Astrid ⟡ 001
Who: 4everythingelse and anybody afoot
Where: The fields around Espoir, midday ish
Style: Third, preferably
Status: OPEN~
( C'mere, pretty please? Can you tell me where I am? )
Where: The fields around Espoir, midday ish
Style: Third, preferably
Status: OPEN~
( C'mere, pretty please? Can you tell me where I am? )
The drow moved quickly and silently toward the village, and while it was hard to hide in the broad daylight, he kept sliding behind the cottages, kneeling the tall grass, whatever need be done to keep his presence hidden for now. When he was close enough, he could tell the girl was human. Human and obviously lost. She must have been a new arrival to Somarium, that much was obvious. Now he had to debate whether or not he actually wanted to approach her.
So far, his experiences here had been more than good. They were far better than back home. No one had outright run screaming from the dark-skinned elf and his 600 lb feline companion. The didn't mean he wasn't still terrified someone would. He honestly just wanted to help this girl, like someone had been kind enough to help him when he arrived. He knew enough about the Dreamberry by now that he could have explained it, and he had explored the fields of Espoir since his arrival. The city was a bit different, but even there, Drizzt more or less knew his way in some of the districts.
He decided to take the chance, flipping his hood up over his head. It wouldn't do much to hide what he was, the dark skin and bright violet eyes made sure of that. but at least his pointed ears were covered? So with that he headed out, having moved ahead a bit so he could come out from between one of the cottages in front of her. Guenhwyvar was at his side, her golden eyes focused more on the dragon than the girl with it.
"Good afternoon." the drow finally spoke when Astrid was close enough to hear him, eyes shifting to the dragon, then back down. "Are you a new arrival?" that sounded weird, and possibly creepy. Maybe he should have worded that better. TOO LATE NOW.
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Of course, that was before she realized that there was a giant creature walking alongside the figure. Oh! ... Well, maybe dragons weren't so unusual a sight in this village after all, though this creature appeared to be some kind of cat. It was far too large and completely the wrong color to have been a lynx, but it was a stunning creature all the same, even if she didn't know what it was.
When the figure was within earshot, she heard a male voice call to her. The stranger was draped in a hood, so she couldn't see his face, but his voice sounded benign enough. She held up one hand to instruct her nadder to stay where it was, and then stepped a bit closer to the approaching figure.
"Hello," she called back, and then tilted her head. "New arrival?" Well, if they were going for literal, she guess that was what she would have called herself...
When the man was close enough to not have to shout, she found her eyes widening a bit as she peered up at him. Astrid was a bit short in stature, so she was used to people being significantly taller than she was, but this was probably the first time she'd ever seen anyone who was blue. Like literally blue. She still couldn't quite see his face, but his skin was definitely a dusky dark blue color.
She tried and failed to speak then, still quite taken aback by this man's appearance, but then shook her head quickly--don't be rude!--and met his eyes.
"Uhm... yes, I'm... new, I guess," she ventured, looking a bit perplexed. "I'm not even sure how I got here, or where this is, but I need to get back and let my village know what happened. People will be looking for me."
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"You are in Somarium." he stated bluntly, still feeling his words were somewhat robotic and awkward. He wasn't used to carrying on conversations like this with people, but he was trying, dammit. "A dream world, as I have been told, and unfortunately most of us do not know how he got here, or how to get back." he really had no problem with the latter. He didn't want to go back to a world where he wasn't accepted.
He figured he might as well introduce himself, so, "I am Drizzt Do'Urden, and while I haven't been here long, I would be more than happy to help answer any questions you may have. It must be frightening to be here alone." He was use to being alone, personally--
With a tilt of his head, Drizzt's violet eyes flickered over to the dragon once more, then back down. He couldn't help it. He had never seen one so tame before, it was more than a little interesting to someone like him. The girl herself looked like she was prepared for battle, and at such a young age.
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She shook her head quickly then. Oh! Right, introductions. Vikings were usually more renowned for their brutish nature than their congeniality, but there was really no excuse for being rude when a stranger was obviously trying to help.
