Mithos's Heart

[dramatispersonae]

*there's a moment of nothing but light and sensation. you feel -- inspected by someone or something, gentle and unobtrusive. who are you? what are you? do I know you?

welcome.

your vision clears.*

((please join #blackboxed!))

Comments

[BEGIN: the island]

[antreegonist]

*you're standing on a long straight dirt path. around you is a flat meadow; soft green grass and small wildflowers. the thunderhead-filled sky has a strange, almost glassy quality to it. it's raining, heavy and steady.

some distance ahead of you, the path leads up to a freestanding door. it is at the centre of a large round space, hemmed in by a high bank of pale and curling fog. if you look behind you, the other end of the path is lost in the fog. perhaps there's something else in that direction.*

Re: [BEGIN: the island]

[yourmama]

Whoa… that's worse than Flame's, huh? [shivers and pulls her soggy scarf closer around her.]

Re: [BEGIN: the island]

[poker_face]

[Oh boy. Where to go. Where to go.

Looking back at the fog]

Re: [BEGIN: the island]

[iwantyour]

[HEADS INTO THE FOG. HELL YEAH]

Re: [BEGIN: the island]

[aberdevine]

--ugh, really?

[shrugs out of his jacket to drape it over his head and shoulders.]

Re: [BEGIN: the island]

[steampunked]

. . . well, nobody likes bad weather.

[heading for the door.]

Re: [BEGIN: the island]

[brotagonist]

[goes to the door]

Re: [BEGIN: the island]

[mythlology]

[ putting the hood of his sweatshirt up, u n s u r e about overexerting his powers on something like staying dry in rain with a weird heart to explore ]

Real friendly.

[ and >door ]

Re: [BEGIN: the island]

[fraternaldevotion]

[. . . trying the the other end of the path lost in the fog]

Re: [BEGIN: the island]

[andallthekingsmen]

[man i am not wearing the right clothes to get rained on]

Who is this?

Re: [BEGIN: the island]

[ganbareist]

[whoa rain. promptly drenched...

looks both ways, then... goes ahead in the direction of the fog]

[BEGIN: the front]

[antreegonist]

*beyond the door is a circular hallway, tastefully decorated, about twenty feet wide. the walls are partially carved with writing and pictures, and the floor is tiled with colourful mosaics, but everything is pleasantly abstract and you can't read the language the words are written in. the carvings do not bear toolmarks; they seem to have been grown there.

on the curving wall in front of you are three identical white doors.

there is also a sitting area with a filled bookshelf, a table, a comfy couch, and a rug. tea and small sandwiches have been laid out.*

Re: [BEGIN: the front]

[yourmama]

[eats a sandwich and attempts to open one of the doors.]

Re: [BEGIN: the front]

[aberdevine]

--Knife? ... ... Ugh, I guess I should have known.

[going to drip on your floor, sorry, as he goes to look at the bookshelf.]

Re: [BEGIN: the front]

[andallthekingsmen]

[looks around briefly and then heads to the door on the left to try and open it]

Re: [BEGIN: the front]

[poker_face]

[... Yep, let's choose the leftmost door.]

Re: [BEGIN: the front]

[mythlology]

[ EW, BOOKS AND LITTLE FROU-FROU SANDWICHES AND READING

just going to go through the door on the right! ]

[WORLD: aatherside]

[antreegonist]

[the hub]

[antreegonist]

*you find yourself stepping out of the Ring, into the clearing of Beauty's region. it's warm and sunny, though the sky still seems strangely glassy.

there are some differences from the Aather clearing. for one, it's deserted. the fruit tree has also been replaced: a spindly young oak with black bark and bright leaves grows in its place. you see something shiny lying in the grass at the base of the oak.

Sterling cave is nowhere to be seen; the clearing is surrounded by forest, except for five paths that wind into the trees and out of sight.*

[the wayhouse]

[antreegonist]

*the fifth path leads to Beauty's castle. the gates to the empty, weathered courtyard are wide open, but the doors into the castle are tightly closed. you feel a curious tension in this area.*

there's also a narrow passage to the right of the castle -- looks like you can go around it too, not just inside.*

[WORLD: aseliaside]

[antreegonist]

*you are in a small round open courtyard, built of white stone with high walls. there's glassy blue sky overhead. it's cool here, verging a little into chilly.

The oak and seed are still here, growing in a circle of bare earth. there is a small clock hung on the oak tree, and a keyhole still present in the trunk. the white key is in your hand.*

three full-length mirrors hang on the walls, equally spaced.*

Re: [WORLD: aseliaside]

[steampunked]

. . . right, okay, now I know how that works.

[this key is going in my bra. examining the clock!]

[FILTER: the nightmare path]

[antreegonist]

*this room is utterly, absolutely, completely dark. as soon as you enter, you hear the sound of rushing water all around you. the door also clicks shut.*

Re: [FILTER: the nightmare path]

[yourmama]

[oh no oh no oh no ATTEMPTING TO OPEN THE DOOR AGAIN 8( Y U NOT OPEN DOOR]

[FOUNDATION: the cave]

[antreegonist]

*you find yourself in a cave, soaking wet. it's huge, dim, and you're at the centre of it, on a circular walkway surrounding a very large hanging birdcage. all around you is a lake of seething dark water. if you squint hard you can just about make out four massive white pillars out there, evenly spaced.

the cage is the only bright object here. it's made out of something clear with a rainbow gleam to it. it's suspended by a chain that leads up into the gloom. the bottom of it just barely touches the water. you could also touch it, if you cared to stand on the inner edge of the walkway and stretch.

Mithos is inside.*

Re: [FOUNDATION: the cave]

[aberdevine]

[sputters, pushing wet hair out of his eyes.]

Dammit, what is with this heart and-- Mithos?

[FILTER: the red room]

[antreegonist]

*you're in a dim room; it's small, close and low-ceilinged. what little light there is has a reddish tinge, and the walls look strangely fleshy. there is one door, about three feet high and made of warped wood. hanging from a hook on it are what appear to be three heavy bangles.

Mithos is on his knees near you, scrubbing at something on the floor with a handful of bandages. he doesn't look up. behind him are lined three boxes--they hold their own light, though it doesn't extend to the rest of the room. one is mother-of-pearl. one is silver. one is teak wood. they are all closed, though you can make out the seams of lids.*

Re: [FILTER: the red room]

[yourmama]

[uhhh… looks around a bit dubiously.] Umm… Mithos?

[CONSOLIDATION: true heart]

[antreegonist]

*you emerge in a shady forest glade. the surrounding trees and plants here are not perfect! you see withered and fallen leaves, little yellow spots, flowers with missing petals, and so on. but everything has an immense presence to it. the rest of the heart felt real! but in this glade everything is a thousand times more intensely there.

many colourful objects and handicrafts rest in the branches in the surrounding trees, though a few are too large and unwieldy for this and lie propped against roots. dolls, tiny paintings, weapons, et cetera. there seems to be a certain organization to them, though you'd have to look more closely to be sure.

growing in the middle of the glade is the oak tree. the crystal flower lies underneath it. coiled around the crystal is a strange and fuzzy creature, about four feet long and as thick as an arm. in the tree is a small black bird.*

Re: [CONSOLIDATION: true heart]

[brotagonist]

[oh no it's cute. looks at the thing and the bird]

...hey there...