First Steps in the Castle

[Nasya]

"This is so not practical."

Fighting to get her hair out of the way while holding her potted Tree, the young woman -for a dryad, that is- pushed the door open. Entering the vestibule of Lillegard Castle, Nasya moved forward until she could press her forehad against the cool glass of the fish tank. Finally according herself the right to take a break, the dryad set her potted Tree and her bag on the floor before leaning against the fish tank, facing the door. She heaved a weary sigh.

She was used to walking long distances, but she was also used to stopping whenever she felt the need to. And, wanting to get to the castle before nightfall, she'd walked non-stop since the boatman had brought her to the island. Well, at least she was there, now. Her left hand hovered over her Tree as she murmured to it.

"Hey, little one. This is our new home, at least for a while. Maybe I'll find what plagues you, here..."

[Audi]

It was a day just like every day - a work day. Another exhausting, wonderful, lonely and productive day. Audi was looking through her notebook as she was walking along the vestibule's balcony, headed for the library. First thing today was further research on her side-project, which meant searching for geology-related books that she hadn't read yet. She had little hope there were any left. All that was left was the practical part, as she was reminded by the rock in the pocket of her coat, banging against her thigh with every step she took. But it was so, so hard...

With a sigh, the ratgirl closed the notebook and idly looked around -- just in time to notice the stranger entering the castle. Instinctively, she dropped down to all fours to hide from view and crawled towards the balcony railing to peek through the bars.

Intruder.

And there was nobody standing sentry but her. Useless watchman...

Hackles rising, she glared hard, then slowly turned around to start sneaking towards the stairway, all the while keeping the stranger within sight. From the distance, she couldn't really see much detail, but it seemed to be a human -- female-human. Easy. Had Audi not won every one of the fights she'd gotten into? Of course. Pride and confidence swelled in her chest as she let righteous anger bare her teeth in a predatory sneer.

[Nasya]

After enjoying the 'break' for another half-minute, Nasya stretched, arms going up and back arching. She held the pose a few seconds before relaxing and leaning forward to grab her bag and sling it around her shoulder. She then picked up her potted Tree, placing it so that it fit comfortably in her arms. There. All set.

"And now, to find my dorm." She said to herself. "Maybe there's a map somewhere...?"

Nasya rounded the fish tank and looked at the stairs. She sighed.

"Alright. Going up, it is."

But really, after walking all the way to the castle, couldn't she find someone conveniently waiting to show her the way? She was looking up the staircase, evaluating its height, when she frowned. Had she seen... No. Nothing had moved, up there, right? It was just a trick of the light... She mentally hit herself. Of course it was possible that something had moved. This was a school. There were people in it. At best, it was the someone who should have been waiting at the door and, at worst, it was a teacher who was going to ask what she was doing here. No reason to be paranoid. She set her foot on the first step.

[Audi]

Audi had been intending to descend the stairs unnoticed, then strike the intruder from the back as they headed into one of the ground-floor corridors. That plan was, unfortunately, foiled by them going up the stairs instead. The ratgirl let out a quiet hiss of displeasure then quickly backed off to hide behind the railing again. It seemed that she hadn't been seen, as her ears caught the slight creaking of the old wood as it carried the stranger's weight. Okay, change of plan.

She shifted back a little, then stilled, belly pushed flat against the floor. Feet braced to propel the ratgirl forward when the right moment came. Right now, she cursed her colorful attire, as it could draw attention to her prematurely -- but humans rarely looked down, did they? It would be fine.

Either way, the invasion would be repelled. At all costs.

[Nasya]

Nasya climbed up the stairs slowly, all the while trying to guess which way to go once up. There were a few doors, but the air coming from them gave her an impression of enclosed space. Maybe some classrooms? And the hallway... The one on the right felt a little musty. Like a library.

