

If Thorne were the first to summon people like us, is it possible they brought people that they felt were not qualified to help meet their needs? It seems odd to be put in the dungeons when you were plucked from your homes. [and, in that regard—] Has the Summoning ever been reversed?

[her curiosity for the magic of abraxas compels her forward, but she stops—hesitates—realizes that her want for knowledge might come off as a bit brash.]

I'm sorry. There is much that I don't know about this world and how it works. How much do you trust the leaders of this world?

[aquaveiled]

[ She nods, knowing it isn't much to go off of, but truthfully there's much she still needs to understand herself. ]

Someone named "Oliver". I haven't seen or heard of him since.

[ What Wanda touches on, though, is so very close to it right off. That does make her smile a bit as she soothingly pets Agatha, squeezing a bit of her coarse outer wool with her nails. ]

That's what it seemed like...though exactly what those needs are, I'm still not certain. Either way we were deemed either unhelpful or too dangerous. At least both Solvunn and the Free Cities have welcomed everyone who escaped.

[ Or it seems that way. The Free Cities seems not necessarily to care, at least that's the impression she's gotten from the few she knows over there. Solvunn expects them to play their part.

Himeka shakes her head at Wanda's apology--she's hard to bother in general and thinks the questions are certainly well-deserved. ]

I...don't know. Like, intentionally? I wonder if that's why some people do disappear...

[ The thought is more than a little unsettling, if they can just be summoned and sent back at will. Even G'raha had to work to figure out a way to send everyone back to their bodies from the First--it took years.

How much she trusts them...Himeka takes a moments pause. A long one. ]

I want to believe they're doing what they think is best for their people. But their intentions as to bringing us here? I don't know. I admit I wasn't too happy when Solvunn began to summon the same as Thorne did, but...I think that's really our fault. My fault--me and my friends.

[carmesi]

[oliver.

she keeps the name to the back of her mind, listening now to what himeka has to say. because it is a real concern, should any of the people she knows are here, in different factions, ever disappear. what would wanda do? how would she react, not knowing whether they were sent back or are, otherwise, in a terrible situation?

wanda's face draws on a surprised expression at the admittance of fault. her mind races—she wishes to know about the summoning so she can use it for herself, back in her world, or even right here, to summon her children. can it be harnessed by one person? by the scarlet witch of myth?

she presses a bit more, though keeps herself from coming off as too invested.]

What do you mean it was your fault?

[did they bring the spell with them to solvunn somehow?]

shit i thought i tagged this i AM SORRY

[aquaveiled]

[ It's not something she's proud of, of course. They didn't ask to be summoned more than anyone else here, but knowing that she has played a part in those that followed, even unintentionally, does carry weight she can't shake. She won't shake it.

It's all the more reason she's made a point to reach out to those who newly arrive. ]

Not long after we first came as refugees, a friend of mine had a meeting with the Council to garner their stance on the situation with the Singularity and with Thorne. In that, the ceremony Thorne used was described to the best of our understanding, and...

[ Himeka shakes her head as she looks sorrowfully at Wanda. ]

In the months that followed, Solvunn began to summon as well.

YOURE GOOD

[carmesi]

[it's easy enough to connect the pieces: there was a leak in the summoning ceremony, apparently given freely, and it is not a widespread spell throughout the territories. whether it has been detailed or just a sparse coating of information, it looks like it had been significant enough.

wanda is about to ask—can you describe it to me? but finds the look that himeka gives her one that she cannot reconcile such brash pushing.

(could she ask about it later, when they've... not just met? patience works, she's found, even when she is more about wanting immediate solutions to her problems.)]

I wouldn't say the blame falls solely on you and your friends. It sounds a little odd that the ceremony would be described so freely to refugees.

[and wanda knows what it's like, to live in the fringes of society. generally? they're not really given much, are not treated as much.

she takes a deep breath, then smiles tightly at himeka.]

I don't want to upset you. You've been nothing but kind to me since we met— [she pauses, looks about] I have questions about the magicks of this world because I think perhaps I could make something of it, too. Maybe we can talk about it later? [when it's more comfortable. she glances back at the other woman.] Do you think I could stay here too? In this farm?

[aquaveiled]

[ Himeka nods, knowing that Wanda is right. Truthfully neither she nor Estinien had any idea what they were seeing back in that strange room in Thorne. The information provided to the Council was in hope to gain their trust as refugees and potential allies, so to be told later that they were helpful to the new power that Solvunn had at their disposal was...disheartening.

But Wanda does have a point. ]

They had to have most of the spell worked out already. Even so...

[ She still feels guilty. Wanda herself may not be here if not for her--or at least mayhaps her arrival would have been delayed.

The topic of magicks, though, is something that makes her perk up almost instantly. ]

Oh, any time! I'm still familiarizing myself with what they prefer to do here, but it is a fun learning experience. It's interesting that they don't seem to sense the presence of aether but can wield it all the same.

[ Or "chaos", she supposes, as she's heard Geralt describe it.

The request, though, warms her heart and makes her smile all in one go. The farm is large--much too large for the two that run it now. She, Estinien, Relena, and Kay had all helped out and made it a more lively place, but their loss was not only felt by Himeka. The farm has become much quieter. ]

I can speak with Maeve and Declan, but I'm sure they will agree to it if I vouch for you. They took a chance on us when we first arrived, but this farm...this land has been their family's for generations. Anyone who can help bring it back to what it once was is someone they will want around.

[carmesi]

[himeka perks up and her words seem to brighten as the topic moves away from the magicks of this world and the things that she, understandably, feels guilty about. wanda smiles in return, as himeka speaks, then smiles. it eases wanda's worries about being too abrupt with her request to stay here.

truth be told, she doesn't know many of the others here, and kind as they may have been, himeka is someone whom wanda feels a connection to—it might be that they're similar in age, or just simply the other woman's kindness from the start.]

I'm happy to help.

[to bring this farm back to what it was.]

I've never been to one before, so I will have to learn. I promise I am a quick learner though.

[she shifts on her feet, turning to pat agatha on the side of her head, the cow offering a calm mooo for all the generous patting.]

Thank you, Himeka.

[aquaveiled]

[ There's a budding excitement in her chest. When she helped bring attention to the farm it was just to bolster new support and interest, not just in what the community does but to help give hope to the twins that have done so much for her here. That someone she has already decided she likes want to do more than that feels like a lucky break. Finally.

Himeka shakes her head, waving off the thanks. She knows what it means to find a niche in a new place like this, but in the end she really feels like it's Wanda doing her a favor. ]

I should be thanking you. It's been too quiet...it'll be nice to have someone else around.