I found Lucia...
Where, I don't know. She spoke to me through the Aether. I'm trying to make contact again, but this buisness with the pines may take some time. Wherever you are, Lucia, I'm looking for you.

Also perhaps @Silverfawn or @Emilia Plissken? I'll ask around...

@timberlina, I think you're right about the pines being asian pines: The festival I they told me about is a traditional asian festival. Speaking of which, we still need volunteers for the "ujiiko" of the festival... eight people are still needed! I would be honored to participate, but sadly, I'll have to oversee, beacuse the blood tribute (just a couple drops, don't worry) can't be performed by me (deadspot hazard). It would be great if @timberlina would participate.... She seems to know a lot about the trees.

Hey, back from my peace attempt with the trees!
Apparently, the Mother Tree, from what I could gather, demands a traditional festival as penance for the insult of the young pine being killed. I know the Mother Tree's daughter, so I tried to get them to take a message to her, but I'm not sure if I succeeded. Anyway, I looked up the name of the festival in the library..... Onbashira is a traditional festival that honors the "supreme beings" that are thought to inhabit the trees. 8 "ujiiko," or temple guardians, were chosen to organize the event, which involves Mother Tree's consent to sacrifice 16 young trees and carry them to sacred ground deep in the pine groves at twilight, where a temple frame is constructed, and blood from each of the "ujiiko" is buried in the center and a sapling is planted. The instructions weren't very clear, but the festival has happened here before. There was a page partially ripped out... the first part said something about "ujiiko dancing at midnight as the trees sing" but the rest is smeared with something... Sticky?
By the way, I tried to get them to let it go, but it looks like we'll have to do the festival. I need volunteers for the "ujiiko" by December 30th. Eight people are needed. NO HARM WILL COME TO YOU, I SWEAR. I will be there, overseeing the proceedings, but I cannot participate because of my blood's properties. If you ever want this conflict to end, we need to move quickly.

Hey. So, Pines are your problem? Well, they always were a little finicky about the Christmas thing. I have a special friend among the trees, so I was wondering if I could attempt to establish some.... boundaries between the trees and the student body. I'm also new here, so the trees shouldn't have my scent yet. Also, I have a bit of a bargaining chip on my side. If they hurt me, they risk the entire grove being swallowed by one of my "deadspots," so that should discourage them from devouring me. Don't worry, this will be a non-violent attempt for all you tree huggers out there.

Hey. My name is Akane Kiyoko, which means "holy blood child" in Japanese, and I suppose that's accurate. Ever since I was little, I've had multiple supernatural experiences, such as ghost sightings, possessions, demonic contact, and premonitions in dreams. I have an... interesting past, I guess you would say. But the one thing I'm sure of is that these things happen because of my blood being spilled. Whenever someone hurts me, or I hurt myself, and blood is spilled, things are attracted to that spot. I hope that this won't happen at PsyHigh.. or the whole school could be swallowed up by a "deadspot."

Anyway, cheers.