abraxaslogs | [ open ] HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA (not you abraxas)

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[ open ] HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA (not you abraxas)

Who: Julie + Dean + open
When: July 4
Where: Julie's club in the Horizon
What: June sucked, it's time to party patriotically 🇺🇸 Dean's invite here 🇺🇸 no, the Americans don't care that it's not America, they're doing it anyway (just like real life)

[ Approaching Julie's club on this particular day, you can tell from the outside that something is going on. The pink neon has been swapped for red, white and blue, the pink carpet and velvet ropes changed to the good ol' stars and stripes. The front doors are wreathed in an enormous and very patriotic balloon arch, and they're wide open. American flags hang across the walls of the entranceway, and the music is what most Americans would recognize as July 4th standards.

Inside, Julie has obviously been incredibly hard at work, and the club has undergone its most massive changes to date. The entire first floor has been modified -- where there was once a dance floor and seating, there is now an Olympic-sized in-ground pool, dotted with a variety of American themed floats and balls. The glittering quartz flooring is all gone, now replaced with lush lawn grass, and sensible concrete wrapped around the pool itself. At one end, a truly enormous inflatable water slide can send you flying down from fifty feet in the air, just to land with a splash in the water.

How has she managed that height? Well, where there's ordinarily a roof, there is now only open sky, blue and picturesque with puffy white clouds lazily floating by. The sun is bright but never too hot, and incapable of burning anyone's skin. The only thing between the sky and the building are dozens of red, white and blue decorations, strung from the balconies to overhang the pool.

Don't worry if you weren't exactly prepared for a pool party! Julie, queen of not only parties but also wardrobes, has helpfully converted the warehouse part of the building for this very problem. Racks and racks of bathing suits and beach towels are available for use, with every conceivable style up for grabs. Trunks, one-pieces, string bikinis, banana hammocks, she's got it all! While many match the red, white and blue theme, all types of colors and patterns are present. Grab a towel from a stack, hop in one of the striped changing cabanas, then get to swimming. Don't forget your red, white or blue flip-flops and sunglasses!

Hungry? Well, Dean has you covered. On the lawn, Julie has provided him with a wet dream-inducing grill and every imaginable kind of meat to cook on it. Also in this section are tables and tables full of snacks, desserts and drinks, along with the full bar that is always present. The bartender, Steven, is always ready to make anything you could want. (He is dressed in what is best described as "Sexy Uncle Sam" -- in that it's a star-spangled wrestling singlet, a glittery red white and blue bow tie, an Uncle Sam hat and a small, fake white beard.) Plenty of picnic tables are present to eat at.

As the afternoon passes, the sky will gradually darken until it's black and clear, with a wide expanse of stars, the way Julie remembers seeing night from the empty prairies of Kansas. Between Dean and Julie, there is no shortage of fireworks; as proud Americans raised in places where there's little else to do, they are experts at blowing shit up in creative ways. The tables disappear and are replaced with blankets on the grass, meant to be laid on and shared. An incredible fireworks show rounds the night out, and only once the sky is calm again are people expected to leave.

Or pass out. Getting completely wasted is also an Independence Day tradition. ]

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Jesper is a huge party person and while he did like the concert from earlier in the year, this is far more his ideal type of event. Once he sees the color scheme he immediately changes all of his clothing to red, white, and blue. He runs around with the energy of a very excitable teenager, because technically that is exactly what he is. He is extroverted so if he spots anyone he even remotely recognizes, he'll come over and say hi and chatter. The nightmares are behind him. Time to get back to his optimistic self.

There are a lot of opportunities to see him at the pool. He jumps with a giant splash into the pool, you can hear him whooping with delight on his way down the water slide, he'll keep going as long as possible just up and down a few times. Maybe he'll splash you in the water because he's full of mischief or sneak up on people to dunk them in. Jesper will only do this to his friends, not to strangers, because he's not a jerk. He'll relax on a float at one point with a drink and sunglasses on.

