The dark wasteland was laid out before the lonely figure.  Breeze sent tiny tornadoes spinning around the trees and every step drew up a cloud of choking ash.  A dark fate had ruined the land and it was desperately trying to recover.  Gilda reached for the book she had in her bag and made a note of the look of the land and then swapped it with a camera to take a picture.  Despite the cool breeze, she wore a sleeveless tank top and shorts.  She'd protected her face with an allergy mask and tied her long hair into a ponytail.   She put the camera back into her backpack and began to walk forward.  Paths seemed pointless, almost archaic.  A callback to a time when beauty ruled and people would visit the beautiful trees.  A time that was long forgotten. 

Gilda stopped at one of the blackened trees and pulled out a small swiss army knife.  She slowly began to scrape away the blackened wood from it.  Once she had reached proper wood, she put the knife away and took a picture.  The damage seemed extensive.  It explained why there was so much dissention in the council.  However they would not, could not solve it.  Gilda shook her head.  It would take someone of soft touch and gentle guidance, with a strong plan and stronger allies.  She'd get there soon enough and the school would thrive.  Then she could add savior to her applications.

She began to walk along the path again, stopping only to take a picture of a growing tree.  New life was beginning but too slow.  It was disgusting and a sign of immorality and laziness on the part of those who claimed to be doing work on the school's behalf.  The council and those Etoiles.  Such power, such a shame.  Gilda shook her head and walked on.  Things needed to change, a new earthquake to shake things up.  She would be that earthquake and council help anyone who got in her way.

Black boots trudged through grey ash, whipping up swirling wisps as they moved. A black suit case hit the ground and a tall girl stooped to access it's contents. Shoka Donomoto also wore an infirmary mask over her nose and mouth, her high ponytail doing nothing to keep the long violet locks from falling into the dust as she knelt. There was work to be done, testing the soil, measuring burn depth, regrowth rate and pin poibtinv areas of greater damage.

Nearby was the fires source, and as she gathered a sample of dirt, the monolith caught her eye. A great tree, set a bit apart from the others and taller than those near it, a black, cracked and twisted tree stood in sad defeat. Surely it was dead. She put her kit down again, retrieving a small battery powered hand saw she was careful to make sure the sisters didn't know she had and cut a horizontal slice from the tree several inches deep and wide. Just as she expected, it was charcoal through and through. It burned from the core out most likely. She recalled a rumor of a girl who went blind standing perhaps in this very spot, the lightning striking out her vision just as it had the life of this tree.

She put the sample in a plastic bag and snapped it shut, she put it in her kit and retrived a ruler, measuring her cut into the tree.

"Eighteen centimetres deep, twelve centimetres wide, burn is complete." She said into a voice recorder. "Source of the blaze shows no signs of recovery, though saplings are sprouting almost 40 meters away."

She hit pause on the recording and stood up, taking her ruler to the earth, "Ash layer is two point six centimetres deep. A good sign." Next came a tape measure where she measured from the burned tree to its nearest neighbor. "Six meters," she noted.

She paused her science to curiously observe a bright red cardinal flying overhead only to perch high above in the branches of the dead tree.

"Padma," she said, recalling the name of a red lotus, the name meaning red passion or red heart in hindu culture, "a red heart in a dead body." Once more she accessed her kit, retrieving a map of the campus. She placed an x over the location of the tree and wrote it's name. Padma.

"I can hear you standing there," she said suddenly to a presence she felt nearby, not taking her eyes off her notes. "No need to be shy."

Gilda continued her walk through the desolate growth. Eventually she stopped bothering to take pictures, everything was the same, burnt, dead, struggling. That all changed when she caught site of color in the distance. Gilda began the walk towards it. She held no hope that it was life regrowing, she didn't really hold any feelings for the brunt husk of a forest, only for what it represented. This was another student. As she got closer, she slowed. It was obviously an older girl, that was plain enough to see, however she recognized her. This was one of the Student Council, Shoka considering she was here in Spica territory.

Gilda came to a stop and tried to consider her options. Meeting one of the highest level of corrupt agents in the student government had not been on her to do list. She knew it would come, but she expected it to happen far off in the future, at least two months away. Gilda almost considered leaving but stopped when she heard herself beckoned over. There was no denying something like that, she couldn't show weakness to the enemy, not ever.