Halfway up the stairs, the dryad couldn't be more grateful for her 'power', as insignificant as they could be. It was pretty useful to have an idea of what was this way and that way. Now, for example, she would follow the 'musty air' until she reached the library -if it indeed led to the library- and maybe she would find a map. She could only do so much by 'feeling the air'.

Reaching the landing, Nasya started to turn towards the hallway when she caught sight of a colorful shape in her peripheral vision.

Uh?

[Audi]

There was a lingering worry in the back of her mind that she would be spotted before the woman was within range, ruining the ambush; but in the back of her mind it was to remain, the front of it taken up by a more feral mentality that only concerned itself with what was happening and not with any what-ifs. Audi waited like a wound-up spring, every muscle tensed.

Then the moment came.

Powerful legs pushed against the floor to launch the ratgirl forward like a rocket, speed blurring the surroundings save from the target straight before her -- a pair of legs. She aimed to tackle and grab them right under the knees to bring the human down to the floor.

[Nasya]

The dryad had only just seen the colorful shape when it lauched itself at her. When the -creature? person? thing?- collided with her legs, making her pitch forward, Nasya's first reflex was to twist around to protect her potted Tree. Her bag would be crushed, alright, but that was not important. She just couldn't let any harm come to her Tree. In a confused tangle of hair, clothes, limbs and leaves, she fell and hit the ground, somewhat cushioned by her bag. She was so glad to be wearing shorts and a t-shirt instead of a dress right now...

Once "safely" on the ground, the dryad pushed her Tree behind her, taking as much of a protective stance as she could while sitting on the ground. No one would touch her Tree, not even the rat-person in front of...

Wait, what?

Just thinking it was nowhere near enough. That was a thought that deserved to be said aloud.

"Wait, what?"

[Audi]

The attack was successful. Audi tumbled forward with the momentum a little, then once she found her footing, jumped back a little. The woman had a potted plant, she noted with surprise. Weird thing to be hauling around. And... her hair was a plant itself. That perplexed Audi enough for her to not immediately continue the attack, and she plopped her rump down to the ground and returned the stranger's gaze. Her appearance made the ratgirl hesitate a little; she really didn't look dangerous.

It lasted but a moment, though, and Audi wiped the doubt from her mind as she jumped to her feet, narrowing her eyes threateningly. One foot was shifted back to give her a head-start if she had to jump again to stop the woman from getting away.

"State your business." she snarled, making sure that her large, sharp teeth flashed as she did so.

[Nasya]

Nasya narrowed her eyes right back, holding the other's gaze, and tensed. Was the rat-girl going to attack again? And why would she attack her in the first place?

At the snarl, Nasya's eyes opened wide and she raised one hand, showing her open palm to the other, while her other hand pushed her Tree even farther behind her in a instinctive protective movement. Those teeth looked sharp. Really sharp. Did rat-people eat plants?

"Do calm down, will you? I'm a new student. I'm looking for the dorms."

Keeping wary eyes on the rat-girl in case she thought to attack her again, the dryad slowly started to get up.

[Audi]

The woman was intimidated. Good. As she should. It would not be hard to--

What?

In an instant, all the cocky, confident aggressiveness drained away from the ratgirl, leaving her lost. A new student... of course. Why did she not think of it? Basic territorial instincts had taken up the reins, and she yielded to them without a second thought... It was important to not let go of what made her what she was, but... not thoughtlessly. Deflated, Audi inched away a bit, looking anywhere but on the dryad.

"Dorms... are outside." she mumbled. She wanted to possibly never see the woman again, but she felt obliged to aid her after the... misunderstanding. "I can lead you..."

[Nasya]

Standing protectively between her Tree and the ratgirl, Nasya watched with a raised eyebrow as the other seemed to deflate. Uh. Looks like she didn't know she was attacking a student. She looked a lot less intimidating, now. And smaller, too, now that they were both standing. Still, Nasya kept and eye on her as she turned to pick up her Tree. And she made sure to hold it so that her body was between said Tree and the ratgirl. Less menacing or not, her teeth were still sharp.

