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Topaz had her head tilted back, admiring the architecture of the building before her. It was a shame Asterion didn't offer any classes on the subject, but in the end she wasn't interested in becoming an architect herself and she had been able to find plenty of books to assuage her curiosity. Of course she was sure she wasn't seeing nearly the best Leviathan had to offer, seeing as most of it was Imp-made, but since the weather was pleasant at the moment (or as pleasant as it could be in the winter) she wanted to get a look at the grounds. She knew from reading that heavy snowfall wasn't unusual in this area, and it would be just her luck if a storm like that was to blow up!

She sent up a quick plea to any weather spirits that might be around, with the promise of an offering later as soon as she had the chance, and moved on.

After a bit more exploring Topaz found another spot that peaked her interest. It seemed like a garden of some kind; there wasn't much plant-life growing at the moment, but the criss-crossing of paths and aesthetic placements indicated a pleasant place to either look at or hang out, or even both. She found herself bent over examining a lovely rock formation, wondering if they'd gotten it from below ground or the surrounding mountains. It looked quite old!

Topaz was so absorbed in her work she didn't really notice the sound of approaching footsteps. It was an active campus after all and many people had already been out and about. Her subconscious merely filed the sound away under 'normal/nonthreat', not even bothering to interrupt her conscious mind. Then the silence was broken with a muffled thump, like something striking the stone of the path, sounding louder than it should have in the silence, combined with another sound that was higher in pitch but softer yet somehow more echo-y.

She squeaked and jumped a bit, trying to turn. Not the best idea for someone hunched over a stone, especially someone of her height. She saved herself from a fall purely by the grace of that stone being the right height for a handhold to steady herself. She blushed at her reaction and her clumsiness and tried clearing her throat to hide it as she straightened up properly.

She spotted the Nightmare behind her, reaching for an item on the ground that they appeared to have dropped. That must have been the sound that startled her. The other sound was probably a cough or a sneeze, maybe even a throat clearing. Topaz wasn't a student here after all, and someone might wonder at a new face on the campus and want to know what was up.

The Nightmare straightened, and Topaz blinked in surprise, eyes flickering up and down their body. Were those leaves and branches growing out of their skin? So not a Nightmare, a Daydream. A Dryad, if she remembered correctly. Topaz felt a stirring of curiosity. She'd seen a few Daydreams around her own campus, but there still weren't a ton of them about; this was the first time she'd ever seen a Dryad in person. Already questions were forming in her head; there wasn't a great deal of literature about Daydreams, and most cited the 50 Year War. Not so helpful when you wanted cultural information.

"Hello," she called out, feeling slightly sheepish for her startled reaction. "Sorry about that. I got caught up and wasn't paying attention to my surroundings."

"Well I don't know about too cold," Topaz chuckled. "I'm warm-natured and do pretty well in this kind of weather. But I will certainly take you up on your offer, thank you!" She walked over and took the offered thermos. A cloud of fragrant stream was released from the container as she removed the lid, and she sniffed appreciatively. She took a few careful sips, feeling the warmth from the liquid spread through her body.

"You're right! It was very good," she said, recapping the thermos and offering it back to the Dryad with a smile. "Thanks for sharing. My name is Topaz. Are you a student here?"

Topaz nodded. "Yes," she confirmed, "though not at Leviathan. I'm enrolled at Asterion. History and anthropology," she added. "I've always been fascinated by history. I even do a bit of exploration. You know, going through known ruins or looking for ones that might have been overlooked. Even thriving towns hold interesting facts."

She gestured to the building behind them. "This university, for example. It's pretty old. That's why I'm here right now. Oh," she exclaimed, looking contrary as she brought her hand up to touch the side of the face. "But I'm rambling now. Didn't you say you were on an errand?" She smiled. "I can go on and on sometimes, and I don't want to hold you up."

Topaz hesitated. There might not be another chance like this, at least not in the immediate future. "I apologize if it seems overly forward of me to ask, but I've never met a Dryad before and there isn't much about them in our books. Would it be unspeakably rude of me to ask you questions about your history and your culture," she asked, expression earnest. "I don't have anything to do right now, and I would most certainly be willing to help you with your errands in exchange for your time." She tilted her head slightly, waiting and hoping.

"Warmer I could definitely manage," Topaz said thoughtfully, tapping a hoof against the ground as she reviewed her mental map, and accepting the thermos for another drink. She returned the thermos and nodded. "Right, I know a place that might be what you're looking for. Let's see if my observational skills and memory are as good as I think they are!"

They began the trek to town. "I've only been here a day, so I don't have a full scope of the place," she explained. "I found a few eateries that are quite lovely, and this amazing little curiosity shop, but I haven't been to any grocery stores. I'm sure I passed a few, though if my memory proves egregiously wrong I do know of an eatery near where we're heading that could point us in the right direction.

So," she said, switching between the two current topics, "the cold affects you pretty badly? Do Dryads ever go dormant in cold weather, like hibernation? Or does it never get this cold in Above?"

Topaz blinked and craned her head back to look at the leaves on Narra's legs as they walked. "Interesting. Is it the color of the foliage or the type, like say the difference between an oak leaf and a maple leaf, that differentiates tribes? And are there any subvariations in a tribe, or exceptions such as usual mutations?"

She peered closely at the gold foliage, or as close as one could while also walking, assuming one wished to stay upright and not get close and personal with the ground. "Does it hurt, if they get pulled out or ripped? I can't imagine it feels pleasant, at the very least!"

Topaz looked thoughtful at this information. It was the first time she'd heard of a race giving their children away if they were born different from the parents. Family values differed slightly from race to race with Nightmares, but all tended to be close knit. She still didn't know much about Daydreams, but she'd assumed their family structures would be similar. Perhaps it was the plant part of them that was the motivator in how their family structures worked? Narra had said it was the leaves that determined their tribal structure. She was no gardener by any means, but she'd learned a bit from conversations and knew that some plants did poorly growing in a bed with different plants. Perhaps it was that instinctual side of them that motivated their tribal separations?

Well, that was only a personal theory and had no bearings on the conversation at the moment. Topaz picked up on the change in Narra's speech, a bit slower and more condensed. She didn't get the feeling he was trying to blow her off though.

"Yea, we're coming up on one right now." She laughed a bit. "Seems like the highest density of cafes are near the roads leading to the university. I guess they hope to entice students looking for a break from studies!"

Thankfully they had just hit town. Topaz lead Narra past a couple cafes, then turned into one that she'd visited the day before. Their drinks had been amazing and their pastries even better. She certainly wouldn't say no to a warm muffin if Narra wanted to sit down for a bit to warm up.

"I'm curious," she said as warm, coffee-and-pastry scented air washed over them. "What happens if a Dryad gets too cold? Do you go into hibernation like a plant, or is it more like a reptile? Like a bit slows you down, but too much can kill?"