"Apologies, President Donomoto." Gilda said as she stepped forward and gave a small bow. "I assure you it was not shyness, I was worried that I might interrupt your work and was unsure whether I should approach." It was imnportant to be polite, especially while somebody else had the upper hand. "My name is Gilda Hohenzollern, I am a first year. I wanted to look at the burnt forest and see the damage for myself. I did not expect to run in to another person." Honesty was a good policy, though blatant truth telling would always end in trouble. For now, hopefully this would suffice. "I wanted to see how the recovery was going."

Her fingers were still moving, pushing the ball point pen along the paper, black ink carefully marking her thoughts before she looked up thoughtfully. Not at the girl, but at the twisted remains of the tree,

"Natural recovery is slow. Plant life is returning to areas father from the source, but much slower here." If one didn't know any better, they would see she looked concerned, or perhaps deeply contemplative of this.

She swept a gloved hand through the ash to expose the soil, "there should be sprouts here." She made another note.

"It's as if the very soil itself has given up hope, it's still so dry."

Finally, her gaze slid to the girl. A short Lulim, a first year she noted, named Gilda. She also carried a notebook. "Are you a school reporter?" She inquired, thinking it was cute but she really didn't have time for fangirls right now, "if not, what's a young Lulim doing in this sort of frightening place? Not looking for trouble are you?"

She ended her question with movement, clicking her pen and putting it in her pocket and once more pulling out the tape measure.

"Stand there and hold this end will you?" She offered the measuring tape to the girl and then backed away with the other side, muttering into her voice recorder. She moved several meters one way, made a note, then the other, and made a note.

She approached the girl again, coming almost too close. If the girl would try top back away, Shoka would stop her. "Don't be so careless," she'd say, looking at the ground behind the girl. A small out of place sapling sat in the ash, fresh soil in a mound at its base.

She released the girl to kneel and inspect the thing, "It appears someone's been planting trees already..."

Gilda watched the Spica President as she worked.  it seemed genuine, but it was no indication of pure intent.  Corruption wasn't always easy to spot.  In the back of her mind, Gilda had expected something depraved, but it never seemed to come.  "It should be farther along than it is.  I think its trouble with the amount of ash."  Gilda took hold of the measuring tape and waited for the next instruction.  "I'm not with the newspaper club." she said, after all, she was working on a report.  "and this place isn't frightening.  The bad stuff has already happened.  Same as Miator's ruined building.  I just wanted to see for myself if recovery was as bad as people keep saying."  She looked around, "Honestly it's worse than I thought.  How long has it been since the fire?  A couple years, right?  It ought to be further along than what it is."

When the older girl approached, Gilda was taken aback by the sudden closeness.  If it weren't for President Donomoto's intervention, she surely would have stepped on the tree sapling.  The reprimandsuddenly sparked something in her.  "Careless?"  She shrugged off the older girl's hands and took several steps to the side, watching her feet carefully.  "I wasn't being careless.  You came at me without warning." she said indignantly.  "How am I supposed to act in such a situation?"

"If you want careless, that tree is careless.  Ignoring it's place near a path, ignoring any other trees or roots that might spread to where it is now, it's fall.  Winter is likely to kill the thing off before it's got a chance to grow properly especially if it hasn't gotten its roots in yet..  It wasn't the gardening club that did it, probably some romantic first year with metaphoric thoughts about blooming and beauty."  She shook her head. 

She ignored the girl's retort, considering the sapling. "You're right, this is the wrong time of year for such a noble act. Whoever planted this has unknowingly sentenced it to death." She touched its tiny leaves, considering if it would be worthwhile to try to protect the tree. A temporary greenhouse, one made of plastic and pipe, a portable heater maybe, and a water source.

"It's possible to save it," she said, turning to retrieve her notebook, making a list of supplies. "It's location isn't bad, if it were to survive to maturity, it's seeds would certainly help. You are, however correct about the ash." Another moment of contemplation and then her eyes flashed with anger.

"If a certain old fashioned sister school weren't so stubborn we could afford to rent some machines to hurry along the removal before the first snow. As it stands, we may have to rely on fundrasing till next spring before we can do anything." But Shoka was already making plans for making this tree her personal project during the coming chill.

