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

[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.

[princeandscholar]

[Orcelito is no expert on animals, but he remembers the rabbits being quite small and shy when the teams left. Did they really leave the nest so soon? Wait…]

Weeks? [He stares at her, puzzled.] What do you mean?

[2wei]

I mean you guys have been gone for weeks. [ That's exactly what she means, plain and simple. ]

[princeandscholar]

... [WHAT]

No, that can't be. [He shakes his head.] It's only been four sunsets since we left. [And they didn't run out of food, so there's further proof.]

[2wei]

No, I'm pretty sure it's been a few weeks. Ruby's been keeping track.

[ And the kaleidostick seems to pop out from behind Illya with a cheery voice, smiling wide. ] Illya-san isn't wrong, you know! You guys have been gone for about twenty-five days from our perspective. Time might just flow differently between here and where you guys all were, but, I suppose that's not a bad thing.

[princeandscholar]

[After the magic he’s witnessed recently, Orcelito isn’t startled by Ruby’s appearance. He is however stunned by her words.]

But… no, that’s not possible. Time is time. The sun rises and sets the same way always… [Wait, he’s heard fairytales about people falling into an enchanted sleep and waking up with no sense of the passage of time. Could something have happened while they were on the ship? Or… was it part of the dance spell from the violin?

If over three weeks have passed, that would explain the new flowers, the empty burrow, and the missing residents. But it is very unsettling… he’ll have to ask the others if they noticed anything.]

So the people who disappeared in the last month… Did they leave together?

[2wei]

I don't know if they left together. [ She wasn't paying attention that closely. ]

[princeandscholar]

So I take it they were not called on another quest? [He considers a moment.] Have the riddles on the mirror changed while we were gone?

[2wei]

[ She shakes her head, rather quietly. ]

There haven't been any since you guys left.

[princeandscholar]

I see… thank you for the information. [He’ll have to ask others about the disappearances and corroborate her information about the loss of time with the other teams. He’s turning to leave, but pauses. He does not know much about Illyasviel, but he does recall that she lives in the same house as Saber. So he regards her again, this time with a concerned smile.]

Illyasviel, please watch over Saber. She seemed to have had a… rather difficult time these past few days.

[2wei]

[ Her voice lowers to a somewhat worried whisper as she speaks, somewhat concerned before nodding at his words. ]

I will. Did something happen to Saber-san?

[princeandscholar]

[He shakes his head and keeps his tone gentle so she won't worry.]

She was just under a lot of stress. [He won't elaborate; it is up to Saber how much she wants to say about the battle in the marsh and the time on the ship.]

Just be there for her, okay?

[2wei]

I guess I can understand why.

[ She thinks part of it had something to do with Gilgamesh... but really, she worries for Saber, too. She thinks that sometimes she's trying too hard. There's a reason behind it that Illya vaguely understands, but only vaguely. ]

But I'll make sure to be there for her! I'm going to help her out, after all!