Apple's Heart

[dramatispersonae]

Your arrival is marked by the feel of sand under your feet, with the sound and smell of the ocean wafting in from behind you. A dampness hangs in the air and the sky is overcast. Directly in front of you the sand fades into a grassy hill, on top of which a white castle rests. To the left, a little ways off, you can see tall sandstone cliffs. Off to the right is a large field of sunflowers that stretches out into the distance. There are no paths or signs anywhere to be seen.

((#applecore))

Comments

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

There is no response, and the laughter seems just as faint.

You step into a small section of withered sunflowers. They are standing tall, facing towards the sky. But over half of the petals are missing and the stalks are a sad brown. The ground beneath you is tile rather than soil. A light mist covers the area.

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[fullmoonblooms]

[A little more familiar but this is still a bad feeling...Still stepping out.]

Hello?

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

The tile is mucky, and your feet sink into it. But moving away fixes that. The laughter fades away.

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[fullmoonblooms]

[that...that was unnerving.]

[looooking around. what can I see?]

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

Lots of sunflowers. It looks like there might be a clearing up ahead?

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[fullmoonblooms]

[going for the clearing then]

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

It's a small clearing, big enough to fit 3 people comfortably. All of the sunflowers around it are healthy and facing towards the sky. The mist grows heavier to the right. To the left there is a path so small that you’ll overlook it if you’re not paying attention. Straight ahead you can faintly hear the sound of laughter.

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[fullmoonblooms]

[...good thing Selenia is not the one in this heart.]

[following the laughter]

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

Safest option. The laughter gets a tad bit louder, but the sunflowers get thicker.

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[fullmoonblooms]

[storming through those sunflowers!]

Hello! Can you all hear me?

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

Suddenly the sunflowers stop, and you enter a much larger clearing. You are at a large open air stage made of polished wood. There are a bunch of children running around, but there is something off about them. Their laughter is faint and you can see right through them; they are all blurry and transparent, with no identifiable features.
The stage looks rather run down. Off to the side there is a rack of instruments, a wardrobe, and a big box full of toys.

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[fullmoonblooms]

[...the children are creepy but omg new clothes]

[what sort of toys can I find in the box?]

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

Any and every kind of toy you can imagine is inside of the box. Actaully, as soon as you think of a toy it appears in the box. As you're looking through it, once of the children notices you.
"It's a person!"
The children crowd around you.
“Play with us, play with us!”
“Tell us a story!”
“No, do a play!”
“Swordfight!”
“Dance!”
“Play some music!”
“No, a game, a game!”
“Something fun!”

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[fullmoonblooms]

[stopping and setting a doll down]

Oh, you all want to play? I think we can come up with a game everyone can enjoy if we work together.

How does that sound?

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

"Yeah!"
"Let's do that!"
"I want a swordfight!"
"No, a dance!"
"What should we play?"

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[fullmoonblooms]

We can have a play with a swordfight, a dance and some music. No need to fight over it.

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

"I get to be the knight!"
"Then I get to be the other swordsman!"
"I wanna be a lady at the dance!"
The children all rush for the wardrobe.

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[fullmoonblooms]

[...supervising the children and helping them with their costumes...]

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

All of their outfits are adorable and frilly. They look more solid, and you can hear their voices more clearly.
"So I can still be a knight?"
"I want to be a noble runaway."
"What do you want to be, miss?"

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[fullmoonblooms]

Oh. I'm a...a librarian.

[picks up a book from the chest and holds it close]

See?

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

"Oooh, that's cool! I want to be one too!"
"You can't be, she already is one!"
"But I want to!"
"I want to be a knight!"
"Do we have a library in our story? What's our story, miss?"

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[fullmoonblooms]

We're fighting back soldiers that are trying to take books away from the people. This is our final stand, to protect the last library in the world.

We can't let them win, can we?

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

There is a collective gasp of outrage.
"No, we can't let them take the books!"
"We'll fight everyone!"
"Take them all out!"
"And hold a dance party to collect money!"

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[fullmoonblooms]

[pulls a fake sword and shield out from the toy box and goes to stand guard]

Everyone! You know what to do! To your places!

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

They all rush to grab toy swords and shields.
"To defend the books!"
"To defend the library!"
"Fight to the last man!"