( amber + action: backdated to the morning )

[knight_king]

| characters | Saber and anyone who wishes to join her.
| date/time | Wednesday morning (06/10).
| location | First Floor; outside the tree, near the entrance.
| rating | G-PG??
| summary | The Life Stream light has turned blue. A Gathering is called to deal with it (read here).

[ Once she finishes her message, Arturia turns her back from the light and walks toward the exit of the tree. She plucks a leaf to use as blanket as she waits for the others, sitting Seiza-style under the sagging tulips. She has remained at least several minutes watching the Life Stream upon her discovery to know that it will not change back so easily, and, if it does, it means that the colder light will become more predominant with the passage of time. Even if it wasn't permanent now, it certainly would be in the future.

In any case, she prefers to discuss this matter urgently. The tree is changing. The positive and warm feelings it used to provide by one's proximity to the Light has been replaced by the opposite sensation. That comfort is meaningless. But what if the tree starts to rot?

Is this the consequence of their failure? ]



Greetings, dwellers.

[ Saber's consternated face stares at the slice of amber she holds between her hands. She has heard Kit utilize that term and assumes it is how they have labeled to the ray of light that goes through the entire tree. ]

Since last week, the Life Stream has been flickering between gold and blue, but today it seems that its color has shifted permanently. [ She doesn't bother to flip the amber at its direction, because the image will be portrayed with a yellow hue. ] Let us gather outside immediately and discuss the meaning of this and if there is a way to change it back.

Comments

[knight_king]

I do not think our magecraft can affect the tree. At least so far, we have been unsuccessful with the means we know.

[knight_king]

[She pauses, considering the options. They are all strangers in this land, so any guess might be just a wrong conjecture.]

Perhaps that spirit does. Someone should speak with Chime.

[knight_king]

We do not know if it is good or bad yet, we do not have information about this place.

[She says, because admittedly, they are all basing on assumptions.]

Though, you are correct. This could be stressing to those who wish to mobilize themselves through that opening.

[knight_king]

There is someone I know who is fond of jewels...

[Saber says, recalling that Rin specializes in utilizing jewels as receptacle of her prana. She will not betray her ally's secrets and keep her magus status under the wraps but she will bring this up in private if she does not attend.]

[knight_king]

How many among us have blue stones and how many of us have yellow stones?

[Saber asks, wondering if the balance can also be attributed to the number of the wielders.]

Is it truly balanced if the ray is golden, would not that mean that was the previously dominant one?

[knight_king]

[Saber turns to her when she proposes that, because she is the first one who made the connection yet.]

Perhaps there is. [But those sad noises could have been also a consequence of something else. She hates to admit they are at loss, there are so many theories but none of them have a certainty. They can ask to the only creature who is a native.] Have you seen Chime, Kit? Perhaps we should ask her about this.

[finallyfallen]

She might not help us now, if she is soo affected by the tree.

[knight_king]

If she is affected by the tree, then we will know this is serious. We must try.

[finallyfallen]

[He's never spoken to chime before, and thinking on it, it may be better to have someone with some defense approach.]

Yeah, someone probably should.

[knight_king]

I will ask Kit, because she seems fond of her and apparently manages to communicate better than most of us.

[Although she thinks someone should escort her in case there are troubles.]

[finallyfallen]

Someone should go with her, in case this affects either one of them.

[knight_king]

I have. [And it has proven to be a waste of time.] No, it continued flickering without a clear frequency pattern and then suddenly, it became blue.

[knight_king]

Yes, I was thinking the same. I could escort her.

[circleprodigy]

[Ivaera nods with a wry smile, conceding that point.]

I tend to err on the side of caution as a default. It's a habit I'm uncertain if I can shake.

I admit, it took me some time to recover from passing through the Life Stream. I speculated that perhaps since I carry a Night Gem and the stream matched its color that I might be unaffected, but I was wrong.

[timbre_wolf]

I am open to trying my magic to help. I don't have much magic that is focused on fixing it, but my magic can make other people better at fixing it somehow.

[finallyfallen]

[He nods.

The other problem is how the stream will affect others, but he's already used to the negative emotions. So the full depth of that, outside it's going to get interesting, is beyond him. ]

[princeandscholar]

Hm… [It sounds like a candle flame going out. That imagery gives him an idea.]

[Originally, he theorized that the change in light happened because of lingering damage to the Tree. Now, another thought comes to mind.] What if the riddle was meant to give strength to the Tree? If it involved the Life Stream – and I assumed that’s what ‘heart of the Tree’ meant – and we were unable to complete it, then perhaps it’s like… a fire that doesn’t have enough wood or air to continue burning.

[monster_san]

Oh, you're right--if that is how it works, balance should cause it to be green. [ADDITIVE PRIMARY COLORS.]

Perhaps we should conduct a survey to find that answer. Having people with light gems recharge the master stone might indeed help. Though I also wonder if perhaps it would deplete the magic in our fragments...

[She's thinking out loud with that. So far they have very little information, apart from Don't Cross The Streams. And given how that went, she wants to consider other deleterious possibilities.]

[circleprodigy]

[Ivaera frowns in thought, brow furrowing.]

I hadn't thought of that, but it could happen. If so, traveling around the Tree will become more difficult. At least we have plans underway regardless, but I would still consider it carefully before making any attempt.

[princeandscholar]

I conducted a survey a few weeks ago. We were nearly even between residents with dark gems and light gems at the time.

[monster_san]

[She was not expecting that remark to actually find a landing. CLEARLY THIS IS A SIGN SHE SHOULD DO THAT IN MORE SITUATIONS.]

Oh, you do? Wonderful! Perhaps you can ask his or her advice about them.

[She's wondering if "someone" rather than "Name" is chosen deliberately there.]

[alley_kit]

I've seen her watching out for the baby birds, but I haven't talked to her recently. I'll go find her though and see if she knows anything about this, though, if you want.

[Kit looks up at the outside entrance to the fifth floor.]

At least she should be able to tell us whether or not this is just something the Tree does normally.

[knight_king]

Other people? What do you mean by that? What kind of magecraft do you employ?

[Magi are not so generous in her homeland, except for a few exceptions of the rule.]

[knight_king]

[She is used to suppress her emotions, good and bad ones, this changes nothing. The gold Life Stream is as intrusive as this one. She is more worried about side-effects.]

How are you faring with all of this?

[knight_king]

It is possible.

[Exactly from where it extracts its power? She thinks about the riddle again, something like join hands in comradeship must have emit a good feeling, but instead of that.]

There was an excess of distress by those who participated in the quest.

[It is only conjecture. The Tree did not lose power but it could have obtained a different emotional charge.]