Elmsworth the head gardener and his apprentice Petra discover a strange grey residue affecting the delicate Crystal Mistletoe in the municipal greenhouse. The residue causes a physical tingling and dampens the plant's natural resonance, threatening the Solstice bloom. Elmsworth recognizes the interference pattern as similar to known resonance issues plaguing the town, referencing the silence of the Carillon of Wishes. He directs Petra to search the Conservatory attic vents for specialized, non-reflective sheeting previously used to protect historical maps, which they believe can act as a buffer for the plant's root system against the interfering energy. Petra sets out immediately to retrieve the material, connecting the physical sensation she felt earlier on the nutrient sprayers to this wider structural problem.