RP:Lost Dude, Found Dryad

Summary: Sidd meets Clovelia, his second-ever dryad - first one he gets to actually talk to. Probably her first-ever guy with a blue mohawk.

04/23/2024

Gateway To Enchanment

Clovelia leans her back against the arch that is the official entrance to Enchantment. The tree, clearly groomed and coaxed into the fantastically magestic arch, seems to be fine with the dryad's presence, despite it being a darker tone and her own being a pale white. Clove leans with that sense of boredom that only teenagers can pull off while her sight wanders around at the to and fro from Kelay's forest. For those that give any sort of attention such as a wave or a nod, she does simular in return.

Sidd :: Today was a very special day for Sidd, because it was his day off for the week. And when Sidd doesn't have to work, then he's either of two mindsets - drinking until he passes out or going adventuring! The problem with adventuring is that when you're doing it solo, you tend to get lost, which is exactly what happened to the man with the brilliant blue mohawk when he decided to venture out into the Kelay Forest. He'd been out here a few times in the past, but at some point in his little journey, Sidd came upon a wild wolf who thought that he looked like a tasty treat. He did manage to fight the little bugger off with Dome Splitter, his trusty 'club', but he got pretty turned around and wound up delving deeper into the wood than he planned, effectively finding himself very lost. However, it seemed like salvation lay not far away when he spotted the entrance to a town; One that he'd never been to before. As he came upon the arch, he spied Clovelia and offered his signature brand of a goofy smile, "Eeeeeh! You! Can you help me? I kinda... got lost in the woods. Any idea where I've wound up?"

Clovelia sees the unique hair approach before the young man. Of course this caught her eye, despite all the colors in the back drop between the tree limbs. People just don't come down this way looking like that! "Oh! Lost?" Nobody is sure why, except for herself, the youth decided to giggle. That giggle grew from a polite internal amusement to a full chuckle. "Lost.... oh boy, I see that you are." she manages to heave between breaths. When she manages to calm, she pops her shoulder into launching herself off the tree into standing. "Ok, I may be able to help you, where are you trying to be? There's a Ranger station that way," she gestures, "More forest that way," gesturing a broad swatch, "Or the Kingdom of Enchantment that way." For this, she thumbs behind herself. "If you are looking for the little people with hairy feet, turn right before you get to the castle." Boredom fully converted to a sparkily personality, she would be great at customer service.

Sidd lifts a brow, his cobalt blue gaze looking Clovelia over closely. Something she said caught his attention, and he got a bit of a twinkle in his eye - Something new! "Kingdom of Enchantment? What the heck is that?!" Sidd quickly slips his backpack off, placing his club into the holster fastened to its side, and then rummages into the bag and pulls out a pencil and notebook. "Man, when I went out today, I was like, hoping to maybe find some cool little spots in the forest, maybe a waterfall or something, but Kingdom of Enchantment? That sounds magical as hell."

Clovelia grins wide, nodding with her hair mass, a collection of leaves, flowers, twigs, tangled darkness, and is that an insect or few?? bobbing right along with her. "You have never been here before?” She notes the notebook as a sign of truth to what she believes to be ridiculous. Everyone knows Enchantment. At least, those she's spoken to on her own travels. Only briefly does this spike a red flag in her mind. Just long enough that perhaps she should not offer to show this stranger around, however, she does tend to like to show off the town area. Not the forest, not the trees, never the trees for showing off. "If you keep down this road, straight on through, you will encounter the castle and it is AMAZING!! Do you draw? Your drawings would never capture it properly, I assure!" Peeking from the very tip top, between leaves and shade, a large building can be seen straight ahead, surrounded by forests.... or was it the forest playing tricks?

Sidd grins brightly, head shaken in response to her curious question, "Oh god no! I'm, uh, not exactly from this continent. I was here about... uh.. 6 years ago? For a few months. I mostly hung around in Cenril, and that island across the sea, Rynvale. Oh, and I saw the Xalious Village, and hung out a bit in that floating city Schezerade. I kinda went on a bit of a voyage over the last few years, and recently returned a couple of months back. This is pretty exciting, honestly!" Sidd looks at the notebook in hand, flipping through it quickly - she might see a few odd sketches here and there. "I wouldn't say I draw exactly? Maybe doodle or sketch, or whatever." He was obviously being modest, as some of those pages in his notebook were fairly detailed. "So, like, this Enchanted Kingdom - what sorts live there? Like, forest people? Elves? Wait. Are you a forest people?" he asked, finally addressing her appearance.

