Welcome Back, Adventurers!

[thecanopycrew]

The wagons rolled in, the ship anchored, and the wayward journey has ended back at the tree.

After putting the sword where it now belongs inside the life Stream, it's time for a little award, isn't it?



Appearing outside the tree after the sword has been inserted is normal-sized slice of chocolate cake, enough to feed everyone in tree and more!

Come relax, talk about your adventures and catch up. Enjoy your victory!

Comments

Open

[princeandscholar]

[Their arrival is disconcerting. Orcelito is not eager to be trapped again, and as the ship glides into the mist, he steps to the stern to gain a few more seconds of freedom. Then the mist rushes over him and a sudden shiver in his back announces the return of his wings. It seems like a poor tradeoff. But he quickly finds other things of concern.

Wasn’t there someone else on the Twilight team? Orcelito searches the ship before disembarking, but can’t find a trace of a sixth crew member. He watches the Day wagon unload with the same sense of disquiet: where is Owain? His voice should be ringing out over all of them, boasting of trials and victory.

After the sword is in place, Orcelito makes his way outside to investigate the commotion. The cake is a surprise, but he looks subdued as he watches the other adventurers arrive. So many are missing! Where is Yuuya, the large bird? The dragon with the clawed hand? The woman with the hooves? Other faces spring to mind. His heart sinks as he looks over a gathering of people far less than he recalled. And the forest looks different; aren’t those flowers new? Isn’t that a lot of growth for five days?]

What… happened while we were gone? So many people are missing.

[monster_san]

[Fuu has unable to locate her worrisome housemate, which has brought her own train of thought alongside Orcelito's. Something has happened, clearly. And certainly, for so many people to miss such a sight as the cake is unlikely....]

Perhaps... [She presses her fingers to her lips for a moment.] When the light was blue, it was unable to maintain its enchantment over this many people?

[She was about to say sustain this many people, but she doesn't want to evoke images of people dying or not existing--merely sent home.]

[2wei]

[ Illya will pipe in to answer the question with a shrug of her shoulders. ]

Well, I've been trying to keep the fruits that we found cold enough for storage for the last few weeks-- [ since the person who seemed to do that wasn't at the tree at the moment, but she's keeping her mouth shut about that ] --and the small rabbits left the tree, too.

[dragonblood]

[ riona has been very concerned for the adventurers who left through the mist several weeks ago, mostly because her friends were among the group and she wondered if they'd ever return. of course, if they managed to go back home, then that's great. but since she didn't have much trust to spare the mirror riddles, that possibility wasn't one she counted on.

so when she sees familiar faces in the crowd, the large brown food thing is quickly forgotten and she trots over to the closest figure. ]

Orcelito!! [ there's a big smile across her face, though it quickly vanishes in exchange for a dissatisfied pout. ] It's been weeks, you know! What were you people doing out there?

Open

[monster_san]

It was odd to think of it as a relief to be back at the tree, but it was. Fuu found herself looking forward to the mossy mattress and kitchen glowworm in the apartment she shared with Owain and Noire--after, of course, they dealt with the matter of the sword. She hoped that the other groups had been as successful in retrieving their fragments, and with as little trouble. (Particularly in Owain's case.) And was it just her, or did the tree look far more altered than five days' travel would rightly account for?

What she certainly hadn't been expecting was a mammoth (which was to say, normal) slice of chocolate cake once they had restored the lifestream. It was unusual, to say the least! For a moment, Fuu thought it might be the girl Abigail's doing, but if it was possible for an unaltered human to cross the mist, they certainly would excite a great deal of alarm.

"...Well! I hope nobody is allergic to eggs."

[hairsay]

"Where you came from, did you ever just eat cake off the floor?" Jo had been watching this bizarre new turn of events from afar. Whole rat-pulled wagons of people she'd never seen before pulling up and buzzing around the tree, making high and mighty... she hadn't known what to think of it. The only thing that had tipped the balance towards revealing herself had been the fact that, watching the whole procession of the sword's reformation from the next floor up, she'd seen the lifestream change hue. The hair that had been up at the back of her neck, the horripilation that came with being almost anywhere inside the tree... it had all eased.

