Chapter Text
The tree house looked cleaner than it had in months – years, possibly. Old toys and cards had been put away, trash thrown out and dust and cobwebs swept away. Even the old table had been shoved into the corner. The majority of the floor was now covered by a large, checkered picnic blanket, at the head of which sat a short young man. A stack of books to one side and a knapsack bulging with misshapen protrusions to the other.
Seated on the other edges of the blanket were the boy’s friends and family. As they jostled and found comfortable positions, Aubrey spoke up. “So, why did you want us to come here, anyway? Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to see everyone, but I hope you’re not just using us for cleaning services”.
Mari smiled. “No Aubrey, I think Sunny has a little more planned for us than that. Don’t you little brother?”
“Yeah”. A small nod to reinforce the confirmation. Sunny pointed to the pile of books beside him, prompting commentary from Kel. “Hey, I’ve seen those books at Hobbeez. They’re some kind of game, right?”
“It’s called Dungeons and Dragons. DnD for short. It’s a role playing game.”
Silence fell on the room as everyone stared at Aubrey.
“What? Angel was talking about it the other day. They and The Maverick play it. And once Angel starts talking, you are going to listen, even if you think it sounds boring.”
“The… Maverick?” Hero tilted his head.
“One of my friends. He lives down the street from you.”
Hero showed no sign of recognition. Aubrey let out a sigh. “Daphne and Bowen’s little brother. Anyway, that’s not important right now. So how does this work? I never actually paid much attention when those two talked about it.” The group looked expectantly at Sunny. “Well, we start by making your characters. You need stats and to pick your class.” He pulled one of the books off the pile and lay it in the center of the blanket, opening it to a table of class options.
Kel was the first to grab the book. He leafed through the pages in seemingly deep contemplation despite the speed with which he skimmed. Then his eyes lit up, and he let out an exclamation. “Oh, this one!” he shouted, turning the book to show his friends. “I’ll play… ranger. Look, they get a pet! And they’re fast, like me.” Aubrey grabbed the book and looked over Kel’s choice. “Yeah, but it also says they need wisdom. Well, I guess it is a fantasy game.” Kel stuck his tongue out while Hero sighed “Good to see you two really haven’t changed while we were gone.”
The pink haired girl began her own search through the book. “Boring, boring, boring, weird… huh. This one looks like it could be fun. I’ll play barbarian.” “Wow, so different from real life. Good choice Aubs.” Kel’s sarcasm was palpable. “Now, now you two. Play nice.” Mari’s soft tone carried an underlying current of steel. The message was clear; ‘or else’. “Sunny’s been working really hard on this, so let’s try to get along.” She took the handbook for herself.
“Ah, this one is perfect for you Hero!” “A paladin?” “Don’t you want to be my knight in shining armor?” Mari giggled, prompting Hero’s face to turn bright red. “Uh, sure. I don’t really understand this, but I’ll trust you. But then what are you playing?” “A bard, of course!”
Aubrey noticed that someone’s voice was missing from the conversation. “Hey Basil, you okay?” “Hmm? Oh, yeah, s-sorry. It’s just- I heard this game was satanic. I don’t want to start anything dangerous.” Aubrey laughed. “Basil, Angel plays this game. The Maverick plays it. There’s no way those two are cool enough to be involved in anything satanic. Not without me, anyway.” “Oh, a-alright. I suppose Sunny wouldn’t do anything like that anyway. So, um… are there any classes that work with plants? That sounds like it could be fun.” Sunny nodded. “Yeah, the druid. They use nature magic.” “Oh, then I’ll take that one!”
Sunny reached into the bag at his side and pulled out five small figurines – each of them representing one of the friend group, created the summer before Mari and Hero left for college. He placed them onto the blanket and closed his eye as he drew a deep breath. He opened his eyes as he released it, sounding as though he was in another world.
“Welcome to headspace. This is your first adventure here.”