Hugs Are Important

[iamnotpolaris]

The first thing Emily notices is that something felt weird when she pulled open the door to Hank's lab.
The second thing Emily notices is that what's on the other side of the door is not Hank's lab.
"That's weird," she muses, stepping inside and looking around. Surely someone would have mentioned if they were remodeling? Surely she would have noticed it happening?
...Surely they wouldn't have installed a bar?
For lack of a better idea of what to do, she wanders up to the bar, still looking around to see if an explanation for this oddness will be readily apparent.
"This is strange," she murmurs, drumming her fingers on the bar.

Comments

[alicornucopia]

Weeping berry nectar.

[iamnotpolaris]

"I don't know what that means," Emily admits, taking a sip of the drink. "Aside from delicious, apparently."

[alicornucopia]

I'm so glad you like it.

[calescent]

The door opens.

A little girl in a red dress who looks like she might be eight or nine steps in.

[iamnotpolaris]

"...Oh, hi! This is apparently a transdimensional bar, I was expecting somewhere else too."

[calescent]

"...It's supposed to be the chapel. My chapel."

[iamnotpolaris]

"I was expecting a laboratory. This place apparently hijacks random doors."

[calescent]

"Is my chapel gone?"

[iamnotpolaris]

"...I don't think so. It had better not be, that would mean the lab was gone too, and there was someone in there. Bar, the chapel isn't gone, is it?"

[alicornucopia]

The door redirection is temporary. If you exit the premises and allow the door to close, then reopening it will yield whatever room you normally find in the relevant location.

[iamnotpolaris]

Emily picks up the napkin and makes to hand it to the girl.

[calescent]

"No," shrieks the little girl, flinging herself bodily away from Emily and landing with a nasty-sounding thump on the floor. "No you have to stay back from me."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Ohmygosh are you okay," Emily says, not coming any closer.

[calescent]

The girl sits up and hugs her knees. "It's just bumps. I get lots of bumps."

[iamnotpolaris]

"I--um--are you okay in general, that is not a normal response to. Things."

[calescent]

"It's just you have to stay far enough away is all."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Would it be rude to ask why?"

[calescent]

"...I don't think there are actually rudeness rules about it because there's only one of me."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Generally there is only one of anyone, as far as I know."

[calescent]

"I mean there's only one person people have to be away from. And it's me."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Why would people have to be away from you, though? ...I'm sorry, I'm being pushy, aren't I."

[calescent]

The little girl frowns. "Um, I'm the Ardelay prime, and if people get too close to me I read their minds and I can't stop. But - it's only a few feet so I don't have to go live by myself in the middle of nowhere or anything."

[iamnotpolaris]

"Oh, if it's only mind reading I don't mind."

[calescent]

"...I can't stop," she repeats. "And I get all the thoughts, even if you didn't want me to see them and - and you have to stay back."

[iamnotpolaris]

"I mean, if it bothers you then of course not. But--I mean, I've never heard of something called Ardelay prime, we're probably from different universes, it's not like you'd be able to use it against me if I accidentally thought of one of my deepest darkest secrets."