As usual, Jesper is a huge eater and it looks like he's getting enough food for two people but it's all for himself. He grazes there often and tries one of everything, you can find him pigging out and looking zero guilty for it, this is what he lives for.

Jesper wants to reconnect with people so when the fireworks are almost ready to go off, he'll probably walk up to any blanket and the person on it, sitting with them for a few minutes. Maybe you're already friends with him and it's a catch-up, maybe you're a complete stranger, but he'll chat as if you're already friends regardless. When the fireworks start he may not be sitting but walking around, but you can see him pause briefly and look up at the sky, a wistful and almost sad expression on his face briefly. It doesn't last long but it happens. He knew someone who could make fireworks.

Jesper will still be partying until the last crowd of people, his energy is high and he's desperate for some fun. At the end he is definitely a little drunk and forgets to go back to the real world. Whoops.

[ooc: or feel free to just reply as a wildcard.]

As the sky darkens, promising the beginning of the fireworks show soon, Wilhelm scoops up a fresh drink and stakes out a blanket in the grass. Then...well, there isn't much to do besides sip and stew in the niche anxiety of sitting alone at a social event — a precarious balance between hoping nobody perceives you while you look like a loser, and hoping exactly the right person perceives you and, having mercy on your unbearably awkward soul, invites you to join them.

Eventually, his (not-so-) casual people-watching turns up a familiar face. Only, it takes him a long moment to place it. Because the last time he saw this face, it was twisted in pain and pale as death. The memory slides into place and Wilhelm nearly fumbles his drink in surprise.

As the young man approaches — Jesper, he remembers as if the name is seared into his brain — he realizes he needs to do something other than gape up at him.

"Hey," he begins. "Um...how is it going?"

Jesper is drastically different in reality than when he was in the nightmare. He is confident and social and has an expression that always seems ready to laugh. He is vibrant, larger than life. That is why it was so drastically different, to be someone devoid of his spirit. He spent some time flirting with pretty much everyone he came across and he turns his full smile and attention to the new boy sitting by himself.

Unlike Jesper, Wilhelm does look like he did in the nightmare, so for a moment when he recognizes him, it's as if he took a slap to the face. His smile fades but it's like a hiccup, it lasts a second before it's back like nothing happened. He's inwardly wincing, because it's a bit odd, asking a stranger to kill him. Shepard he felt much better about it, since she does know him.

"Oh, you know, not turning the world into dust! So much better than the last time." Jesper is not someone to beat around the bush and so he simply sits down onto the blanket across from Wilhelm, crossing his legs underneath him. He's in red, white, and blue shorts and a cheesy t-shirt, very unlike his normal style, but when in Rome. In Julie's Rome.

"Sorry about pulling you into that, pigeon. None of that really happened, by the way. It wasn't a memory."

Jesper's breezy response clears away the tension Wilhelm didn't even realize was gripping him so tight. His shoulders slope with a sigh and a relieved smile crawls across his lips. He shakes his head.

"Don't worry about it. Dreams are always weird like that. Well, and these weren't exactly normal dreams anyway..."

He takes a swig of whatever's in his cup. Something with rum that makes him wince just a little as it goes down. An evening of slow but steady drinking has imparted on him a starry expression, but at least stars are on theme. His ensemble of blue polo and white linen shorts is on theme too, though inadvertently. He's in the habit of dreaming up favorite familiar clothes from home to wear during his Horizon sojourns, and he just happens to have a propensity for blue.

"I'm glad I ran into you, though. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Even after the nightmares were banished, Jesper's broken expression and quiet plea for death continued to haunt Wilhelm, but he wasn't sure how to reach out to him. Now with this warm, friendly face across the blanket from him, the impression left behind by that nightmare might fade.

Jesper can see that his laidback response has relieved some of the tension in Wilhelm and he's always been good at that. Making people feel at ease in the face of uncomfortable things. A personal talent for it! He is a soft soul, he already guessed that in the nightmare and he can see it now too. It reminds him a lot of Wylan, not that he needs any more reminders about his ex.

