[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

[gynvael]

[ The gryphon was a mistake, not because it's a hassle—all it does is sleep and eat and occasionally pounce on a lizard—but because it attracts. People. Geralt has been eyeing anyone who approaches, but this is the first familiar face that's come his way.

Still alive and in one piece, he sees. It seems Jesper at least took his advice about not venturing into the desert unprepared.

He sighs: put-upon, but without any real heat. ] It isn't mine.

[ Animal what? Geralt squints at Jesper, then decides it isn't worth asking. He points at the stage, where Jaskier is currently giving his lute a vigorous strumming. ]

He named it Mog.

[itookashot]

[ Jesper did indeed take his advice and he's alive although not any richer. Alas. Still struggling for the funds to get him where he needs to go, but he's breathing, so there is that. And it's partly Geralt's advice so he's going to be breathing in his direction for a bit. He pulls up a chair to join him, without asking because why ask when you can do, and pats Mog enthusiastically. ]

Oh, the bard. That makes more sense, flashy pet for a flashy person.

[ Jesper is in not aying that in a bad way, he is literally wearing some of the most colorful clothes in the place. Flash is his own personal style. Bards are required to pop, it's part of their job. It's an interesting connection though, this grim man with that bright performer. It makes him think of him and Kaz, actually. Opposites attract and all that.]

He and the very, very pretty shirtless blonde have a lot of work on their hands in this place. I'm surprised they care so much about a building in another world.

[gynvael]

[ In reply to his new company, Geralt only tops off his wineglass. There's worse company to be had. As dismissive as he tends to be on the surface, he truthfully doesn't mind Jesper.

The gryphon blinks owlish yellow eyes at Jesper and yawns. ]

They don't. [ Not exactly. ] Alucard holds interest in its unique architecture and Jaskier will take any opportunity to perform.

[ And make a name for himself on top of that. It isn't a bad plan and there's no sense Geralt is judging Jaskier for taking advantage. He left his reputation behind. Will leave it behind for good, and Geralt knows a large part of that is for him. Him and Ciri, and so—

He owes Jaskier, to help him regain it in this new world they're settling in. ]

[itookashot]

Yeah I talked to Alucard about the building. Offered my unique abilities to the table, anything to get a possibility of some coin that doesn't include being eaten, right?

[ See, he listened! Jesper's looking for something to do, something to occupy his time, because he rarely sleeps even with using his abilities a little more. He definitely does not care about the building or the community or any of it, but it seemed like a good opportunity. He doesn't want to become a magical carpenter, but it is a start. Frankly, something his father would have approved of, rather than the rest of his business. ]

You know him well? Jaskier. If he trusts you with his pet.

[ Some people are very protective over their animals. Jesper's never been allowed to pet sit, and with all respect, that may be for the best, his attention used to wander quite a lot, more so than now. He still has the Wheel of Fortune pendant that he plays with unconsciously, rapping it along the tops of his fingers. ]

I have to go tell him at some point how handsome he is, I think I hurt his feelings on the ... message system.

[ He is mostly joking. He does not think Jaskier was in any way hurt, just annoyed. ]

[gynvael]

[ Oh? One eyebrow raises in interest. That's a far cry from mercenary work and slaying monsters. ] Abilities.

[ That's as much of a question as Geralt will pose. He leaves room for it to go unanswered—though if Jesper is offering it up to someone he's only met once or twice, he imagines it isn't meant to be a deep secret.

His attention turns briefly to Mog, who's now gnawing on the edge of a wooden plate. ]

He's an...old friend. [ Jaskier is many things, most of which Geralt holds no term for so. That'll do. ] Rest assured, you can't hurt his feelings unless you insult his music.

[ Age? Looks? Jaskier's ego swells past it all, but say one less than flattering word about one of his songs and the bard will plot your demise immediately. ]

[itookashot]

[ Jesper pauses and allows that same feeling of borderline nausea to course through him and pass entirely from the abilities reply. It is exhausting to know how he is in no way fully past that instinctive fear, and may not be for months or even years, but he is moving into it instead of away, and that makes a difference. ]

Yes. Back home people with my abilities get murdered, forced into an army, kidnapped, or used, so I'm ... usually quiet about it. But everyone can use magic here, so.

[ He is really trying to remind himself of that every time he feels like he's being watched, which is completely irrational, but it comes from a real place. He's only seventeen years old. It takes time to get past a decade of suppression. Jesper looks at the gryphon instead of at Geralt, irrationally nervous even now to reveal it to an otherwise nice person. Who probably doesn't care. ]

I can manipulate matter, shape and change it, in this case, he mentioned rotten wood so I told him I can strip the rot out and mold new wood into the space left.

[ Jesper doesn't have a teacher, so it's all made up from his own mind. Alucard said he had time to learn how to do it properly, and he'll put himself to that task. He glances over at Jaskier again. ]

Why would I insult his music? His music is great.

[gynvael]

[ Mm. There it is. More quickly admitted than Geralt would've expected, but the boy doesn't seem especially tight-lipped in the first place. He studies him for a moment. It's true, magic runs rampant even in the Free Cities. Their reluctance to make use of it doesn't mean it's absent. Just not as prominent as Thorne, and with less of an obsession to run the entire city on spells.

Not that what they're doing is much better. Geralt finds little benefit in either attitude. For him, magic is a tool, no more no less. What matters is who wields it, not what it is. ]

I'm sure you know not to advertise too plainly nonetheless. [ Attitude towards magic in Cadens is hardly a big secret.

He pats the gryphon idly, a quiet snort escaping. It is good, he won't deny it even if he's rare to say it out loud. Jaskier obviously has (had) the ear of the Continent for a reason. ]

Just don't overinflate his ego.