And then she'd followed the procession out to confront this massive slice of baked goods. Where had it come from? From who? Jo was no better equipped to answer this than anyone else here, but she had to wonder why eggs were the first thing on this girl's mind.

[blood_and_thunder]

"Fuu!"

Here comes Noire, running as fast as she can. When Noire learned the others were returning, she'd come as soon as possible, wanting to see her friends again and make sure they were all right. Fuu was the first she saw, and relief flooded through her. "Oh, thank goodness, you're okay..."

Open

[celena]

That familiar voice caught Celena's attention from around the other corner of the cake. She pops around the corner wearing a wide and welcome smile.

"Fuu! You've returned!" She takes the other girl's hands in her own. "I can't tell you how far my heart's lifted to see that sword in the lifestream. The prisoner trapped behind the crystals above has been singing for rescue for so long."

Open!

[circleprodigy]

[For her part, Ivaera doesn't mind the return to the Tree as much as she thought she might. Traveling outside it had been interesting, but it lacked the comforts of the Tree and more importantly, means to return to Thedas. More than ever, she's certain that doing so can only be attained in connection with exploring the Tree and uncovering its secrets.

Once the Life Stream has been restored, the elf woman will return to her house long enough to drop off her travel gear. If any of her housemates are present, she'll catch up with them; if not, then it's time to see to Garahel's appetite. Her mabar has been such a good war hound and protector, so he deserves a reward.

...the cake is not what she had in mind, however. It's plain compared to some Orlesian desserts she has seen, but chocolate is chocolate and not to be snubbed. Upon seeing it, Ivaera stops short and instantly places a hand on her barking companion.]

No, that is most definitely not for you. Don't even think about it, Garahel.

[For a moment, her forgotten sweet tooth returns with a vengeance. She definitely wouldn't mind a small portion, though Garahel will have to be distracted first.]

Re: Open!

[hairsay]

He can have my part, [the bony human offers. She's been very carefully following the return of adventurers she'd never met before. Ivaera, at least, looks vaguely familiar... perhaps she'd shown up for a moment in the amber slice before Jo had fully figured out how to use it?]

[Whatever the case, cake has never been a favourite. Doubly so, she questioned where it had come from and why it had appeared outside in the middle of the path inside the trunk. Was whatever crazy thing that kept them trying to get ants? The thought of that massive boxy dog beast charging full-on ahead into the oversized wedge of cake seemed like about the best way to deal with it. She wanted to see what would come of it.]

You're one of the people who were sent away or something. What was that all about, with the sword? The mirror up top was flashing those parts for days. More of this mystic bullshit?

Re: Open!

[monster_san]

Quite right. Chocolate is very bad for dogs--I would suspect even for mabari. [Fuu looks up at the massive cake slice. Dogs and cake remind her of Hikaru and Umi.] I suppose we'll have to come up with something for Mr. Garahel though--I'm assuming this is some kind of reward for our efforts, and it would be only fair for him to benefit as well.

Completely open!

[kingpika]

[ Gilgamesh's bad mood had not completely abated, but a massive chocolate cake certainly more than did its part in fixing that. Having cut out a slice with a razor sharp sword, he was now getting through it bit by bit with an actual fork on an actual plate. The King's Treasury certainly was amazing.

Not as amazing as it should be, he noted. He had regained most of his treasure when they left the mist, and lost it again when they returned. It was strange, to say the least, but at least it probably meant nobody was actually touching his stuff without permission. It was just a quirk of being in the tree. Probably. He might have to find out more.

Meanwhile, deep in thought, Gil could be find floating a few inches in the air, spinning the sword in the Life Stream around with his foot. Gold, blue, gold blue, he was just messing with it like a light switch, seemingly unaffected by its mood-altering effects. ]

FYE ON THEE TRAITOROUS PECK

[isolophobia]

[ Again reduced to a shadow forced to keep to the darkened places, Pitch narrowed golden eyes at the child that was not a child at all and might have reached out to throttle Gil right there. But the sunlight and golden light from the Life Stream in the other is better than a bulwark in that respect. The shaded alcove is as close as Pitch can get right now. ]

Proud of yourself then?

Re: Completely open!

[celena]

[Celena had made a vow to herself to avoid this 'boy' as much as possible, but his playfulness makes her yelp in horror. She drops out of the air and barks at him]

What are you doing!? That sword needs to stay in the stream to free the prisoner!

