DRUIDS - 1

Xayah felt no form of comfort as the expedition group followed Cailu from the Tranquil's territory. There was nothing blatantly obvious on why she should feel so uneasy, but perhaps the aid she received from Pyrri was wearing off already. Though, it wasn't over a specific person or group this time from what she could tell, but simply the act of leaving. Her gifted crystal was nestled safely in her bag, a comfort of sorts that she hadn't expected to have. Hadn't expected to need. She'd entered this cavern with confidence, and now felt increasingly wary.

"Cailu mentioned these Druids are not very keen on outsiders." Cisluar told her, having spoken to their guide for a time before returning to Xayah's side. His words simply elicited a quiet snort from her, the vayron not surprised at this point.

"None of them do. Not just topsiders- they seem to not like each other at all, beyond the Tranquil and whatever other neutral clans there might be." Xayah huffed. "Do we even know how many more we have to speak with before we earn the right to talk to the Matriarch?  I understand there are several, but... if every clan continues to be like the Brutes or the Forgotten, then I'm going to get pretty sick of this whole trip."

Yeah, this wasn't expected to be easy. But constant trials of some kind? It was mentally exhausting, let alone physically. And then they had to trudge from one clan to the next to repeat the process all over again, hoping to pass whatever trials were thrown at them and not get run out in the process. The Tranquil had been a much needed breath of fresh air. 

As they continued into the Druid territory, Xayah spotted a few of the clan members here and there. Suspicious stares or glares before the haedians hurried on their way did nothing to fix her sour mood. Or to change what she assumed would be another struggle to prove they were worth being given a chance. Yet as they continued, she also noticed that everything seemed to be more and more lush. Absolutely packed with plant life and trees of all kinds, the animals just as diverse from what she was able to see too. Similar to the Tranquil's territory, but... much more.

The further they got into the territory, the more they saw various clan members going about their days. Using their magic to tend to the many plants or animals that needed some extra care, or even... talking to them? Full on conversations with plants and animals. Something Xayah hadn't seen before, but had read about once or twice in an archive. Just... seeing it in action was a little odd, that's all. Nothing she would be dwelling on for long when Cailu gestured for them to wait while he continued on, the haedian approaching a fluffy one to speak with for a time.

"You have to prove you're not like others," Cailu explained as he returned, giving a smile when several confused faces looked at him. "The Druids aren't keen on outsiders because of their deep connections they have with the plants and animals. Your group just has to prove to be a help, not a hurt for their clan."

"So just... tend to the plants and animals? Don't stomp on everything?" Xayah asked, sharing a doubtful look with Cislunar before she focused on Cailu again. "That's it? No contests of strength?"

When Cailu shook his head 'no' to confirm that they wouldn't have to worry about those things, Xayah felt herself relax only slightly. If this was simply another clan for caring and tending to things, then she would be able to maybe enjoy herself while learning what she could of the clan by simply being in it. Plus, this was easy enough with her new crystal. It let her heal other vayrons and haedians, so perhaps it would let her do the same for plants and animals?

Xayah split off to go find something to do to prove she wasn't going to be destructive and a hinderance to the clan. Something she was familiar with could potentially work... So that's what she did. The runner went and found a plant in desperate need of pruning and started the process of trimming off dead leaves, soon finishing and moving on to the next to repeat the process. This was something she'd done plenty of times before. Just... not in an actual wooded area. Even the occasional small creature would scurry up to her out of curiosity, not close enough to touch or be touched but close enough to be nosy and snoop. Both because of an outsider interacting with the flora of the clan, and because she wasn't like the clan. Was something new and different, distinctly not haedian.