"Nah, they were full-out monstrous nightmares. Including creepy stalking monster." That did not show in their shared nightmare, but Jesper did witness it many times from there, so he knows what the deal is. He also helped the faction get rid of it. That's why this party was so needed. It helps him be less skittish of the Horizon, considering everything in his domain kept turning into dust. Not cool.

Jesper wills a drink into his hand, some kind of juice mixed with vodka, he hopes that people don't get as drunk as they ordinarily would off Julie's drinks for once. Or maybe they should! And then this will be even more of a party.

"That's sweet of you, love, but I'm fine. Nothing a few good distractions couldn't solve." Everyone was shaky for a few days but Jesper managed to make it work. It is very easy for him to bounce back, much easier than most people.

Jesper takes a moment to get a good look at Wilhelm now that they aren't in a terrible situation, his curious gray gaze perhaps a little on the direct side, but he is only looking. "You're new, I know almost everyone here. Tell me your name and story."

In answer to Jesper's claim that "a few good distractions" is what they need, Wilhelm raises his cup like it's a toast. He really hopes the last week or so is not indicative of what life will be like around here. Restless nights and paranoia stalking him through the days, all his fears split open like some infected wound.

"So far, this is the best thing that's happened here," he says, looking around the scene of the party. With Jesper's eyes reading him so intently, it's hard to look directly at him. And...maybe it's the booze, maybe it's the loneliness, but his dark curls and warm brown skin and warmer smile turn his thoughts to Simon. He can't help it. As always, reminders of Simon ache in his chest, which means Wilhelm will be tipping his cup back again. Distractions, indeed.

"I'm Wilhelm. Or Wille, if you want." He tucks a strand of hair behind his ear, staring down into his cup. "I don't know if I have a story..."

Not one that he cares to share, anyway. One of the few things he likes about this place is that nobody knows who he is. Sure, the townspeople around the castle regard the Summoned with that air of awe he's never been comfortable with, but to the other Summoned he's just some kid. He'd like to keep it that way.

"I feel like everyone I meet here has, like...lived a life I can't even imagine. And I'm just sort of...here."

Jesper has been here long enough that whenever he starts getting restless or annoyed at waiting around, something seems to happen that reminds him sitting around isn't the worst thing that could happen to him! Go figure. He would love to get into a fight. Usually the best cure for stress like this is a fight, and he's not given any of that.

"Well, I would say that because you're new this is the best thing, but we don't have a whole lot of parties. We did have a meet-up a bit ago to talk about the upcoming war, but that isn't really a party." Although it did have food and some chatting possibilities. Jesper also went to the Hunter gathering, but that's not the sort of thing everyone's invited to. "You must be in Thorne, otherwise I would've seen you." Jesper knows all the Summoned in Cadens, to be honest.

He decides to lie on his back on Wilhelm's blanket instead of look at him and think about Wylan, comfortable as can be invading his space. Jesper has that way about him, he sneaks into people's space as if they've known him for years. He has a guess what that means, just being here, as opposed to the group of the Summoned who have powers and history. He is definitely very soft in comparison.

"Well, you're not just anything, pidgeon." He's going to keep calling him by that nickname because it may be the aptest one possible for someone this sweet and clueless. "We only end up here if there's a reason for it. They don't snatch nobodies."

With Jesper talking rapid-fire and the liquor lazying his brain, it's a little hard to keep up at first. He manages a sour grimace for the news that parties like this are rare, a nod for the hypothesis that he must be in Thorne. It's not that he's some insatiable party animal, but it's fun to lose yourself for a few hours. A scene like this provides a slice of normality in a wide expanse of the strange and unfamiliar.

When Jesper flops back on the blanket, Wilhelm scoots over an inch or two to allow him enough room. He swirls the ice in his cup, considering his words.

"That's what everyone says. Ambrose doesn't make mistakes." Still, doubt clings to his voice. He can't help but worry that he's bound to disappoint, even after he'd done what he could to assist his faction in preparing the spell to ward off the nightmares and the insidious things that used them as a doorway into the waking world. No matter the successes, he's only ever one failure away from proving wrong the powers that be.

