[open] a fantastic public charity event!

[cointosser]

Who: Jaskier, open to all of the Free Cities!
What: The bard is holding a concert at Cadens's Old Public Hall in order to raise money for its renovation!
Where: Cadens
When: The end of March, a bit after the eclipse/Singularity event shenanigans
Warnings: None. This is a family-friendly event. :)

The Event

[Flyers hand-written and posted around the city of Cadens promise many a thing: a lovely night of community and belonging, beautiful decorations, a precious place to bring your bonnie sweet (the most important.) Jaskier fully intends on this being the perfect date night; the more lovers who become closer thanks to him, the better. The hall will see a larger audience than it ever has before! And hopefully more money will be thrown at it than ever before.

Of course, that’s what this is: a charity concert being held to raise funds for the old Cadens speaking hall, a large hall that has long fallen into disrepair. Through the efforts of Jaskier (and mostly) Alucard, restoration of the hall has begun. However, it has far more renovations ahead of it, and coin will be needed.

The concert is meant to be a grand time, but, it is about the money. This is a charity event, technically. But there's no reason he can't have fun with it.

And since Jaskier does nothing by halves, he has gone fully all-out. At the concert, any goers will be free to partake in:

+ free food (courtesy of himself, Alucard, and Sam's cooking, generally fresh bread, rolls, sweets, cheeses, and various finger foods and slices of roasts)
+ free wine and local juices (mostly paid out of Jaskier's pocket)
+ flowers will be given out, though it is STRONGLY IMPLIED a donation is expected (bouquets can be purchased for your honey, as well)
+ Nadine will be going around the crowd and providing small samples of tonics and potions

There will also be a small raffle that Jaskier will be running. Tickets can be bought for a small fee, and ticket holders can win small prizes of bouquets (courtesy of yours truly), a box of fresh pastries from the local bakery, an array of prized feathers from his pet toy gryphon, or a slightly fancier bottle of wine. The ultimate prize will be a free song written personally for you by Jaskier, all topics and requests accepted. Yes, it is a grand prize. For the small prizes, you can decide whether your ticket is a winner or a loser!

Please, remember to keep your behaviors amenable, fair citizens of Cadens. This concert is for charity, and no roughhousing, fighting, or generally ill tempers will be suffered. And as an event on city property, it is meant to remain completely neutral. No politics or you'll be kindly escorted outside the event!]

The Old Public Hall



[The Cadens Public Hall is an old, large speaking hall hosting distinctive architectural features that are strongly Thornean in influence. Like the old days, the concert is mostly meant to be standing-room only; the second floor mezzanine has been blocked off due to unsafe conditions (mostly old, rotting floorboards.) There's a slight musty smell that lingers despite Jaskier's best efforts to hide it.

His attempts to hide it are vast in number: every where one looks are richly colorful groupings of flowers, tied to pillars, hanging from strings of semi-magical lights that have been criss-crossed over the main concert area to mimic the sight of stars, and growing from pots meant to hide dusty corners. Illusionary birds fly and flutter about, adding spots of color and life to the old hall.

Small tables and chairs have been set out the entrance for folks to eat and relax at while music fills the hall and spills out.

Jaskier himself headlines the music, accompanied by a flautist, a drummer and a cellist. Songs that he performed at the Summit are part of his set: a song that venerates the magical accomplishments of Thorne (which may earn some grumbles from local Cadenites, but that same magic flows through the hall itself, amplifying the music and preventing echoing and regulating temperature.) His ballad about Lyfbringr, one of the gods of Solvunn, features, with a slightly baudy edge to it. But most prominent are several songs about the Free Cities themselves: bastions of hope for those who have lost their home, rich mixing pots of culture and people, with fantastic advances in technology.

Peppered among the songs are general fun, upbeat songs. As the night draws to a close, the songs become slower and softer, meant for dances between lovers.

