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

[performing]

[laughter, huh ... not headed towards it exactly, but not moving away from it either, still trying to find his way through]

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

You reach 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 still faintly hear the sound of laughter.

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[performing]

[pausing a moment, then taking that left path]

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

The path winds aimlessly through the fields for a bit, avoiding all of the withered sunflower patches. You come to a clearing much larger than before, ringed with tall mushrooms. The ground inside of it is all checkered tile. It is empty except for a young boy with dark hair, who is meticulously inspecting each of the tiles.

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[performing]

[raising an eyebrow, but only stopping once he's in the clearing]

... hello?

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

He pays you no attention. He's very focused.

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[performing]

Hellooooooooo?

[watching him, but not yet moving himself. does he look like any of the people in all those earlier memory flashes?]

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

He does not! Looks like this kid. He looks up when you call the second time.

"...Hi."

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[performing]

[nodding]

I'm Red. Who're you?

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

"Ryuu...she's mentioned you."

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[performing]

She has? --you mean Apple, right?

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

He nods.

"She talks about all of you a lot."

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[performing]

Well, hopefully she talks well about them ...

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

"She does. Have you seen her yet?"

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[performing]

No, is she around?

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

"Not here. She's somewhere else. But you can't leave here yet. It'll be bad."

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[performing]

What's so bad?

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

He points to the mushrooms around the clearing.

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[performing]

... they're mushrooms?

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

He nods.

"It's a fairy circle...they do weird things. If you leave, something will happen. I'm trying to fix it."

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[performing]

I've lived through worse than weird things. How can I help?

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

He frowns at the ground.

"Make the tile go away...I guess?"

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[performing]

Make it go away ... ?

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[appleofhiseye]

He nods.

"I don't...know how."

Re: THE SUNFLOWER FIELDS

[performing]

[activating his innocence, flexing the claws '-']

I could try throwing it.