But he'd prefer to move on from the subject. Aiming a perplexed look down at Jesper, he asks, "Do I want to know why you keep calling me pigeon?"

It doesn't necessarily sound like an insult the way he's saying it, but Wilhelm can't imagine how to spin it positively either.

Jesper would say most of his days here have been good, outside of the occasional madness, but not really all that exciting. The only good exciting it gets is when they have the meet-ups and he likes the chance to meet others, like this. He also has a tendency to wander around the Horizon and stumble into other people's places out of sheer curiosity and boredom. His energy is a difficult thing to manage, despite using his powers all the time, he hasn't really lost it.

"Ambrose throwing half the Summoned into jail when he first snagged them certainly seems like a mistake to me, it did lead them to run away to the other factions." His tone is very, very dry. Jesper has not met the mage himself, he's only heard about him, but he believes he's bad news. He gets that sense out of him. "But if you mean in who he takes, well, that I'd agree with. There's always something special. Maybe you don't know what it is yet."

The kid could have powers he's not aware of, or maybe he's a secret prince (close guess). Jesper knows better than to think people are ordinary and that's it. Everyone has the potential to be more than that. He smiles at the question and tilts his head over to look at Wilhelm.

"I'm from a gang with the crow as our symbol. They're tough, intelligent, and never forget an enemy or a friend." Crows will find out who murdered one of them and go looking for vengeance. It's very apt that Kaz would cling to a creature with that in mind, and one that likes to fly and be free too. Also, likes shiny things, like a pack of thieves would.

"Pigeons are nice and sweet, which is what I thought when I saw you. Innocent. Kind." They used to think this was Wylan, but he's become one of them. He wonders if that was for the best, sometimes, but Wylan's father was always going to make it bad for him. Jesper smiles and playfully nudges him. "But other people use it to mean easy to pluck. Easy to steal from."

From his expression, it's plain that he didn't know about Ambrose jailing any of the Summoned. At the comment that there's always something special, Wilhelm flicks his eyes away to watch nothing in particular but the thickening dark. All that's special about him is the family he happened to be born into — also against his will, he might add. Between the life of a royal and the life of...whatever he's supposed to be here, it's a close contest as to which he's least tailored to. He's lived with this feeling for years, like he's been forced into clothes that don't fit right.

Surprise pulls his gaze back to Jesper. It's also plain enough that he's never met anyone who was part of something as shady as, or as far to the edges of society as, a gang. Despite his best efforts to break free, he has lived in a bubble his whole life. The people who inhabit his pearly, iridescent little world are quick to purge any impurities. Scandal, bankruptcy, the wrong ideologies, all tucked away where they can't be seen. To him, gangs are things that exist in movies. A thrilling fiction, not anyone's reality.

"You're being kind to me," he protests as a counterpoint. Then he squints at Jesper in an exaggerated fashion, jabs an accusatory finger into his shoulder. "Unless you're just tricking me so you can jump me later."

He breaks character fast with a laugh, tipping back more of the concoction in his cup.

"Were you really in a gang?" The question is equal parts curious and incredulous. Jesper is maybe a year or so older than him, about the same age as August. (Though, to Jesper's credit, the comparison with his cousin ends there.) He tries to imagine his cousin, or any of the guys he surrounds himself with, in a gang, and the idea is laughable.

Edited 2022-07-22 00:14 (UTC)

This boy has not been around for long, that's for sure, he looks genuinely startled about Ambrose, but these things happen. It's a shame no one in Thorne has told him about their past struggles with Ambrose, but he doesn't know how things over there work. It may be in everyone's best interests to ignore it. Jesper would have already been in trouble or jailed in Thorne, he can't stay in one place that long. He doesn't care how nice a prison looks.

