Between the Roots and Branches [Open to All]

[applesaucemod]

Don't worry, dreamers of Manhattan. There will be no humiliating episodes of sudden-onset-clumsiness tonight - at least, nothing more severe than what you might experience naturally. Your physical and mental faculties will be left perfectly intact. What a treat! And what luck, because if you do lose your footing, it's a long way down to the forest floor.

But hey, who wants to be on the boring old ground when there are so many wonderful treehouses to explore? There are dozens of them spread throughout the surrounding forest, connected by a series of bridges and catwalks (some, admittedly, a bit more stable than others). It's easy to forget - or fail to notice - that there really is no easy or conventional way down to the ground when you're surrounded by such splendor.

The houses' styles range from charming and rustic to modern and sleek, with many falling somewhere in between. There are viewing platforms for bird-watching or simply taking in the scenery (trees, mostly, though if you venture high enough, you'll be treated the sight of the forest canopy stretched across a valley far below). But the insides of the treehouses are comfortably furnished to varying degrees as well, so there's no need to immerse yourself in nature if you'd really rather not. Some are complete houses in their own right, with all the amenities of a Manhattan apartment and then some.

Go for a climb, or kick back and relax. The only enemies you'll find here are other dreamers... and, potentially, gravity.

Comments

[peacefulexplorer]

Daniel hums in concerned sympathy, expression distant and uncertain. "I'm sorry."

He struggles momentarily to put together the appropriate wording for what he means to say next, unsure if it could be construed as offensive. He doesn't have a lot of choice in pushing forward, so he does.

"Not to say everyone reacts that way," he continues, making an effort to lighten his tone. "Quite a few of my closest friends were non-terrestrials, er, aliens. Some weren't even on this plane, so." He shrugs and lifts his eyebrows in what he hopes communicates a hesitant optimism. "If there's ever anything you need in the waking world, it wouldn't be out of my way."

[biscuit_powered]

"I just...didn't expect that so many people would be entirely unused to seeing non-humans," she admits. "But it's alright. I have the means to pass among these people. I will be fine." And it's only temporary, she doesn't remind him.

She does manage a faint smile of gratitude. "Thank you, though."

Even as she speaks, she can feel herself being...tugged away? She frowns, brow furrowing as the dream world goes more vague around her. "I think --" she starts to say, but already the sounds of the woods are layered over with what she vaguely recognizes as the sounds of the hall outside her door.