Between sets of songs, Jaskier can be see moving through the crowd, shaking hands, dancing, and showing off his precious new pet toy gryphon named Mog, with black fur and feathers and an owlish face. (Yes, you can pet him.) Mog accompanies him on stage as well, flicking his tail and sleeping inside his lute case.]

Speech, Speech, Speech

[Like all good events, it must begin with a speech.

At the beginning of the concert, while his band behind him plays quiet music, Jaskier takes the head of the dais that is acting at the stage, giving the concert-goers a hearty bow with a sweep of his large, feathered hat.]

Hello and greetings, my fellow citizens of Cadens! While you may not know me -- though I highly doubt that, if you've ever stepped foot into a local tavern -- I have been dwelling in your city in some time now as the conveniently-dubbed Summoned. I am the Master Bard Jaskier, and tonight we have gathered for a few hours of good will and merriment.

I have been welcomed into your city ever since I came here by chance, and have long wanted to give back in what ways I can. This concert is being held for the good of the very hall we stand in, long having fallen to disrepair in lieu of other pursuits -- important ones, I'm sure! -- by the city. However, as a musician, I have high respect for any such beautiful place, and I have recently began working tirelessly with an anonymous patron and friend to restore this grand old beauty for the use of all Cadens citizens.

Please, peruse the first floor of the hall to see our recent work in restoring and preserving historical Cadens architecture. There is free food and drink for all -- though, if you're a known glutton, learn a bit of restraint for the sake of the children. [Laugh track.] There are small gifts available in return for donations at the stands just ousdie. There will be collection plates placed around the tables, and by the door -- you'll see that lovely young man there, yes? He'll be glad to take your coin off your hands! [Another laugh track. He's hilarious, he knows.] All donations will go straight to the restoration of this historic hall.

By your leave, lovely gents and beautiful dames, I bid you a wonderful night. May your hearts be light, and your coin purses even lighter!

For ideas about the general mood of the music:

Youtube Bardcore Playlist

Comments

[speak_n_spell]

[No fire or ice involved, only sharp elbows and the occasional stomp. She assumed there'd be a crowd, and swapped out her open-toed sandals for sturdy boots accordingly.

Sypha's on the short side for a human, and basic manners dictate short people either get to stand at the front or lifted up by taller audience members. Listen, she doesn't make the rules.

Luckily, a much taller audience member makes himself known before anybody tries to jostle her back.]

I have! [She almost has to shout to be heard over the celebration] It looks amazing! This is going to be so good for your project!

[fourarmedandangerous]

Goro nods. "The medical academy. Yes, perhaps I will." He looks down at the tiny vials being held in his hand. "I wonder. If you had an available subject upon which to test your creations, would you consider attempting to create elixirs strong enough to affect Shokan?" He asks. "Your wares sound useful, and the medicines I have encountered in this Realm so far have been...insufficient." Fortunately, so far nothing he's encountered out in the desert has been strong enough to place him in any serious danger, but the bruises and cuts he tends to accumulate do sting and ache enough to bother him.

"I'm sure you would find the process...educational." The fact that she exhibits only the usual fear and awe that humans tend to show when confronted with a Shokan for the first time suggests that perhaps his reputation has largely passed this one by. If so, so, it's an in. Besides, weren't human doctors forbidden to "do harm"?

A shame that wasn't really the law in what passed for Outworld's medical profession.

[wiedzminka]

[ Ciri submits a ticket on behalf of Mog.

If Mog's earnings are pastries or a bottle of wine, she will gladly help him out with those. If he wins the song... she expects to be hearing it in local taverns soon enough because it'd better slap. ]

scoping the stairs.

[wiedzminka]

Oh, boo. You're no fun.

[ Ciri says this lightly, rolling her eyes with a smirk that is only half-suppressed. In truth, she's less curious about the rotten floorboards and more so about Alucard, having seen him lurking from staircase to staircase in that dramatic long coat like some sort of specter who'd misplaced his shirt. ]

What's up there, really? You're so keen on protecting it, you're drawing more attention, not less.

[ She seems to be in good spirits. ]

dance floor.