She started moving again, making marks in the ash and measuring a perimiter around the tree. "I'm going to need a few things. Are you interested?" Her eyes were suddenly alight with a mischievous flame and they sparkled over a thin lipped grin.

Gilda frowned.  She was being ignored and that did not sit well.  Still, being ignored was far better than what Gilda was sure the future would hold.  "Save it?  I suppose if you dig it up and transplant it in the spring."  She muttered.  But then it came, the less than subtle criticism against the sister school.  That was what she had read, made all the more real by hearing it out of the president's mouth.  Suddenly she felt a fire light, her resolve was tempered.  This was the corruption she needed to fight, this was what she needed to drive out and destroy.  "If fundraising isn't working as well as you'd hope, have you tried writing letters to the alumni?  I'm sure a lot of girls who spent such important time in their lives could spare a little something to fix up a place they used to love.  And surely Spica has given rise to some powerful or rich women who would be sympathetic to its plight.  Some might be in far off countries and not even know something happened."

She put a finger to her chin and tapped it.  "And maybe some of them ended up working in garden care or whatever that is.  They might be able to give recommendations, or, as a favour to the school, come in and do a test on the ground to find out why the ash is still here after so long.  I thought most of it should have blown away by now, I mean, real forest fires are usually well on their way to fixed the next year and they don't bother with people."

Deep in the back of her mind, gears were whirring at high speed.  Helping out President Donomoto was not what she wanted to do, but not helping her was like being against the school herself.  This was no empty gesture.  if the three presidents continued down their path, there may be no chance for a united front to succeed because there'd be no front to conquer.  "Of course I'm interested, President Donomoto.  Anything to protect Astrea Hill."

Managing to carry a rather heavy load of thing she made her way to the Ash lands, if there was any hope to bring life back to the forest she needed a way to save the sapling she had placed there. In the box was a few things a heat lamp and a small watering system with few other things she wasnt an inventer but had gotten a idea to help the small sapling and was going to at least try and see if it works. Getting to wear she had placed the sapling she noticed two girls speaking. It was Shoka ! Blushing she stopped only for a moment she noticed the other girl she wasn't sure who it was but they seemed focused on the small tree. 

As She walked behind the two that spoke she actually hoped she wouldn't be noticed reaching the sapling she bent down. taking a  few dozen potatoes and a few wires she began to put them together she then hooked the main cord to the lamp it flashed on it was dim but it placed a nice steady amount of warmth. Eri knew little about science but if she could use organic power to help this tree she wouldn't need money for generator. She could feel eyes on her now she knew they would notice blushing again she continued her work   placing a stick deep into the ground next to saplings stem she carefully tied a red ribbon combining them. this would hopefully make it so it wouldn't knock down. Standing she looked at her creation, she almost forgot ! She placed a few sticks around the lamp and cords  then a small tarp angled toward the tree water would slide away from the electronics but still reach the tree.

Smiling she turned to the other two, she had to face them some time. " sorry to interrupt.. i just new this little one i planted needed help.."

The girl seemed agitated by Shoka's words about St. Miator, which amused the Prince. She offered the idea of transplanting the thing, sure, send it into shock again , and then yet again in the spring. It was best to leave it where it was. but then the girl actually had a rather good idea, contacting the alumni. To that, she gave the girl a thoughtful nod to validate her thoughts.

"A good point, I will do as such. At least that way Spica isn't sitting on her hands in the meantime."

But then the girl agreed to help, emphasizing her interest in anything for Astraea Hill. As if to imply that she wouldn't be doing this to help Shoka, or even St. Spica girl's Institute, but the entire campus. What was she? Some kind of evangelist? She'd expect nothing less from the likes of St. Lulim and shrugged off her opinions of the girl.

Just then however she looked up, about to list the items they would need to retrieve from the school when there stood a girl already doing exactly what she had imagined. Well, almost, it was shoddy workmanship and Shoka had several ideas for improvement, immediately making several changes to her list of items.

"So it was you," Shoka answered, smiling at the girl. She recognized her right away. Their kiss at the lunch table might not have meant anything to Shoka, but it was worth remembering.

