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

[stronglikebear]

That...doesn't really solve the original problem, and it doesn't really reassure Yuri. He's somewhat mollified, though, by Tim's implied promise to eventually stop living the way he has been, even if it doesn't sound like he means to actually come clean. Yuri sighs and rubs his neck. It isn't going to help if he pushes really hard, but he can't help but try.

"Just, you know," he says, "maybe people could help you if you gave them a chance."

[postictal]

He looks to be backing off. That's - good. Hopefully he won't go reporting him to the Base, or whatever it is people aligned with the Rebels do. He doesn't know if that's a thing. He doesn't care. He wishes he hadn't shared as much as he did but he hadn't been thinking, he hadn't been focused on what was important. He'd been too preoccupied over trying to breathe for all the goddamn trees.

In the end, it hadn't really been anything. Just Tim. Stupid, panicking Tim with his dishonesty and his paranoia.

"Yeah," he says darkly. "Haven't heard that one before."

Of course, he's now kind of living with the last guy who tried, repeatedly and unsuccessfully, to help.

Well. Tim's always known he's a fucking hypocrite.

He takes a short breath and holds out his hand, palm flat.

"I'd like my lighter back."

[stronglikebear]

And more weird hostility, okay. Yuri beetles his brow at Tim, more than a little hurt and annoyed that he won't even try to let what worked for Yuri work for him, that he's being so -- so -- standoffish. That he's rapidly changed his mind about the lighter is unsettling, but it is his lighter even if Yuri feels uneasy as he digs in his pocket for it.

"Yeah," he says curtly, putting it in Tim's hand. "Here. Seriously, if you just -- you can look me up, when you're awake." Tim should look him up when he's awake, is what he means.

[postictal]

Great, so now he's pissed him off. Tim's just so good at that, isn't he? He can even pinpoint the exact moment the conversation went south, and that was when it turned personal. People asking questions. Questions about Tim, and Tim's life, and topics he shouldn't be disclosing. He should have gone for the tired lies. Those are always safer.

He shoves the thing back in his pocket without giving it a second look.

"I'll think on it." It just comes so fucking naturally to him, the distant neutrality, dodging the questions. "Right now I think I'm just gonna - yeah."

With an evasive shrug of one shoulder, he ducks out of the weird spherical treehouse and starts navigating the stairs up and away, praying the guy won't follow. Tim's got enough problems without getting on the bad side of his indirect providers.

[stronglikebear]

Yuri turns, ducking to stick his own head and shoulders out the door and watch Tim go, brow furrowed tight enough it'll start hurting his face if he keeps it up. Tim, he repeats to himself mentally. Lives with Jay, who always has a camera.

Hopefully he'll remember this in the morning.