♔ open ♔

[knight_king]

[ After their journey is finished and the sword is secured back where it belongs, Arturia leaves the ship crew immediately to put distance between Gilgamesh and she and to seek out Rin, Shirou, Illyasviel and Archer in order to corroborate they have stayed safe while she was not close to them. Even so, she cannot forget that she is indebted with the King of Heroes for his assistance during the quest and that knowledge stings her pride. Like that time when he aided her against Berserker's attack before she looked after Caster. It's fairly vexing and her mood cannot be lifted by the mere sight of that giant magical treat appearing. She's also angry the Violinist submerged before she could destroy him with Excalibur, but had she attacked him while he was in the water; she would have caused a tide that would drown the members of the quest. Perhaps it is the best outcome she can ask for as the Life Stream appears to be back to normal, after all.

That is one concern less to haunt her. Her body, on the other hand, feels lighter and heavier at the same time. She has not fired Excalibur, but there are signs of prana exhaustion for putting its power on the blade before calling it out. If I continue like this, would I be able to protect anyone? she silently wonders while she stares at her slender hands. She is dressed with Rin's clothes, the long blue skirt and white blouse to not spend her magical energy in wasteful matters. She has said she is no longer a Servant to offer a Master anything of worth in exchange of their assistance, she still feels the same way. ]

Even so, I need a Master...?

[ Guh- She mutters in frustration. She doesn't want one and certainly she doesn't know how to repay whoever accepts this, but she has to reconsider her options once more. ]

[2wei]

Saber-san..? [ There's a timid voice of a small girl who has been paying close attention to the things going on in the tree the last few weeks, bushing then she sees her and immediately flies over with a huge grin playing across her features, quite pleased that they seemed to have returned safely. ]

Saber-san, you're finally back! Are you okay?

[isolophobia]

[ Pitch had seen the group coming, and since there was precious little he could do to stop them (and he had been curious besides, since he didn't know what they were up to at first) he hid himself amid the scant shadows.

Then the Life Stream changed back to gold, and Pitch had no choice but to keep to the only shadow he even vaguely knew. As soon as she was near a shady spot by a branch Pitch took the opportunity to all but leap from Saber's shadow. He rounded on her practically hissing like an angry snake.]

Aversion to that wretched light, is it? You are without a doubt the most self-involved woman I have ever me.

[ And that's saying something. ]

[finallyfallen]

[He's happy to get some space, he'd tried the treat at least, he's some level of annoyed that all they seemed to do was fix the life-stream and not much else for several days worth of journey.

But on that same stretch they left the tree, there are humans and animals, and no he doesn't feel particularly bad basically stealing from a little girl's room and then getting help from her pet cat. He's not even sure she would notice that it's gone.]

It's not often your flustered.

[Did things go that badly.]

open;

[2wei]

[ Illya, who's been staying at the tree this whole entire time soon comes out for the day to see that everyone has returned. But when she does see what's going on in this thread she can't help but give the most skeptical of looks, completely deadpan as she speaks. ]

... That's a huge cake. [ Or rather. It's ridiculously huge. She has absolutely no words for it. ]

[kingpika]

It's a pretty big cake, isn't it? [ Gil-kun just seems quite impressed with it. He's seen more ridiculously oversized food, because of course he has, but chocolate cakes weren't exactly common in any shape or form during the time of Uruk. ]

Do you think cake goes with sushi? [ Important question. ]

open;

[gandere]

All of that trouble for a sword. [ She acts dismissive of it even though she knows better. A hero is often defined by the weapon they carry and since she's familiar enough with a few heroes to understand that lesson better than most, she's left with more questions than answers.

The most important of them being how safe are they now that the sword is there? The feeling of warmth is an emotional one and does little to guard those within it. No, it's more of an inconvenience than anything if it can change the way a certain hero of her's feels whenever he passes through it.

She has no interest in cake or speaking with people now that they've returned. It's been five days without a proper bath and even though she tried to sneak what she could with her magecraft once outside of the mist, it was no easy task with that many people around. Someone might be able to catch her before she heads off, otherwise she's taking her leave with haste. ]

[knight_king]

[She hears her quip about the sword, but Saber says nothing to argue about its worth. She is a magus and she knows that this could very well be a conceptual weapon unknown to people of their world. Briefly, Saber wonders if Shirou and Archer could project a sword like this one, in case the original is broken or goes missing again. That would be a reassurance for the future.