"I wouldn't have to trick you, pigeon, you're already so easy." Jesper smiles at him. He has such a soft spot for the innocent. Wilhelm is not wrong. Jesper is very kind, even to his marks, most of the time. Not that he has any currently. The only mark Jesper has these days is himself, trying to keep from his worst impulses.

His eyebrows go up and he laughs. "You think I'd lie about that?" Jesper used to lie about it, but in the way that he wouldn't use the exact word gang. It's very normal in Ketterdam, but he understood that outside of their corrupt little port city, it had a negative connotation. So he didn't reference it often. But now he stopped trying to hide a lot of his details.

"The city I'm from, it's full of gangs. There's no real way around them, unless you're rich, and then you're in a different type of gang, the merchant kind." And they are no less of a gang for having a nicer name and presentation. In some ways, they are the worst of the lot.

Wilhelm puffs out a sigh. If he's annoyed, it's only because Jesper is right, and he can't help but be wounded in the requisite way of young men whose toughness is questioned. But that laugh of his acts as something of a salve, preventing him from becoming mortally offended. Look, he's even laughing in response.

"It's not that I think you're lying, it's just...I don't know, you're not what I picture when I think of gangs. But I guess I've never met anyone else who's been in a gang, so..."

He shrugs, as if this constitutes a complete thought. Then his curiosity continues, or maybe it's just a hunger for conversation so that he won't be alone. Maybe those are the same things.

"So what's your city like? It's not in America, is it?"

Those stars-and-stripes colored shorts are convincing enough.

"No, I understand, my gang is far too attractive and interesting to be on the same level as most. We are the cream of the crop." Or they were in Ketterdam. The Dregs were rising up fast thanks to Kaz taking over and their daring job with the prison and then in the city itself. Other gangs will start seeing them as a serious threat now, because they are. He assumes Kaz will come for him if they end up in any serious threats.

Jesper likes talking with people so it's always easy to keep him chatting, and he likes Wilhelm, he's already decided that. He does have a weakness for sweet boys lost in a situation they didn't expect. He always thought that about Wylan, a displaced prince, dropped into the gutter.

"America, no. Julie and Dean are from there, they made this celebration." And he is just wearing the colors in order to be supportive. Plus he looks good in bright colors.

"Ketterdam is a port city, surrounded by water, it always smells like the sea. And often fish too. It's a bustling merchant place with both long dark roads where the clubs and underground go, and the bright roads to the academies and fancy shops. It's always alive, always bustling." If he sounds wistful it's because he is, a little. He has found a lot of things about this place he likes, but it's still not home. Nothing else ever will be.

The remark about being far too attractive and interesting earns an eyeroll, but the effect is softened by a chuckle. Wilhelm shakes his head, knocking back his cup. By now, he's that level of buzzed where you begin to feel fuzzy around the edges, like you're floating away from yourself. It's a nice feeling.

"It sounds like a cool place." His expression falters sheepishly, as he remembers all the gangs that are supposed to be skulking around Jesper's city. That must mean it's a dangerous place as well. A place defined by a sharp divide between haves and have-nots. He quickly amends, "I mean, it sounds like it would be hard to get bored."

Because he can hear the wistfulness that colors Jesper's sketch of Ketterdam, he doesn't have to ask if he misses it. Wilhelm assumes everyone here is homesick in one way or another. Even him, who felt suffocated in his actual home. Who was left with the weight of all the things he didn't want, and the broken pieces of those he did want. But the point of the booze was to leave all of that behind.

"Especially if you're in a gang full of such interesting and attractive people." Grinning at his own joke, he raises his eyebrows at Jesper.

Jesper grins at that eyeroll because he is always able to laugh at himself, that's just how to get about in life, in his opinion. Never take yourself too seriously. He can tell Wilhelm's getting tipsy, perhaps on the road to drunk, but it's all chosen in the Horizon. He's happy to be a safe space, everyone should be buzzed when they want to be buzzed.

"Impossible to get bored in. Even for me, who gets bored very, very easily." This is still true. Using his powers took some of the bite out of his addiction to gambling and adrenaline, but Jesper still likes excitement and adventure. That has always been true. He gets bored in Cadens sometimes, but he does know people who manage to make it interesting.