She approached the girl, "Eri-chan, right?" She inspected the potato lamp, impressed with her organic idea. "This is good, though they will need to be replaced now and again. It's certainly goes well with our low budget. The tarp was better than running a rose, but it wouldn't work all winter long.

Touching her chin a moment she suddenly straightened, taking on a poise and tone of one with a vibrant authority.

"We are going to need some pvc pipe and corner pipes, to build a cube that is two meters wide, deep and tall. We will need some heavy plastic wrap, construction grade, or clear tarp material, along with some heavy tape. We should be able to build a temporary greenhouse. We also need some tubing and something to cut with. It will have to be anchored as well, so some rope, studs and a hammer. If not piping, we could use wood, and instead of tape, we could use a staple gun. Spica has all these things in craft room."

She weighed the pros and cons of a plastic structure and a wooden one. Either way the walls would be made of clear plastic, but it needed to be sturdy enough not to collapse under the weight of snow or high winds. She chuckled at the idea of either girl before her using a hand-saw and, being the oldest, she was comfortable using it instead.

She wasted no time, she was already stripping her gloves and packing up her kit. She was going to Spica to get the things they needed and coming back to start building right away. The tree was counting on it and they didn't have much time.

(we can keep going here, just skip ahead saying they came back with all the stuff)

Gilda felt validated when President Donomoto agreed to the alumni idea. It just showed that the current leadership were far too focused on the small picture. If you wanted to control everything you had to see everything, and if you wanted to keep control of anything, you had to know how outside forces behaved. Speaking of outside forces, from the corner of her eye, Gilda saw a girl approaching. She watched the girl messing about with things. It didn't make much sense but seemed like something scientific was going on. Hilda would have been better for this but then Hilda wouldn't have come out her on behalf of the hill. She watched until the president stepped in.

These two knew each other which was not so surprising, they were both Spica students and it did make sense that it would be a Spica planting trees on the land. It looked like they were going to be building a box or something for the tree. It didn't seem like the most successful of plans but it was certainly better than letting it die.

Gilda pulled out her notebook and wrote down the listed items before she set off towards Le Rim. She'd agreed to help and so she'd help. Plus this would be a good chance to get a view of how Spica was set up and what the quality was for it. So she followed the two Spicas to get the equipment.

After her second encounter with the spica prince, Shoka. She had made up yet another plan with the spicen, well joined a plan at the least. They had split up to gather a few things, now on her way back she felt the first cool breeze of fall. Bringing yet another box full of stuff she headed back to the sapling. she managed to get ahold of scissors, some wood from Kuma's old rabbit cage and some chicken wire She added some of Kuma's bedding knowing hay could come in handy to keep the warmth in as it got cool for the sapling. These things weren't on the list but might be helpful. She managed not to forget her small hand shovel on the way out of her dorm.

On her way she passed by the art classroom after asking permission she got a hold of wire cutters and some heavy duty tape . She was now at the sapling waiting for the others she began to work mixing up the dirt with ash, as well as placing some of the hay on top. Seeing as neither of the other students had arrive back she took a moment with the sapling. " Dont worry we shall take care of you, i know that you might be worried..so am i, but prince Shoka seems to care about you as does the other student.. oh dear id forgotten to ask her for her name how rude of me..."

Sighing at the thought of not knowing the other students name she touched the sapling's leaves softly " i am sure if you can just hold on when it gets cold by the time its nice and warm you'll be quite the little tree... do me a favor alright? you can't tell anyone but ... this is very important to me if i can see this project gets done of planting more tree's here then i might have the courage to do more for the schools, maybe maitor ruins will be my next mission. "

Giggling to herself she smiled. " one tree at a time huh little one?"

There was a small and genuine chuckle from the Purplenette as she saw the girl talking to the tree. She put down the wood on her shoulder and got to work. She took a comfortable lead, instructing the other girls on where to put things and, being the oldest, used the staple-gun and other tools to get things put together. It took nearly an hour to build, but soon, a plastic cube stood around the tree. She didn't have to tell the others to put the heater inside, and of course, she took to instructing the construction of the watering system.

Another half hour passed and, through cramped inside the small cube, they could hear the pitter patter of the rain as it began to fall. Shoka stole a glance at the whitenette, thinking she'd definitely be able to romance her if the more stern presence of the unapproachable greenette had been there. Even so, if she happened to catch Eri's gaze, she made sure to wink at her.