Clovelia watches her counter add up everything by flipping pages, computing, and posting his results with another question. Cheerily, she gives a childish smile, giving the impression of not being grown, but not being a child. "Hold out your arm." she orders while her own is offered. Outstretched is a long, thin extremidy shaped exactly as an arm with a shoulder and hand attached would be except she is white. Not just white, the color of pale flesh, but white like the parchment in his notebook. Upon her flesh, it seems to be peeling in various places but mostly smooth where the dark gaps are not. Crinkles, for they are not wrinkles, dapple her arm almost giving a texturized yet random pattern. She is surprised he didn't notice it on her cheeks but this has happened before. Humans think she looks sickly more than mutant due to the deviations being more subtle than some of her kind. "What do you think?"

Sidd heeds her request and sticks out his right arm, which unlike hers, is decorated in a very colorful ocean-themed tattoo sleeve. As he compared the differences, his excitement grows; although he is a grown-ass man, there is a childish wonder to his words, "No way! A forest person! What exactly are you?" Something hits Sidd like a ton of bricks and his eyes go wide, "WAIT! WAIT!" The man with the mohawk begins flipping through his notebook until he lands on a page with a doodle of a woman with branches in her hair and vines extending from her arms and legs, "Are you a dryad?! That is what they call you right?! Like.. you're one with the forests and stuff?!?" it seems as though Sidd did a bit of research after that time he met Lefty and his crew at the Cenril library, which included a strange Dryad woman - something he'd never seen before. Although, he didn't really get a chance to talk to her, because Lefty and the Avian had his attention for most of the encounter.

Clovelia recoils her hand so that her ringed fingers absently play with the rings upon them. "You are right!" she brightens, not literally. "I am a dryad, as most humans tend to call us." She -should- shut up as this may be too much information for a stranger but Enchantment is not a restricted town so she feels safe stating as much. Besides, she likes travelers as much as she likes traveling. Never mind her being lost for months somewhere betwen here and Alithrya, plenty of humans, or non-humans, all seem to be pretty open about each other's races. Taught by example. "I like the forest, it's amazing, but what's really neat is all the lights in other places. That way over there?" She points in the direction of a day or two's walk to Kelay, "Is spectacular at night. The best view is from a tree by the Rangers. Did you see it last night?" Ahh, clever girl. He claims to be a wanderer due to lost but if he had seen those lights, she gains some insight on his story.

Sidd studies Clovelia much more closely now. The last time he met a Dryad, he didn't get a chance to observe, and sketched mostly from memory of the brief encounter. This time though, he made sure to get every detail correct in his mind. Every ridge, every branch, any detail that would help paint the picture he would attempt to draw later that evening. "Oh, man. That is so cool. You're like, totally the second one I've ever met. Nice to meet you, by the way. I'm Sidd - two D's 'cause what's life without a little chaos?" He offers a sly grin and his hand to shake, if she should so accept the custom. When she pointed past him and toward what he assumed was the village far off, he asked, "You mean Kelay village?" A more genuine smile finds its place, a slight confusion taking over his brow as he was not in the area the evening prior. "Ah nah, I didn't see them last night, no. I've been through there a few times in the past, though. Do you just kinda observe from the woods, or have you been into the actual village before? There's a little restaurant there. They serve some really good food." Sidd thinks a moment, "Do... do you even eat? Or do you have like, a photosynthesis thing going on? Sorry, my knowledge of Dryads is pretty damn little."

Clovelia keeps on grinning all innocent and charming. Man, what it would be like to be 15 again. "Hiya Sidd, I'm Clo--" Off toward the towering trees that are the city proper, a small voice chirps "Clove!! Clove!!!!" ".... COMMING!!" she hollars back with her voice tossed over her shoulder. She turns back "Clove" and accepts the hand as if she's shook such a thing many times before. "I like Mes but Nancy is a bit rude." She huffs into a pout as she recalls trying to get beer but only finding milk in her glass. Same for whisky, rum, or any sort of alcohol. "I think she has a pet cow." the dryad smirks. The hand is released, she turns, and starts slowly to wander backwards into the entrance of the arch. "I do eat." she nods, informing him of her choice. Really though, she could just get a good sleep and find all the nuturients in the soil as she does so, but food has lovely variations and textures.... like alcohol, sometimes food has powers. "I've got to go, nice to meet you!" One final bright, child-woman smile and a quick wave before the dryad turns to run to her caller.

Sidd laughs, watching the woman run off. What a lovely person! Setting his sights on the kingdom that lay ahead, Sidd decided that it was time to see what this place was all about- and maybe find a map if they had one.