[wiedzminka]

[ Oh, really. Is this happening? Ciri raises a brow, looking Sam up and down critically. ]

I'm not sure you can dance to this.

[ She means he probably doesn't know the proper dance. Having visited Julie's club frequently enough, Ciri is aware what dancing is like in their worlds, as she's also quite aware by now of the commonalities between them.

Gesturing for him to go ahead, Ciri only smirks. She herself has actually put on a dress for the occasion, albeit not nearly as tight or revealing of one as Julie had tried to encourage her into. It's nothing lavish, but it has a bit of color. Something to better match Jaskier's flowers. ]

Go on, then. Impress me.

mog!!!

[wiedzminka]

Geralt!

[ Ciri scoffs in mock affront, immediately scooping the sleepy little gryphon into her arms. ]

I would never even think of dropping our esteemed Mr. Mog. Look at his little face. You'll make him sad.

[ The gryphon has no clue nor care over what Geralt is saying. He's newly busy snuggling into Ciri's chest. ]

[cryptsleeper]

So I've been told.

[A dead serious tone for an eyeroll is a fair trade, so far as Alucard is concerned. Still, he gives a casual shrug, the folded arms across his chest falling. There is absolutely no logic for his foregoing a shirt tonight. It puts certain scars front and center, after all.]

It really is just rotting floorboards. And some of the work tables I was using, since I very well couldn't leave them out this evening. [He gestures to the front half of the hall vaguely.] That entire area was covered with paper, trying to document this place.

[cryptsleeper]

[Sypha, your elbows are also very dangerous weapons. Alucard was just relieved to see boots on her feet when she arrived.]

Jaskier knows how to attract a crowd. [Luckily for Sypha, Alucard can hear her easily over the noise. Less luckily for Alucard, it is becoming a bit much.

He takes a step forward, and there's a little parting of the crowd. There's a nod of his head towards Sypha, letting her fill in the space if she so desires to.]

Can you see better from here?

[gynvael]

His only emotions are hunger.

[ And sleep. Mog appears to be experiencing the latter, which is due to Geralt having fed the creature earlier. No, he will not acknowledge that he fed the gryphon a plate of Sam's cooking. It was hungry and kept chewing on his boot.

He takes advantage of his now free hands to retrieve a bottle of wine and pour he and Ciri both a drink. ]

How was your trip?

[rinwell]

I'm not sure if we should be happy or sad about that.

[ A hand lifts to hide her smile as she says that, however, gold-brown eyes dancing.

As for Hootle: both girl and bird nod in response to his surprise. ]

I didn't expect it either, but it's true! They're very rare, and capable of staying hidden from anyone's sight if they don't want to be seen. Babies like Hootle need a lot of care, but the adults are lot more aware and smarter than the average animal.

[ She blinks at the question, then glances stage-ward. ]

That could be fun. If noisier? But it's a pretty big crowd between us and there..

[techmaturgy]

[For as much as he tries to wrangle his own feelings, Viktor's face often betrays him, and there's some relief on it when Alucard seems to like the gift (it's possible he's not in the habit of giving presents, or never really had an excuse to do so).]

Don't thank me. I'll probably want to borrow it.

[A joke, of course.]

I wouldn't mind seeing those plans, either. [Just out of curiosity's sake.] When you have time.

buddy this is practically flirting with the sad vampire

[cryptsleeper]

I'm shocked you didn't read it beforehand.

[The gentle eyebrow raise means he's only half joking. It is absolutely what Alucard would have done, but never mind that. He flips through a few of the pages, nimble fingers moving over the pages. It's good quality paper. Possibly cotton rag, it'll hold up. Good.]

After tonight, there should be plenty of time. [His eyes wander over towards the galleries above, and a slight nod of his head follows.] I had to store the plans temporarily. They cover a good third of the front of the place at the moment, just mapping this place and making sense of the audio engineering magic at play.

[cryptsleeper]

I think it is value neutral myself.

