horizon

[itookashot]

JESPER'S HORIZON

General Info

Jesper's Horizon takes form in two very different types of locations that can easily be crossed over between. When you first walk in, you'll arrive at the front of the Crow Club. It is dark in there and smells of booze and desperation. Sometimes it sounds loud in there despite no one else being inside, like there's a whole lot of chatter coming from no where, but it's home to him. Jesper can often be found here either playing poker by himself, lounging in the area in the back, or at the bar. There are no locked doors.

Doors to other locations are highlighted in bright gold so people visiting will know where they can go. Jesper in the Crow Club is in his full gear, usually bright green suit, lime green shirt, his famous pistols at his belt, a hat on his head, and looking every bit the cocky criminal he used to be.

Once you step through to the cabin side, everything is in the day. It seems cozy and perfect for one person to have a nice living space. Here Jesper is more often dressed down in comfortable wear, still colorful but casual, with his guns nearby rather than on him. For people who know his friends, there are little symbols of them everywhere. Copies of Inej's daggers are left everywhere, versions of Kaz's cane he made, there's a smell of waffles permanently in the air for Nina, there is a flute and painting aisle to the side never used for Wylan, and there is a prominent painting of a wolf in the entrance of Jesper's cabin for Matthias.

THE CROW CLUB

Front entrance

The Crow Club is predominantly colored black. It has a black and crimson facade, a portico with black columns, and an oxidized silver crow with its wings spread above the entrance. The walls are coated in black lacquer and the floor is black walnut. The club's parlors, like most gambling halls in the Barrel, are windowless to prevent customers from observing the passage of time, leading them to spend more time there. In at least some of the private parlors, there are safes hidden behind one of the wall panels.

THE CROW CLUB

Front Room

The interior of the club consists of a main hall with card tables and the like and several private gambling parlors, garbed in black and red. There are normal tables where people can sit and drink and talk, often about corrupt or criminal plans. Everything within this club is private, except club owner Kaz Brekker is known to have his thumb on any business done within the walls. It sounds like chatter is everywhere even with no one in there.

THE CROW CLUB

Gambling tables

The card tables are circular and draped in crimson cloth decorated with a repeating pattern of black crows. The cards and dice are from Ketterdam, but if people visit, just by being there the games may change to reflect their own home and types of poker. They'll simply appear when someone sits down so they can play if they want. When it is a game that requires someone to deal, an NPC dealer from the Crow Club back home will simply appear and handle it.

THE CROW CLUB

The Bar

The bar at the Crow Club has a variety of different liquors and drinks, some cheap, some not, and plenty of glasses to go around. There are no chairs there, you have to lean on the bar or go to one of the tables. This is by design so people gamble rather than sit there. Depending on who comes into the space, their favorite liquors or drinks may just suddenly appear as an option.

THE CROW CLUB

Back Booth

In the very back of the club there is a sitting area that is usually held for Kaz Brekker and whoever he wants to be sitting with him. It's covered in red velvet and comfortable, although somewhat dim and dark like everywhere else in the place. There is a table and at least three chairs around it. Typically it is the meeting place for Kaz, Jesper, and Inej, although now most of the time it's empty here or it's just Jesper sitting.

THE CROW CLUB

Kaz's Bedroom

Despite the fact this is not Jesper's bedroom, it appears in there thanks to Jesper's attachment to his best friend. It has several stolen paintings in it, a simple bed, a set of mirrors, books, and a desk in the back. There is a back window that is always open. This does not suit Jesper in the least so to people who don't know, this would seem an unusual room for him. He has not changed a thing out of some odd reverence.

Jesper's Cabin

External

By leaving the main hall of the Crow Club using any exit that isn't the front door, you will arrive in a beautiful and luscious location that is completely unlike the club. Instead a simple but classic log cabin is in front of you It is always sunny outside and there are flowers and plants perfectly cultivated outside. Feel free to sit and enjoy the outdoors or walk to the house. The door to the cabin is permanently open for guests. It is medium-sized and perfect for one person to live in with extra space.