He winks at Wilhelm. "Well I've just traded being in an attractive Ketterdam gang for being in an attractive Summoned gang instead." They aren't an official gang, obviously, they're not organized that way, although his Cadens family is a little more so. But they are a group all connected in important ways. And they're all really, really hot. "When I first got here I asked everyone why we're all so attractive. I've yet to be proven wrong."

Meaning Wilhelm is too.

Edited 2022-08-09 01:25 (UTC)

He works out pretty fast that Jesper is flirting with him, but working out what to do about that takes an extra beat. Or two. He isn't used to the directness, and he wasn't expecting it from someone he's just met. Even Simon was more likely to call him an idiot than anything else, though he shaped it like a term of endearment.

Wilhelm can see him, a little bit, in Jesper's twinkling eyes and the perfect cupid's bow of his lips. He can see that hypothesis at work.

Then suddenly, he feels profoundly alone even though Jesper is next to him and the darkness around them is filled with other partygoers. But he shakes it off, because "yearning for one's ex-boyfriend" probably isn't the response anyone anticipates when they toss out a flirty comment. Forcing a laugh, he busies himself with his drink.

"Maybe that's what they're actually looking for when they summon people here," he jokes. He's not looking at Jesper anymore, but at the stars stretched overhead.

Jesper's always flirting, one way or another, no matter the age or gender of who he's talking to. He even flirted with Goro, for crying out loud. But he does like flirting with sweet boys who may not be entirely used to it, and at first, Wilhelm is reacting that way. He is a little surprised that the reaction seems to be distancing, wondering if Wilhelm is straight and doesn't appreciate being hit on. Which of course would be his prerogative, but it isn't obvious at first glance.

"That's exactly what I theorized. Maybe they thought people would like us better this way. It isn't an unusual observation, that the good-looking are treated differently. Or we stand out." Cold and calculating to point that out, maybe, but it is true all the same. He has yet to meet an ugly Summoned, that does not seem like it is a coincidence. "Or they just want something pretty to look at." Also an option.

He can tell Wilhelm's mood has shifted and he isn't going to guess at why anymore, it's not really Jesper's way to get too much into his head about basically anything he doesn't understand. He did just sit down here without an invitation after all. Jesper smiles warmly at him and slides back to his feet, even that movement very smooth. "Time to fly off to the next few blankets, pigeon. You stay sweet, you hear me?"

perfect :)

ordinar - 2022-08-14 19:32 (UTC) - Expand

Mat has no idea what this festival is all about, has never seen a swimming pool before, and quite frankly doesn't know most of the people here. But he doesn't quite care, because this is quite a good time. He isn't even embarrassed about the swimming wear he'd be given - a whole piece of clothing just for swimming??? - which happens to be a speedo. It's black and has bananas on it. It does what it's supposed to do, and odd as it is, who is he to judge other world's customs?

The pool is just spectacular. Big as a pond, as far as he's concerned, and he's spending a great deal of time in it.

He wastes no time in making his way right over to Jesper, grinning, wet curls plastered in a messy mop around his face.

"Isn't this fantastic?"

Jesper's never been in something like this either, they have lakes and oceans and ponds, but this is the height of luxury in his opinion. He's really offended that so many of his friends seemed to have very shiny and exciting worlds; after seeing the Citadel, he's fairly certain that he belonged in modernity. Ah well. Everything is so bright, so colorful. Usually he misses Ketterdam's grittiness, but he can stand this.

He whistled as soon as he saw Mat in his speedo because the man looks good and he sees no reason not to. Jesper decided to go with the long red, white and blue trunks because he thought they were wonderfully tacky. He used to swim in ponds all the time as a kid, but has only been in Ketterdam's water out of necessity. So it's fun to do it for leisure.

"It is! Very glad there's no salt getting into my eyes or stinky fish." Jesper reaches out to run his fingers through Mat's wet hair and smooth his curls back a little.