[Rinwell, y'all got some weird and funky birds. Alucard lets out a soft noise of acknowledgement at the information. He's not inclined to try and pet Hootle, but he can picture trying to fit fabric over fluffy feathers.]

That's fascinating. Totally unexpected, I can't imagine any creature behaving in a similar way back home.

[No matter. Alucard tilts his head just a little.] It'll be noiser. But if you stay to my immediate right, I don't imagine the size or thickness of the crowd will be an issue.

[rinwell]

I suppose. There's a lot more string instruments than I was expecting.

[ She'd only ever seen, not heard, a violin before arriving here.

They are very strange birds, ruled by a King and Queen Owl, who like to award those who help them with gifts. She does not question it, who doesn't like free stuff from enchanted creatures who clearly like you?

(Don't answer that.) ]

They are pretty unique. But a lot of our native fauna have...well, they've been edged out of their territories by invasive species. [zeugles. ugh.] And I don't really know what other worlds have to compare them to.

[ The feathers fluff out happily as Hootle settles against her neck, and she smiles fondly at him, before nodding agreeably. ]

I think I can do that, I'm pretty quick on my feet. And I can cope with a bit more noise!

[nadine_he_loves]

"Uh....I mean, theoretically, I'd be interested. But I don't know anything about your biology or anatomy."

Other than 'big' and 'four arms', which she can clearly see. But of course the idea is an interesting one. It's one thing to just follow recipes, another entirely to develop something new. Nothing Nadine thought she'd begin experimenting with any time soon.

And it brings a valid point worth considering. Not all of the Summoned are human. Even those that might look it - half of her potions don't do anything for Geralt, for example. If she's able to alter what she knows to be useful to more among them...that's worth looking into.

"Unless you've got a copy of Shokan?" she hopes she's saying it right, "Biology For Dummies, I'd probably have to poke at you a lot before I could get started anything."

Which gives her some hesitation. Nadine's not one to judge a book by its cover, so to speak, but she still has a healthy sense of caution. This....person could snap her like a twig, and neither her sword nor her shape changing ability would be much help if he decided to.

[petcromancer]

[Hector looks away, lips pressed into a line. Look, he can give credit where credit is due. He doesn't need Alucard getting all sappy about it.]

I... guess?

[Did Hector get so excited about testing out his newest idea that he was fully going to do it for free? Maybe. Shhh, he's a functioning adult who is capable of supporting himself. It's fine.]

The materials, at least. I was planning on testing the theory eventually anyways.

[cryptsleeper]

Would you accept one of these as fair exchange?

[Yes, a whole ass cheesecake.]

[itookashot]

I have a lifetime of keeping secrets about it, yeah. I've only revealed it to Summoned.

[ Jesper is definitely not going to go up to anyone and display his abilities. Times he's used them in public are unclear and intentionally done just to the edge of plausible deniability. He knows magic is everywhere, but it doesn't mean it's safe. And he will always be a little paranoid about what people would want magical folks for. They already want them to join the army here. Why not make an army of superpowered people like Ravka?

He figures the Summoned all are on the same page about being different, and that means they're slightly more trustworthy than the average person here. ]

They're helpful, but still not as helpful as a gun.

[ Which means his ultimate goal has not changed. Jesper smiles at that comment, relaxing again. ]

You remind me of me and my best friend. He also tells people not to feed my ego, and it never works.

[cryptsleeper]

I was surprised there was a band at all.

[Usually Jaskier is a solo act, after all. Alucard makes a quiet note to suggest that the bard keep with this group though. They do well together, and Alucard suspects that there will be more performance opportunities in the near future anyway.]

The may be wholly unique.

[Alucard pauses, taking a look back at the crowd to chart a potential course. He sees one, then looks down to Rinwell.]

Very well. We're going to go to the far left here and skirt the crowd first, then cut through. That means going under the second floor balconies. [His head nods in the general direction and then? Then he's on the move, careful to keep one eye to his immediate right.

Alucard's natural gravitas helps in these moments. He moves and people move to accommodate him. It is wonderfully useful in these kinds of situations, especially since he moves with purpose.]