Although who is to say it is a vital piece of the tree? The quest has not clarified anything about what this tree needed of them and what curse they could be under. They have only obtain pieces of a puzzle that have yet to fit together and form a clear image of their circumstances.]

Rin, wait— [ She catches her as she begins to leave and asks her worried. She does not know what she faced in her quest.] Are you unharmed?

Open

[fallensun]

[Judar has snatched up a piece of cake roughly as tall as he himself is and is determinedly stuffing his face with it. It's been way too long before something worth paying attention to happened, so it's about damn time there was some excitement. Cake isn't exactly the sort of entertainment he's itching for, but he's never one to turn down dessert in excess.

Probably he should find out what the whole fuss with the sword was and if no one tells him unprompted, he'll probably ask, but for now he's content with hoarding an obscene amount of cake.]

[knight_king]

[After checking out Shirou and the others, Saber returns to claim her portion of the cake, something that she interprets as a reward for a banquet host by their mysterious hosts. She notices a face who certainly wasn't among the quest members taking a large amount of cake. She frowns. Her mood is already sour after realizing the King of Heroes is in this very tree with her, to see the cake that should be divided fairly and justly be hoarded like this only makes her day worse.]

Have you not taken more than enough?

Open

[superbdianthus]

[Naotora has a little plate of cake, which she's considering with a small amount of confusion. It's not a kind of sweet she's familiar with and it looks a bit messy to eat and she's concerned with making a fool of herself. She heaves a heavy, dramatic sigh.]

Do I even have the right to eat it?

[Considering she'd somehow missed out on some sort of important development. How could she be so dense? If she's being dense enough to notice it herself, surely that's a problem.]

[princeandscholar]

I doubt it's poisoned, if that’s what you’re wondering.

[This enlightened (and worrisome) comment comes from a boy whose own piece of cake is barely touched. He mistakes her hesitation for prudence. (And he might be having second thoughts himself.)]

Whether we have the right, I suppose that's up to each of us to decide.

[anelegantmyth]

[Cake.

It wasn't her guiltiest pleasure. But it was still sweet, and her sweet tooth was just BEGGING to dive into that thing. Sure she was happy that people came home safe and that thing with the sword is finally over. But her main focus here was that cake and eating just enough to keep her sweet tooth happy for another month or so.

Also, to make it more interesting, her dragon was there. They were eating cake together.]

Mmmm...

[monster_san]

[Cake! Fuu has some too, after returning to her own kitchen to fetch the proper utensils. She smiles on seeing Cynthia, and her little dragon companion too, remembering how it had so spiritedly tried to eat an amber slice.]

Hello, Miss Cynthia! Your friend seems to have a broad range of tastes.

Open

[alley_kit]

[Kit too is concerned about the people that seem to have gone missing. Especially Owain. She wants to hear all about what happened to the other two groups.

But first thing's first. Once the sword is put back together and placed where it goes, the Lifestream returns to its normal, yellow self, and outside there appears... a cake. Or a slice of cake at least. But even so, given that its a normal-sized slice of cake, it still qualifies as the biggest cake Kit has ever seen! It's like something straight out of a dream!

Luckily, she retains enough dignity not to just literally dive into it, but still, anyone who comes to talk to her will probably find her happily munching away on a chunk of cake, with a streak of frosting on her nose.

Best. Reward. EVER.]

Re: Open

[monster_san]

[Fuu is quite relieved to see that Kit is not one of the people who went missing, and she can't help but smile to see how enthusiastic the girl is about the cake--no less should be expected from any self-respecting kid.]

I want to say hello, but I'm worried I would interrupt this very important business.

Open

[blood_and_thunder]

[Huh. Was this the forest's way of telling her it was possible to make desserts here, like she asked?

She eats very slowly and in very small bites, trying to tell if the ingredients used were forest-made or otherwise.]

[knight_king]

It does not seem to be poisoned.

[Saber assures Noire, noticing she is taking small bites and sampling it very slowly, mistaking this by mistrust.]