Jesper's Cabin

Living Space

Inside the wooden cabin is a nice spacious open space without really dividers of rooms, so it is one big room more or less. The bedroom is to the side with a nice big bed and an entertainment section right next to it with a television and video game consoles that his friends helped show him. Right next to it is a music room/section. Things keep being added as they go and he learns more about other worlds to add them in.

Jesper's Cabin

Music Room

To the side of the main living room/bedroom is the music section of the cabin. In there Jesper has a piano, a drum set, and a few guitars. He has soaked these in from his other CR and he has a jukebox in the corner as well, although it only has the same music as Dean's Roadhouse. There is a flute in the corner but it is not to be used.

Jesper's Cabin

Shooting Range

Jesper is a perfect marksman and he is very passionate about guns, so he has a range next to his cabin where people can come shoot safely. It's become an obstacle course of a sort. You can also pick up a bow and arrows and the targets will work just as well with those. There are revolvers and rifles with unlimited bullets for people to test out. He is more than happy to show people how to use them.

CODE BY TESSISAMESS

Comments

[carmesi]

[when jesper had insisted that wanda come visit him in his horizon (or he could come to hers, apparently he had no qualms either way), she wasn't sure what to expect from the young man. he is one way, his words are another, and the entrance to the crow club makes her feel like she is entering a dark tunnel into an even darker mine. it doesn't take her long to arrive into the front room, where she thought she would see a crowd.

figures that jesper would add ambience noise (or voices) to his horizon, but it doesn't alleviate how she feels out of place.

places like these were not where she would usually go, for obvious reasons regarding the state of the city she grew up in, but pietro would also insist that she keeps away from them while he handled any business they would otherwise have there—back when they were old enough to put their anger into riots and other desperate measures. her eyes glance about, at the black walls and the red decor, then settles for the bar. she heads there, like it's an anchor for her, and puts her hands on the counter.

...she voices, tentatively.]

Jesper?

[itookashot]

[ The Crow Club is home to Jesper, it's been his touchstone for years now, after Kaz pulled him out of the streets and gave him a new life. It's dingy and dark and more of a dive than other clubs, but they were the smallest gang at the time. It used to be much worse, before the Crows updated it to where it is now, but they never had enough money to make it better. Maybe now Kaz would, but Jesper likes it this way. He felt more at home in the Barrel than on his father's farm. He is in the back room, Kaz's room, and it's like the Horizon ripples with the sound of her voice. He can hear it over the fake chatter easily.

He steps down the stairs in a hurry, hopping over the banister since it's not far from the bar and there he is, smiling brightly. ]

Wanda! Welcome to the Crow Club.

[ Jesper's wearing a nice white dress shirt under a green vest. His beloved pearl-handled pistols are in leather holsters and he looks very at ease there. He's so happy to see her and it shows, gray eyes practically glowing with it, and he sidles up next to her. It's always fun when he has visitors in here, although most of the time it's Inej, typically. He has been spending time in here using his gifts more often, testing out some ideas here before using them in the real world. ]

It's a bit dark in here, isn't it? Sorry about that.

[ Obviously this is his imagination, he's replicating something that already exists, but he glances upward and the lights brighten the place. Not too much, just enough for no squinting to be necessary. It took him awhile to get used to so much brightness in the desert. Ketterdam has a tendency to be cloudy. ]

How're you?

[carmesi]

[wanda is glad that jesper seems to read her mind, as far as her concerns go, and lightens the place up. it's under these brighter lights that he may make note of the smile on her face upon seeing him, appreciating his nice white dress shirt under a green vest.

it certainly is a change from the clothes bestowed upon them by this world. it definitely feels more like himself. a bold thought, perhaps, given how little she's known him for.]

I can't complain.

[she fidgets for a moment, her hands atop one another, squeezing at her fingers.]

You said I could visit any time. You're not busy?

[itookashot]

[ Jesper's so delighted that she intentionally came here looking for him. It's always nice to be sought after, especially by someone he's been talking to Inej about respecting. He doesn't really like the clothes in Free Cities, everything he owns back home is tailored to him, perfectly suited to his look, but he's done what he can. ]

Please believe me when I say you are always welcome. I like the Horizon but it can get dull on its own.