[petcromancer]

Yes.

[The answer comes out without conscious thought. It's a really good cake, ok?

And the thought of negotiating for more doesn't even occur to him.]

[cointosser]

Well.

[Probably. But that's none of Alucard's business.]

I would be rather interested in the spells holding this place up. Figuratively speaking, of course. It's not a realm of magic I've currently any experience with. [And one of them, or both, need to understand it, in case it needs... renewing. Or repairing? Does chaos work that way? He's never known it to be something permanent.

Alucard's praise once again turns him warm. Normally he'd probably tease him about that, too, but. At this point, he truly wishes to hear it. Interest should be high, now they've seen what this old place is capable of.]

Honestly, I was considering sleeping here. The road home is far too long. Maybe Geralt will carry me? [He laughs.] I would offer to do the same for you, but I'm rather sure even as a wolf you'd break my back.

[cointosser]

I'm not sure the encouragement of you shoving food of them is even needed, Sam. It smells absolutely wonderful.

[No, neither of them can help themselves at a party, it seems. Jaskier gives him a wide grin, bringing it in closer to pop a kiss on his cheek. Between Sam and Geralt and Ciri's help, he isn't sure how he'd have been able to do this alone. It was quite a bit of help loaned to him.

Jaskier gives Bucky a wave, half-surprised each time he see him again. The Singularity, apparently, has its whims.]

Absolutely. Of course, it's all going to charity. [He smiles. Not a lie, either. Alucard would absolutely pike him otherwise.] Thank you. It's been a grand success with your help, among others. It's... it's what I needed, I think. A meaningful success.

[abraxasnpcs2]

It was indeed. I'm sure we'll be hearing your tunes on the lips of our citizens for days.

[ A bit of discontent about Thorne isn't surprising. Thorne is generally disliked amongst most citizens of the Free Cities, though Quilleth herself offers no commentary on it. ]

Within our borders? Yes. Innovation may be our claim to fame but the Summoned have not been part of our citizenry in recent history.

[ Quilleth loosely crosses her arms. ]

Brilliant? Yes, some may say that we're generous in that regard. But really, how could we learn of other places if we refused to meet their citizens?

[cointosser]

[Ah -- ow. Jaskier's about to shoot a glare at whoever's thought to be so companionable, but it's only --

Oh, right! Castiel's Dean. The anti-hat man. The man of many poor fashion choices (an opinion crafted purely by Castiel telling him Dean's thoughts on the hats he and the coat-wearing man had shared.)]

It's Jaskier, actually. [Normally he'd be very insulted, but -- look, this whole thing is an absolute success and being called Pongo or whatever will not bring him down.] But thank you. I like to think so. I've only dedicated my entire life to singing.

[It's not entirely sarcastic; he's taken the compliment for sincere. He perks up, if not a little suspiciously -- a guitar. Electric? That sounds like music, and he is dedicated to learning music from other spheres...] Ah, you know, I may just do that. Perhaps you can show me a few new songs from your sphere. In payment for the free wine.

[He tips his head towards Dean's glass. He would not have taken him for a wine drinker, but sometimes booze is booze. He gets it.]

[gynvael]

[ The end goal is war, apparently, which is equally open-ended and dangerous. War tends to be waged for a purpose, not the sake of it. And he can't tell if Goro truly just wants the war itself or if he has an ulterior motive for it he isn't saying.

He lets the topic go; not much they can do about it until things come to a head. The city seems unconcerned with him at best, and supportive of him at worst. But he thinks, given enough time, the cards might fall not where Goro expects. Kingdoms and humans are fickle. ]

Mm. [ He tilts his head. ] Jaskier's always preferred experimenting.

[ His knowledge of music is not deep, but he's been around and he's aware that Jaskier, for a long time now, has stopped so much performing what is expected and moved onto performing what he will make expected. A trend-setter, is the term Geralt is looking for, if he knew it, but he doesn't. ]