[a heart.]

[antreegonist]

There's a moment of nothing but light and sensation. Someone's looking you over and the scrutiny prickles and burns – it's nearly a physical pain, like fine little hooks digging past your skin, into the very meat of you. I know who you are, it says, and I know what you are, and that you don't have any business here --

“But you do,” says Mithos behind you. He's a tired, steady voice in your ear, a light hand on your shoulder. “I don't know what Dream's thinking, but everyone is welcome here in my heart; just keep in mind it's a real mess right now.”

Your vision clears.

((assume your characters wandered in here through a dream. also join #ihateyouihateyouiwanttocuddle on irc if you can!))

Comments

Re: [roots]

[antreegonist]

That sure was another shot of PURE DESTRUCTIVE RAGE!

But Mithos is now an insubstantial ghost.

Re: [roots]

[gravitysrainbow]

[I'm pretty used to pure destructive rage tbh

turns to look at ghostymithos, flame going out '^']

... I'm really sorry. For... for yelling, and for being here, and for what happened to you. ... Sorry.

Re: [roots]

[antreegonist]

"How dare you!"

Re: [roots]

[gravitysrainbow]

... I know changing things or closing boxes or anything... it's not my place, right? I... I hope it helps you, though. In the long run. I know you're angry, and you have every right to be. I'm really sorry.

Re: [roots]

[antreegonist]

He just keeps railing at you.

Re: [roots]

[gravitysrainbow]

[... goes quiet, just... waiting to see if he'll calm down... at all...]

Re: [roots]

[antreegonist]

. . . nope, he's actually getting more incoherent . . .

Re: [roots]

[gravitysrainbow]

[oh...]

... Okay. I'll leave.

[I guess I am leaving angrymithos behing me '^']

Re: [roots]

[antreegonist]

His voice fades.

Which way are you going? Left to the black tree, right to the ghost tree, or center between them?

Re: [roots]

[gravitysrainbow]

[Left!]

Re: [roots]

[antreegonist]

You pass quickly through the roots and approach the trunk of the black tree. It's so large that this close, you can see that climbing it the normal way is inconceivable; instead, the bark itself forms a rough, ridged path up, more than wide enough to walk on. It looks pretty twisty, if you glance up; the jagged wound in the trunk has damaged it in places. But it's still navigable.

Re: [roots]

[gravitysrainbow]

[... stares at it '^'

THEN STARTS ON HIS WAY UP, pressed close against the trunk in case he slips]

Re: [roots]

[antreegonist]

You won't slip . . . you feel oddly secure on this path. Someone's looking out for you.

It's a long walk up and around . . . distance goes strange again, though. You reach the first branch of the tree much faster than you should.

There's a plain white wooden door set into the trunk here. The word BODY is written on it.

Do you enter or keep going up the path?

Re: [roots]

[gravitysrainbow]

[... looks up... well, visiting can't hurt, right?

> enter BODY SHOP]

Re: [roots]

[antreegonist]

. . .