[ Jesper gets distracted easily and beyond that, he's mostly surrounded by memories of what he lost, so he really has to work on that. ]

This is the club my gang works out of, I set up a gambling area where you can play cards or any games you like from your world.

[ And you never lose money so Jesper can play over and over again when he gets the hunger and not lose for it. It's gratifying. Even when he lets himself lose, because winning isn't fun all the time, he feels better than doing it on the outside. ]

Or we can go to the mansion if you like, it's very shiny in comparison. Or ... anything. I'm glad you're here.

[ He's practically a puppy wagging his tail at the moment, don't mind him. ]

[carmesi]

[club, gang, games— wanda looks around as he explains, and starts to see the setup in a different light. truth be told, she knows so very little of his world, but sees it for what it is: a place of convenience, where he and his friends (or 'gang') could be. she thinks of the quinjet and how it became a mobile home with all sorts of inconveniences—but those sharp lines and the unfriendly geometry and the too-open space became comforting because of the people there.

she turns back to look at him, with a bit of a surprised look on her face (raised eyebrows, a growing smile) at the mention of a mansion. it is his last statement—i'm glad you're here—that melts her heart, though.

wanda puts a hand over his arm, squeezing it lightly.]

Why... don't you give me a tour of the place? [she scrunches her nose a little] I just put together a small cabin for my Horizon. It seems like yours has a lot more going for it.

[itookashot]

You got it. Well, you've seen the bar.

[ Jesper likes to be in motion even in this place, pushing off the bar and taking the hand that was on his arm. He tucks it right into his elbow as if he's escorting her, and in a way, he is. He walks her down the steps from the bar to the gambling table floor. This is usually where there's a huge crowd, but Jesper hasn't really filled his space with fake people much, it always feels weird. ]

The Crow Club was bought by my boss, Kaz Brekker. He, Inej, and I are the best of friends, although he hates any and all reference to affection and will deny it to his last breath.

[ So naturally, he surrounds himself with two loving and forgiving people who tolerate his nonsense and don't give him crap over it. Jesper knows for a fact that Kaz has a heart, a big heart, but he would probably break Jesper's kneecaps to prove otherwise. ]

Kaz says it's because crows remember enemies, but they also remember friends.

[ Vaguely sentimental, he would try to make it as cynical as possible. ]

We usually play cards here, but I was shown by someone ... here.

[ Jesper takes her over to one of the tables, a stack of cards and fake coin and paper there, and waves a hand so they seem to dim and disappear, leaving behind a clear table. ]

All you have to do is think of a game you like from home.

Visit with Wylan

[itookashot]

While he is giving Wylan emotional space to figure out his feelings about everything, Jesper still considers them close friends, which means he isn't going to just disappear out of his merchling's life. It is why he volunteers to take him into the Horizon for the first time, watching over his memoryless self the first time, and then takes him back in ten minutes later. This time with his memory intact.

"There's some theories that you have to do the first time so the Singularity recognizes you before letting you into the space, but no one really knows for certain." Jesper explains when they find themselves back inside of the nebulous psychic plane, their bodies peacefully sitting on the outside in Jesper's room. Now Wylan will find himself at the entrance of the Crow Club, identical to the one he knows except it seems to be transplanted entirely to a strange world. There are other buildings and domains all around them.

The other huge difference about the Crow Club is that it's empty. The club is the same and when they walk in they can hear the murmuring and sound of what it would be like when busy and exciting, but there are no people in it. Jesper can whip up a bartender or gambler when necessary, basically blank people, but it's rare. "Kaz and Inej share this space, obviously. It's all of ours." Meaning it can be Wylan's too, or he can consider it that way. He is a Crow.

Jesper figures Wylan can adjust to somewhere he knows before moving on, and he can show him how to create for himself after. For now he looks around and tries not to get too distracted looking at his lover (who he can't have). "You can eat and drink in here, and you can taste it, but it won't fill you up. You can change your clothes or anything about you, if you want."

Jesper of course changes nothing about himself, he is perfect as he is. He does wear his more familiar clothes from Ketterdam though and his mother's guns are at his hips rather than the ones he bought in Cadens.