At the offer to lead her to her dorm, Nasya wrinkled her nose. She did need to get to the dorms, and maybe it would save her the trip to the library... But she did not like accepting help from someone who'd attacked her. There was also the fact that she believed she would be able to find the dorms on her own. No need for help. Maybe, though, if she thought of the offer as the ratgirl's apology for attacking her...

"That would be apreciated."

Still holding her tree as far from the girl as she could, the dryad waited for the ratgirl to lead the way.

[Audi]

While the woman mused over the proposition, Audi just waited patiently, all the while avoiding her gaze. At the answer breaking the silence that was beginning to feel thick, she looked up quickly with wide eyes. "Okay." Slowly, as to not seem threatening anymore, she walked to the stairs. Tail, usually held slightly aloft, now dragged limply across the floor, and as she began descending, a small 'thump' accompanied every step as it fell after her.

The road to the dorms was long... way too long, and she would have to suffer the awkward companionship all the way through. This wasn't right. She was just trying to protect the castle -- so what if she was overzealous in it? She still had good intentions. Whiskers twitching in displeasure, Audi kept walking, not paying much mind to whether the 'intruder' would follow.

[Nasya]

Nasya followed the ratgirl down the stairs, bemused as to why she was acting so dejected. What was done was done, right? The girl had just made a mistake, not thinking she could be a new student. She had made no permanent damage -Nasya's back manifested itself at that and she winced- to either her or her Tree. She'd even apologised, sort of. Why was she so troubled about it?

Not quite comfortable with the silence, the dryad sought to start a conversation, however awkward it may turn out to be.

"Why are you making such a big deal of it? You did not 'attack and ask question later'."

[Audi]

When she was addressed, she stopped in place and turned her head in a rapid manner to give the other a scowl. She huffed, almost offended at the prospect that she didn't, as if it were her actual duty to guard the castle... but... did she? Ears fell back slightly and she looked lost for a moment. "Didn't I?" Tackling was an attack, right? And she did ask a question afterwards, so... With a frustrated shrug, Audi started down the stairs again. Ughh. People and their words.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the ratgirl took a turn left to the door to hold it open expectantly. Only then did she actually take in the other's appearance. Were those... leaves? Hmm...

She tilted her head, peering at her curiously. "Are you a plant?"

[Nasya]

Nasya was surprised at the sudden stop and scowl and took a step back -which is not easy to do while going down stairs- to put her Tree father away from the ratgirl's teeth. The girl's question had her blinking, though. Hu. "Well, yes, but I meant..." Thinking of it, what had she meant, exactly? Ah, yes. That the other should stop sulking because it was no big deal.

Lost in her thought, she only came back to 'reality' at the ratgirl's question. A question that made her wrinkle her nose. What?

"Not... exactly. More like a tree spirit, or the human form of a tree. A dryad, if you prefer."

Trying to see herself as the other saw her, she tilted her head in acceptance. Alright. She could understand the question. Things were bound to be weird in a place with many 'supernatural beings' and she did not look like the average human. And, hey, the ratgirl seemed to be done with her sulking, which was good. Maybe talking would keep the girl's mind from what appeared to be seen as a failure...

"I guess that means I'm the first dryad here, hm?"

[Audi]

The fact that the woman seemed to be slightly scared of her did not go unnoticed, but she decided to disregard it for now. Not that she was surprised in the first place, of course. Anybody would be scared.

Her eyes widened slightly at the answer. Tree... spirit? Would that mean that she was the tree's... soul...? She glanced between the dryad and her tree, back-and-forth. Noo, that sort of a thing was unheard of. It had to be some sort of a co-dependent existence deal. Audi's whiskers twitched. "Yes." She beckoned towards the open door. They could talk while walking; there was no time to be wasted.

