thehometree | 001☀ AMBER

[She’s staring at the amber slice with both curiosity and awe. And because she’s touching it, all of the lovely residents of the tree can see one large lavender-hued eye and a stunning shade of red as her bangs brush the stone. If she knew everyone could see her, she probably wouldn’t be gaping at the artifact in such an unrefined fashion, or giving any potential viewers a look at her tonsils and chin while she fumbles with it. Not only is she from a world without technology, but her knowledge of anything supernatural is limited to her experiences with the dragons. In other words, it’s virtually nonexistent.

’How can a stone be used to communicate? Surely, there is more to it than touching it.’

But as soon as the thought enters her mind, she recalls the yellow gem she held earlier, resulting in wings sprouting from her back. And just moments before, she saw a flash of shifting pictures in the amber, the faces of strangers moving, talking to each other, as if she was looking into a mirror, only the person staring back at her was not herself.

Yona clears her throat, lips tightening nervously before relaxing into an uncertain smile.]

Hello there. My name is… [Scratch that!] …well, I suppose that is rather unimportant at the moment.

…Hopefully I’m not just talking to myself. I saw… people, several individuals, speaking to one another in this stone a few moments ago.

[Of course, it’s highly probable that she’s just lost her mind. Last time she checked, she was having a one-sided conversation with a stone from inside what appears to be a tree. There’s nothing sane about it.]

Then again, maybe I just imagined it.

[Wait. Did she just admit she might be crazy out loud? Yona flashes a sheepish smile, but it wanes after a moment, her expression dissolving into concern, closely followed by apprehension, and then fear.]

H-Hak?

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Hello! [ nai answers cheerfully. it seems there are even more people coming into the tree again, and though he knows that means they've been taken away from their homes, at least they're safe here. he should make sure they're not scared or anything. ]

We can talk like this, even if you're really, really far away from me. It's called an amber slice! It's pretty, right?

[Another voice. By this time, she's wiped away any remnants of the tears and is beaming into the amber slice. It seems there are many people who are able to communicate through this stone.]

An amber slice. [She stares at it (instead of into it) thoughtfully.] It's beautiful. I just... how does it work?

[ and he's very happy to see that smile, so his own persists. even if she isn't looking directly at him, he replies anyway. ] I don't know. There are no amber slices at home, this is the first time I'm using it. You came from your home too? Everyone says that we were, um, kidnapped!

[Admittedly, there is nothing like it in Kouka. Amber that can be used to communicate with others, that is.

Wait a second... Did he just say—?]

Kidnapped?

Yeah! [ he says with such vigor. he knows what the word itself means, but the actual weight of such a crime is still beyond him. ] That means someone took us away from home, right?

[ he remembers what someone once told him, that his friends may never come here because they don't know this place exists. nai had believed that they would and was sad for a time, but he's recovered from that. and still believes it. ]

But it's okay. I know we can go back home. We have to wait a little bit. And everyone is really warm and kind here! [ and he really does believe that makes the situation better. ]

[Yona is a little surprised by the way he asks the question. It's almost childlike in a way, rooted in innocence. He radiates with such a positive energy that her expression relaxes back into her trademark smile. She nods once, as if to reaffirm his words. Even though she doesn't yet understand how far away from home she truly is, she believes he is right.]

I'm sure we will. [Her gaze is warm and gentle.] I was wondering if you could tell me... how is it that we are bound here?

[ he continues to smile, happy to see hers and glad that he's able to help her even in a small way. or at least he thinks he's helping since she hasn't said anything to the opposite effect. that warmth he mentioned, he now feels from the girl even through the barrier that is the amber slice.

though hopefully she'll learn quickly that there's not much else to nai, because now he asks: ] Bound...? Um...that means tied up? I'm not! Are you tied up? I don't see the rope though...

[She cannot help the small laugh that leaves her mouth. His curiosity is cute. And she finds herself relaxing a little for the first time since coming here.]

No... I mean, yes. It does imply being tied up. But I was referring to your earlier statement, about being kidnapped. What is preventing the prisoners from escaping?

[ her laugh is curious but it doesn't dull his smile, he's just glad to hear it. it's a very nice laugh! ]

Oh! [ he moves toward the amber slice. her words are a little difficult to understand right away but he does get it eventually. ] Um, there's something called a mist barrier. We can't go really far from the tree because the mist is there. Ah, but sometimes you can! Only sometimes. I don't know how.

[She's never heard anything like that before. Then again, she's never grown wings or talked through stones before either. However, more than the latter two events, she cannot understand how a mist could imprison them.]

You mean, someone managed to travel through the mist?

Mm-hmm, but Yuuya came back. [ he didn't learn much during that conversation because nai didn't think to ask for more. he was just happy to see his new friend again. ] The mist is always really hard, like a wall, but he said it wasn't so that's why he went through it.

Yuuya... is a friend of yours? A fellow prisoner?

[ he nods. ] Yeah, my friend! He's a bird, and he's really big and white, like the clouds. He's really soft.

[ yep. ]

[Wut?]

And... you can speak to this bird?

Yeah! I like talking to him. He's nice to me. If you see each other, he'll definitely help you! A lot of people helped me when I came here for the first time, so I wasn't scared anymore. Even though I didn't find my friends... [ a momentary sadness before he smiles again, because this time yona is the focus. ] I'll help you look for your friends too.

001☀ AMBER

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