Re: Visit with Wylan

[demoexpert]

It was strange, coming back into a place he just was but this time remembering and knowing everything. It makes him relax to have his memories intact this time. He was glad that it was Jesper that brought him in the first time, as strained as their relationship might be right now he still trust Jesper more than he had trusted anyone in his life and he was still one of his best friends. He hoped that would never change. Not that he thought it would, he couldn't keep away from the other boy.

Wylan looks around, the surrounding areas are unfamiliar, but The Crow Club he knows, and that's a comfort. He looks around as he listens to Jesper's explanation of this world. "Anything about you? How? Do you just have to concentrate on what you want?" He asks curiously looking over at Jesper with a bit of a mischievous look on his face.

[itookashot]

"Yes, you just think it, and it happens. For example." Jesper waggles his eyebrows at him playfully and then turns his hair green, his eyes yellow, for fun. He probably could make it work if it was permanent, as Wylan knows, colors always manage to just work for him. He then puts it back to brown and gray. "It'll become really easy for you with time."

Jesper made this space first because it was so familiar to him and therefore it barely took any effort. Kaz's room to the side is still there, everything exactly as it should be, unless Kaz himself changed anything. He reaches out to snag Wylan's hand and pulls him toward one of the doors out, where it typically would go to an alley, but instead it brings him to a beautiful and idyllic bright sunny day.

The cabin Jesper designed was in part inspired by Wanda's log cabin but it is smaller and simpler for one person to enjoy, or any guests he may have too. It doesn't seem like the obvious type of place Jesper would make for himself, but he ended up truly loving it once he started the design.

Inside the cabin it is always light inside, the middle of day, and there's wood floors and tasteful bright colors inside. There is a giant television which wouldn't make sense to Wylan at first, it took awhile for Jesper to learn about it, and there is even a game console. He doesn't know much about either, so he can only play things that other people have shown him, but he finds what he does know fantastic.

And sure enough, Wylan can see among a few other musical instruments in a side room, his flute is on a table like a trophy, untouched by anyone.

[demoexpert]

Wylan blinks at the sunlight, the contrast of the darkness in the Crow Club to the bright sunny sky was jarring when he wasn’t really expecting it. It takes him a moment to realize he’s looking at a cozy cabin. Definitely not what he would have thought Jesper would be drawn to.

“I have to admit I wouldn’t have picked this style for you.” He says it as Jesper is pulling him in to the cabin, their hands clasped firmly together. Wylan would be lying if he said he minded, something about having the other boy’s hand secure in his felt comforting, steadying. He could use some steady.

He looks around the cabin, is eyes drifting over the things he didn’t recognize and lingering on those that did. Of course they are drawn to the side room. He’s a little surprised to see the instruments, he hadn’t really known Jesper was even interested in music. As he gets closer to the room he pauses, his eyes finding his flute. Jesper had mentioned it, but seeing it here was different. He felt a pleasant swoop in his stomach as he took it in. Knowing Jesper had done that for him even when he wasn’t here.

He turns to look at him. “Can I?” He’s not just going to touch anything he wants, even if it’s technically his flute, it’s still Jesper’s place.

[itookashot]

"It's based on a cabin my friend Wanda has. I always found a lot of comfort in her domain, so I made my own version." Wanda is family to him and her domain was a place he'd often feel safe in. It's changed since that initial cabin where she'd show him television, but he'll always associate that with good feelings. When he remade his domain to get rid of the Van Eck manor, a strange memory now, he was looking for comfort over all else.

The inside is cozy and that's part of the appeal. It's a little rustic, like the house he grew up in, but more modern too. A nice blend. The instruments are because Jesper started talking to people who were musicians so he made himself them in his domain and started playing very badly. One of these days he might get an official teacher, especially for the guitar. He liked the options.

There are other little details in this space that Wylan might recognize. The light smell of waffles in the air for Nina, versions of Kaz's cane and Inej's dagger planted around, even a painting of a wolf for Matthias in the front area. He didn't want to lose the Crows.

"Of course, it's yours after all." Jesper may have made it but it's identical to the one Wylan had before on purpose. It will play exactly as he wants it to too.