002 | Amber | Celena Schezar

[celena]

[Celena appears in the amber, looking urgent. Behind her wings are the crystals that block the top of the sixth floor]

Everyone, there's a being trapped behind these crystals! Listen:

[She turns and sings a short, wordless melody in a strong, clear voice. After a moment an answering melody comes through the crystals. Celena copies that melody and the chiming behind the crystals answers again.]

Did you hear? Its tones sound so like Chime's voice! I've tried to see if I could chip away the crystal, but it's so hard I blunted the point of my dagger without leaving a mark.

[She holds the weapon up to the amber briefly, but it's not possible to tell the blade is less sharp than before. She casts another worried glance to the crystal]

Does anyone know of how to break this person from their confinement? How scared they must be to have been trapped for so long...

Comments

[celena]

She's going to speak to Chime to see if she'll come up to join us.

[Another face, that of Ivaera the elf, interrupts Jo's stream and Celena turns her focus onto that conversation. She's murmuring the same conversation she'd just had with Evan, until Ivaera says something to make her laugh in delight]

Evan! The questers are returning and they're bringing something that will break these crystals! She'll be free! Do you hear that? You'll be free soon!

[hairsay]

[In the meantime, Jolene has been approaching Chime with the kind of careful stolid friendship of a neighbourhood cat whose decided the spirit is not a foe.]

Chime, [she holds up her amber slice the spirit's way,] some of the other people and me thought there might be another one of you a little further up the tree... but we can't get up there, there's too many rocks clogging up the hole. [She casts a cautious glance towards the center of the trunk, still blue-lit at this point by the sorrowful lifestream.]

Take a listen here, maybe you can tell it that we're trying to figure out a way to open the hole up?

[thecanopycrew]

[Curious, the small spirit leans in to look at the amber slice as Jo holds it up, looking quite concentrated as she listens. A few notes can be heard from above and she brightens up.

Chimes spill forth in a cacophony of jingles as the little spirit wiggles her hands in excitement, moving back from the amber slice to dance around in joy.

Pausing, she nods quickly at Jo before holding her little wispy hand over herself and then next to her, as if indicating another of herself.]

[hairsay]

[At the moment, Jo is holding the slice towards the spirit, so with any luck, Evan and Celena will be getting the same show that Jo is, with all that wiggling and dancing!]

Well that proves we're not trying to pick away to get to your evil twin, I guess. You want me to keep this here so you can shout a few things up to them?

[This to Chime, as Jo's currently holding the amber slice up. Over the course of the last week she's come to like this weird little spirit nugget creature. Dragging flowers up, mangled stems or no, has given her something to do and an excuse to return to the tree. Even if she hasn't been socializing much, Jo doesn't feel quite like a rabid raccoon here anymore.]

Can you make out what it... she? is saying?

[thecanopycrew]

[Chime keeps jingling happily, floating to poke the amber slice and smiling brightly at Jo. She seems utterly excited to hear this other spirit, and her jingling sounds are soon replied to by little musical tones.

Hearing those, she seems even more amazed and even gasps, hugging herself. Apparently she has missed this other little spirit nugget.]

[evantuality]

[Evan exclaims at the news that the questers have returned with a solution, surprised more than jubilant. He struggles with an unexpected feeling of disappointment: aside from idle speculation about perhaps constructing some sort of lift up the tree, this had been the first really fascinating problem he'd been offered a chance to sink his teeth into.

Still, listening to Chime, er, chime away at the other creature trapped behind the crystal is compelling enough that Evan stays hovering, even leaning in close to listen to the exchange, and to Jo's interjections]

Jo, can you understand this exchange? [The way the woman had been talking sort of made it sound that way, but Evan is skeptical!]