Interesting. Two separate beings couldn't have the same essence, being obviously vastly different like those before her were. Maybe they were more like siblings...? Audi was pretty sure the dryad wouldn't be able to explain it fittingly to an alchemist's standpoint, but perhaps it was best to ask anyway.

"How does the link between you and the tree work?"

[Nasya]

The other seemed surprised -and, could she say... impressed?- at her answer and Nasya unknowingly stood a little straighter. Why, yes, Dryads where good, really good. She deflated slightly, though, at the 'yes'. Oh. No chance to meet other of her kind, then. Too bad.

The dryad followed the ratgirl out, wondering how to answer. She was not really extatic at the prospect of giving answers that could possibly be harmful to her but... Well, the ratgirl seemed to be more curious than anything else. Alright, she'd answer. But then, there was still the problem of how to explain...

"Well... Um... Dryads are born from a Tree, you see. When it's big enough, we just... come out of it, as little kids. Like I said, we're sort of the human form of our Tree." She brought a hand up to her hair. "We take physical characteristic of our Tree, like my hair, or my blood. And we're..."

She hesitated a moment before shrugging. No point in stopping now.

"We're dependent on our Tree. If it's hurt, we're hurt. Generaly speaking... If someone tore a branch off, I would not loose an arm, but it would hurt like hell."

[Audi]

Audi let out an acknowledging murmur, but didn't answer immediately. Behind the door was a rather long corridor, with several doors on the left side which Audi ignored, marching forward. The new information was very interesting, indeed. It seemed that a dryad and her tree were in fact the same being, which raised a whole new slew of questions. A soul split between two... With the tree being born first, was the relationship that of equals? How exactly did it work, how was the 'human form' formed? Why would it work?

And most importantly... how to reproduce it?

"So," she said, turning her head so that she could look Nasya in the eye, "does it work the other way around?" She eyed the potted plant. "Would it be hurt if you were?"

[Nasya]

Still following the ratgirl, Nasya barely spared a thought for the closed doors they passed. Her 'guide' would bring her to the dorms, if only in 'apology'. She would learn her way around the castle on her own, later. She raised a hand to her bag strap, moving it a little to relieve her shoulder for a moment. The ratgirl seemed to be contemplating what she'd just said and Nasya, with a shrug, decided to let her think about it. She would speak up when she'd feel the need to.

Which she felt rather quicker than Nasya thought she would. She winced at her question. That was not a subject she liked. It meant potential blackmailing material. But she had started on the subject and it would be... useless to refuse answering now. Especially since the other seemed quite curious. Still, she hesitated a little before answering and shifted slightly to bring her Tree closer to her.

"Um... yes, but less so. The Trees are less sensitive than us, I guess."

And that was as much as she would say on the matter. While it may seem weird that she cared more about her Tree being made to suffer through her than the opposite, it was perfectly normal for dryads. Their Tree were their life. They were to care for it, protect it... If only because it's death meant theirs.

[Audi]

The moment the answer was given, Audi looked away again, having little interest in the dryad's defensiveness and barely even noticing it to begin with. So, the relationship was not perfectly equal. The tree was first, and the dryad a... sprout of sorts. Well, the next question was obvious. Walking ahead, Audi took a corner, then stopped sharply right behind it, turning around to face the woman behind her. Her expression was intent and curious, all business.

"Most trees do not have human forms, do they? Why does yours?" That was what everything hinged on. Was it only a particular species of tree that did it? That would be quite hopeless, if true. The potted plant seemed, unfortunately, unfamiliar.

[Nasya]

Nasya almost -almost- stumbled when she turned the corner, not expecting the ratgirl to stop so suddenly. She ended up doing a weird sort of half-step sideway before stopping next to the other girl. Looking down at the ratgirl's face, the dryad smiled. Aaand the curiosity was back.

Nasya shrugged. "No, they don't. I'm not really sure why, actually. I think it may be because we -the dryads- all 'come from' an original dryad who chose to stay in her Tree form. Like there was a dryad for oaks, one for mahogany trees, one for pine tree... Or something like that."