[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.

[gynvael]

[ A lifetime, Jesper says, and Geralt knows what he means, but also: they have extraordinarily different concepts of what constitutes as a lifetime. He hums. Jesper would hardly be alone. Plenty here hide their more powerful magicks and for all that he does not trust every one of the Summoned, enough of them come from magick themselves or possess it that it's...different. For things to be known amongst their own.

He relinquishes the gryphon entirely to Jesper at this point, seeing as it seems content enough to be stroked. He huffs quietly. ]

No, it doesn't. [ Absolutely never does. And yes: he did, in fact, see Jesper soliciting the Summoned over their connection about attraction. Geralt makes note of every message passed, even if he almost never responds to any of it. ] You'd get along.

[ Him and Jaskier, he means. Especially if Jesper intends to flatter him. ]

[itookashot]

[ Well it's his lifetime of it, but for him, that's long enough! He's only seventeen but after years of trauma and strain, he feels a lot older. In those years he's gone through more than a lot of people do in twenty years. And he's still relatively lucky, compared to his friends. They're a rough group, the Dregs, the most dangerous group of teenagers around.

Jesper makes a delighted noise when the gryphon is relinquished to him and he pets it adoringly. It's been a long time since he got to play with pets! They were jurda farmers, not animal farmers, so this is rare. ]

I get along with everyone, Geralt.

[ Probably something Jaskier would say himself, and with the same amount of confidence and playfulness. He winks at the man, and to be fair, he's never been disproven. The only people he hasn't gotten along with are the ones he's had to shoot, and they obviously had good reasons! ]

Even the dragon person, or at least that's the intention. I was hoping he'd have wings. I talked to the other dragon person here, she also has no wings, it's really disappointing.

[ Can they even be dragons in that case? Maybe lizards is the better term. Sigh. Jesper does intend to talk to Goro, he's curious about him, he's always so curious. Also he tries to make allies everywhere he can. ]

[gynvael]

[ The dragon person?

Geralt squints a bit in Jesper's direction. The only dragon person he knows—knew—was Estinien, and Estinien was both in Solvunn and has long vanished. Estinien was also an elf first, so part of him remains uncertain how the dragon bit came along. He's not ever come close enough to Goro to smell him, so that Goro is part-dragon is entirely beyond Geralt's knowledge. As far as he's concerned, that's an ogre of some sort. Multi-armed ogre, not especially easy on the eyes.

She, on the other hand. That he does put together who it is. ]

Himeka isn't a dragon. [ How many people has he got to tell this? First Jaskier, now Jesper. Has Himeka simply gone about letting folk believe she's a fucking dragon? Seems something she'd do, in truth. ] She's of a race that happens to possess reptilian features.

[itookashot]

Oh you know her! Well tell her that, she didn't seem to mind me calling her that.

[ To be fair it may be that she didn't know how to describe it otherwise to him, without seeing her in person. Which Jesper fully intends to do, he has to meet every person here to prove his theory about their group attractiveness. His eyes spark with interest. He's going to run around the Horizon at some point and just introduce himself to everyone. Why not.]

Goro's the other dragon person, and he is somewhere sitting on a throne. She seemed far more pleasant.

[ While Jesper felt like introducing himself out of fun, he definitely does not want to die, as proven by taking Geralt's advice, and he has a feeling one of those four arms could crush his windpipe in moments. So you know. Staying out of close proximity.

He snaps his finger, glancing at Geralt. ]

Oh good, you have a first-hand account then, is she a very attractive reptilian woman? I know the answer is yes, don't be shy.

[gynvael]

[ Himeka minds not many things, though Geralt does not say this out loud. Instead, he squints in Goro's direction. He can understand how Himeka would be mistaken for a dragon, by a layperson. She has the scales, the tale, the horns, and more specifically, a habit of apparently turning into a dragon while in the Horizon. This, however.

Bit of a stretch. ]

He's been stoking sentiments against magic. Be careful. [ In case Jesper's not yet heard. Geralt doesn't think much is happening, between the attempted peace summit and a rather uneventful visit to Solvunn, but he also knows better than to underestimate how rapidly a mob can grow, over the smallest spark.

He takes a drink. Jesper, have you no decorum? ] Find her in the Horizon yourself. I'm sure she'll enjoy being rated upon her attractiveness.

And can wrap here! :D

[itookashot]

[ Jesper is aware that Goro is unpopular with the group although he doesn't know why entirely, he knows that Julie dislikes him and honestly, that's enough for him. He might be curious enough to start a conversation, but he's not going to make friends with someone who one of his actual friends dislikes. Julie is the person he's felt has the clearest mind when it comes to talking about this place, she bluntly put everything out in front of him when he first arrived.

And he would put Geralt's opinion right behind hers, close to it, because he too talked some sense into Jesper and kept him from running out to make coin. Jesper is used to other people being in charge of him, it's difficult learning how to be an individual instead of a gang again. But it's clear in the momentary narrowing of his eyes that he hears what Geralt is saying, and he'll remember it. He knows a lot about making certain people who distrust magic stay away from him. ]

You're no fun.

[ Jesper teases him with a faint smile. For not playing along with the game, but to be fair, it's reasonable not to want to talk about the attractiveness of other people. Jesper's just a problem. ]

But you always have very good advice.

[ Meaning Jesper will in fact be looking for her Horizon. Thanks, Geralt. With one more wink, he pats the sweet gryphon again, and then sweeps up to a stand. ]

Time for a new drink and a little dancing. You keep sitting here looking handsome and broody, my friend.

[ And with a salute he's off. ]