Mat waggles his eyebrows at Jesper's whistle. His time in Thorne has been good to him, he's filled out properly, no longer ropey muscle stretched over bone. He looks fit, and he's not ashamed to show it off.

Especially to Jesper. He's never been in a position to have a regular partner, let alone two before. It's fun and exciting - it offers certain aspects of a relationship without all the rest of the clutter he'd prefer to avoid.

"This is the cleanest damned water I've seen outside of a bath!"

The castle baths, to be specific.

"And it's bigger than the swimming hole back in Emund's Field. I need something like this in my domain."

Jesper still is skinny as a rail but that's because he happens to like being skinny, and because the vibrant energy in him from his abilities eats away at him always. It's why he never really stops being hungry. But Mat is looking very good, no matter what. Jesper's actually not really the regular partner type either. He's had a lot of flings and some affectionate occasional partners, but he never really synced up with anyone other than Wylan on other levels.

"You're right, it's so clear. I don't think even bathwater is this clear." At least not where he's from, apparently Castle Thorne is that kind of fancy. Jesper lets his hand swim through the water slowly, watching it. "Why not? You have a lot of added things in your domain." He likes that about Mat, that he adds as he goes.

Jesper leans onto his back and floats. "I'm thinking of redoing mine. Out with the old, in with the new." And the fact that he's never been able to let go of Kaz and Wylan so his domain is all about them, not him.

"You ought to! Same thing all the time gets boring, doesn't it?"

It does for Mat. Of course major aspects always stay the same - his house, the lake, the 'mountains' - but the details change week to week.

"You can make anything! Ought take advantage of that. You could have a pool of miraculously clean water!"

Who wouldn't want that? It may not have quite the same natural beauty as swimming in a pond or lake does, but by the light does everything else make up for that! Julie's world has got to be one of wonders, from what little he's heard and seen of it.

"You been down the slide?"

"Yeah it does. I could definitely add one of these. Make the mansion one giant pool." Getting rid of the Van Eck mansion is probably the hardest but best step to take to move on. That is not his home and it never really was. He can modify it, throw some fun things in there instead. Jesper's not sure if he wants to always be swimming, but maybe he could make a smaller one. He is definitely going to look into it.

"I remember like it was yesterday when you came up with yours." Jesper grins and splashes at Mat playfully. He showed up right when he was brainstorming and it was one of those bonding moments for the two of them. Mat's made it very much his own since, and it's pretty impressive. "Your imagination knows no bounds." He loves how Mat just integrated a bunch of shit into it. Great idea.

"Yes, but let's go anyway." Jesper grins and takes Mat's hand, pulling him toward the exit stairs.

"My imagination has never been allowed free rein before! Why not let it act to its full potential?"

But Jesper seems to be getting the idea. He's not limited by his domain, he can shift it to whatever he wishes on a whim. Mat can't understand why everyone isn't doing that. But it really doesn't make any difference, and he likes Jesper's domain no matter what it is.

He follows eagerly. There's nothing like this back home. Sure, there's some streams you can sort of slide down, but it's muddy and rocky and not the most fun experience. The slide, however, looks madly fun.

"Wonder how fast you get, going down...s'pretty high..."

"That's what I love about you. So open-minded!"

Mat soaks in so many ideas. It's amazing. He takes what he's learned or seen from other people and incorporates it into his realm. It really is impressive and it seems to come to him so easily. Jesper really should be using his imagination more. He's supposed to have a great one, but he's been living in other people's realms instead of his own, basically.

"Pretty fast. Sit down there." Jesper gestures for Mat to sit at the top of the slide but not to go yet, so he can slide in behind him. He puts his arms around Mat's middle and grins. "One, two, three, let's go!" He pushes off, no time to worry about if it's too high or too fast. This at least he's good at; jumping instead of thinking.

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[ open ] HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA (not you abraxas)

Jesper Fahey | OTA

hello :')

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Maybe wrap here or on yours! On time for new stuff :)

perfect :)

Pool

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