"I suppose we're stuck for the moment," she sat back to tweak the watering system, "A good chance to test it." The tarp collected water into a small tank, the tank had a siphon that moved the water along down a tube to the tree where it finally trickled out of a tiny nozzle.

Shoka nodded at a job well done as she crouched near the small tree, which, just to happened to be also very near to Eri. Nonchalantly the girl reached to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. That same hand immediately traveled back to the tubing, as if making finishing adjustments. Though another smile to Eri made it clear she had very much meant to get her attention through the action.

She couldn't ignore the greenette, and sensed the girl might disapprove, maybe even tell a Sister. Not that she cared, but decided that would be troublesome, so she moved things along,

"What do you think?" The question was for both of them. She moved the staple gun out of the way so she could sit more relaxed upon the ground. Watching the rain through the flap leading back outside.

Lore mostly walked, followed, and obeyed directions. It wasn't really any of her concern what happened to a single tree, it alone wouldn't save the forest, that would require far more drastic action. Instead she studied the president. She was good at giving orders, that was quite obvious. Most of this was physical work and with the president constantly giving the orders to follow, Gilda was able to focus on her own thoughts and the president.

She was close to this Eri Spican, but from what she'd been reading and learning about the two presidents, this was standard for both. She mentally noted each time the two Spicans got close or unnecessarily hands on. Gilda was getting the impression that the president was both holding back but still almost daring her to make some kind of protest.

Deep down, it annoyed Gilda, such coy fals secrecy, such daring. It was only further proof that the presidents were far too powerful, or at least felt that way. Well they'd learn. Gilda tried to keep her thoughts and emotions hidden, but throughout the work, a frown rarely left her face.

"I think it's a mess." Gilda said, reacting to the question a moment before her brain got the context. "I mean, it's going to do ok probably. For a thing designed in five minutes and build in an afternoon." she said quickly. Gilda stuck her hands in her pockets and looked away. "You'll have to check on it often to make sure nothing goes wrong, and people out here are going to want to check out the strange little tent thing they never saw before. So it will probably get disturbed occasionally."

Once they were finished she noticed the trickling of water fall over them, as the prince had said they did seem to be stuck at the moment. Yet she was happy to there creation work.

Gilda seemed not as pleased but she admitted it would work.As for Shoka she seemed more interested in Eri her self , which of course led Eri to blush. She didn't know what romance was per say but what ever Shoka was doing made her feel happy some how and flirting wasn't bad right ?

There where three people here as she could tell Shoka was holding back, after all romantic actions where probably looked down at these schools. That and Gilda didnt seem amused by Shoka as other girls where. This was Eri's chance to maybe to something ... she looked at rain and found a sneeze come it was tiny but enough to be noticed she blushed deeply now was her chance. Leaning Into Shoka she blushed. " S-sorry its a bit cold maybe we should all sit close .. I would hate to be the reason why you both get sick ... as for the tree I come here every day at least once, I can check on it so you both don't have to worry...that is I don't want my tree to be a bother."

Well, the greenette certainly wasn't afraid of voice her opinion, and Shoka has asked for it, so she shut her eyes in assent. It wasn't the best little set up, but it might work with enough maintenance. Shoka was going to voice a few thoughts for improvement, perhaps putting up a sign telling others to please respect the tree and leave it alone.

But then Eri sneezed and pushed herself against Shoka ever so slightly. Well of course the purplenetter would oblige. She unbuttoned her white Spica overcoat, it was the longer version that reached the hip, instead of the fashionable crop jacket that most Spican girl's preferred. She place it over Eri's shoulder and out her arm around her.

She reached over and clicked on the heater.

"I suppse we will test this too."

The thing started slowly, it was a weak, but warm breeze that warmed the cube just enough to keep the chill out. The rain picked up a little and Shoka noticed a small leak in the corner.

"Do you think that will be a problem?" she pointed, talking more to the greenette than to the girl in her arms.She imagined snow coming in and occupying a corner. While it was a little warmer in her than it was outside, there was a chance snow might still gather, but the question was if it would affect the tree negatively.