[He had more than a few knives on him at all times. Not only did he feel right when he had them, the Sphere was a dangerous place. As he and Bell were doing more digging, it was a good idea to be armed at all times. ...Even if they could be taken out by the tree itself. There really was no way to fight a branch.]

Of course!

[A few minutes later all of the tops she'd picked had careful slits made in them. Gai spoke without looking over there.]

Here we go! Are those big enough for your wings? I erred on the side of caution because it is easy to cut a bit more.