Yeah, not a very good answer, but... Well, she'd go with that. It was what she tought was the most likely reason, so... Nasya was absently playing with a leaf in her hair, twisting it and tugging at it. Which made her think of something that might interest the ratgirl.

"We're not all the same. Dryads of the same 'specie', I mean. I knew another Natal Mahogany Tree dryad, when I was young, and she had human-normal hair. Her skin looked a lot like bark, though. And her fingertips were green-ish."

[Audi]

Audi's ears twitched slightly as the woman almost tripped over her, but she made no move to stand aside. A thoughtful frown pulled at her lips. Having a one, original ancestor, did make it sound like what Nasya was could have been artificial, but it was all guesswork, and  at this point Audi had no way of searching for an answer. The idea of a being having a human form separate from its normal one was marked down in her mind as 'possible' and to be looked into later, for her own reasons; sadly, here was little hope that it would have anything to do with the question of Tony.

"I see." she said, a bit dejectedly, but looking Nasya over as she tried to picture the other, different, dryad. She supposed it made sense for them to vary, if they were a... product of sorts of those trees. Turning around, she continued down the corridor, which twisted and turned. One door, slightly ajar, allowed a peek into a classroom. Then there were Mr. Denskith's quarters, another turn... Audi liked the castle and its elaborate corridors, each of them etched into her mind as if it was her home warren. She would never get lost here, even without smells guiding her.

She breathed in deeply. "You're going to like it here."

[Nasya]

Nasya frowned. Okay. Not the reaction she'd expected. Shouldn't more knowledge be a good thing to the ratgirl? From her earlier curiousity, the dryad had though so, but... Well, she seemed disapointed, somehow. And a bit uninterested, now. Nasya huffed, a bit put out. Wasn't it interesting anymore?

The ratgirl declaration derailed that thought, tough. Hum. Nasya looked around, trying to fell the air around her, and could only sense vastness. Is that even a word? she thought distractedly. There was also a sense of... of wisdom, somwhow. Like a very old Tree, one that, even without dryad of his own, deserved a capital 'T'. It was her turn to breath in deeply.

She smiled at the ratgirl, then. A full, unrestrained grin. "Yeah, yeah really I think I will."

[Audi]

A grin so wide couldn't not be returned, and Audi smiled as her tail thumped contentedly against the floor. She loved this place that she now called home, and it was good to see others enthused about it  too. There was a place for everybody at the castle, she believed, if only they actually wanted to find it.

Finally, they reached the north foyer, and Audi led the way by the wall -- old habits die last -- towards the door leading outside of the building. As they walked, she mused over where she would be if not for AALC. Probably still in the streets, huddling against the cold in dark alleys, rummaging through garbage for food. Like an animal. Here, she was no animal, not anymore.

Evolution. So much progress...

Others didn't necessarily want the same thing, though, as misguided as that was. And since they still had a ways to go until they reached the dorms, she turned her head to give Nasya a curious glance and ask. "What do you want to do here?"

[Nasya]

Silence fell over them again and Nasya used it to look around. Yes, she would explore later, but it was not a reason not to remeber some rooms and hallways. In the wide room they entered, Nasya could sense the open air. Did the door lead outside? In any case, the ratgirl seemed to be walking towards it.

Hum. Maybe she should ask what was her name. 'Ratgirl' was getting repetitive. She looked back at said ratgirl when she talked.

"Mh? Oh. Well.." She cocked her head, considering it. She could say she wanted to find a cure for her Tree's problem, but she had already given a lot more information about it than she was usually comfortable with. "Learn. And have fun." She nodded decisively at that. Not the full truth, but not a lie either. She really did want to learn about what was happening to her Tree... Still, time to move on a less uncomfortable suject of conversation.

"I'm Nasya. And you?"

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