"Astrid," she said, extending a hand to shake in greeting. "Astrid Hofferson." She made a bit of a face. "And I guess it's less frightening and more just strange. I mean, I've dealt with some scary things before..." Like taking on a dragon the size of a fleet of longboats. "But I'm not completely alone," she added, smiling a bit as she watched the man's eyes flick to the nadder and then back. Gesturing, she said, "This is Öndótt. Usually just Dot. She's a Deadly Nadder, but don't let the scary name fool you too much. She's quite friendly once she decides she likes you."
Astrid was a proud thing by nature, and showing off her beautiful dragon never got old. Showing Dot off to someone who had never seen a nadder before was even better. Clicking her tongue, she beckoned Dot to come a bit closer, and the dragon moved, carefully settling into the grass behind her. Leaning a hand on the horn on Dot's snout, Astrid smiled proudly.
"I've been training her for just a little over a week now," she said. "She's surprisingly well-behaved--I wasn't expecting her to listen so well."
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"Well met, Astrid." He smiled yet again, taking the offered hand with one of his own and shaking it. Once he let go, he had to chuckle dryly at her comment. "Strange indeed, and I could say the same." Plenty of scary things in his life. He had fought so many monsters, and seen so many terrifying things, he could easily agree. Though he wasn't too fond of the young girl dealing with something like that. That was just his nature though, and maybe a bit naive of him in some sense.
Now his full attention was on the dragon. He'd been smart enough not to get too close to one before if he could help it, and he was still amazed such a creature could be tamed so easily. The girl was talented, obviously not one to be judged based on her age. Her look and attitude said enough of that from what Drizzt could tell. "Öndótt" he repeated with a click of his tongue, violet eyes following the dragon's movements. After a momentary hesitation, he stepped closer, extending a hand toward the creature, not yet touching it though. He was just testing the waters, not wanting the dragon to bite his hand off.
"She's beautiful," he offered, his words sincere. He did so enjoy seeing the various creatures of the surface up close, even if most of them never wanted to see him. Almost on cue, the panther behind him strode up to his side, nudging against his leg gently. He very well couldn't ignore the beast for long, and he DID need to properly introduce her. So with the hand that wasn't extended to the dragon, Drizzt stroked along the panther's head.
"This is Guenhwyvar, she's been with me for a long time. It does well to have a trustworthy companion with you." He softened his gaze a bit at the girl, "It's good to see you're not alone. It can be difficult."
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"Thank you. She knows it, too," Astrid chuckled when he complimented the nadder. "And she makes quick work of making sure everyone else knows it."
Dot clicked her jaw together at this, then arched her long neck and trilled happily as Astrid scratched the spot behind the spikes along the crest of her head. Then Astrid turned as Drizzt introduced the feline that had been waiting patiently beside him.
"Guenhwyvar," she echoed, much as Drizzt had the dragon's name, and smiled a bit. "She's remarkable; I've never seen a cat so big. Or of that color." Extending one hand slowly, palm down, she waited for Guenhwyvar to sniff her fingertips before carefully stroking the big cat's cheek. "It's definitely good to have a companion," she agreed, marveling at Guenhwyvar's whiskers and big, bright eyes. "I... You're certain there's no way to get home?" She pulled back from Guenhwyvar and frowned at Drizzt. "I have a friend in my village who was badly injured recently. I'm worried about him."
While Astrid was certain she could handle being thrown into a strange situation like this, she didn't like that not knowing if Hiccup would ever wake up came with it.
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Finally he dropped his hand down from the dragon's head, watching as Guenhwyvar lavished in the attention she was being given, half purring in the process. To which Drizzt simply shook his head and patting the giant cat on the head. At least they agreed on the companion thing.
"I've heard there is a way, but it seems spontaneous to most. Just as we show up here without warning, we leave the same way. That is what I was told at least." he really couldn't offer much more, and he gave an apologetic look toward the girl for it. His gaze hardened slightly at the mention of her injured friend, and he hoped for her sake that they would be alright back in her home world. He never did enjoy other's suffering like the rest of his kind did.
He didn't know what to say, he wasn't very good at comforting people, but he'd try as best he could,
"Perhaps your friend arrived here as well. Somarium is rather large, there is a chance. What is his name?" and now he was pulling out the Dreamberry, remembering that someone had mentioned earlier whomever was in Somarium would be on the contact list. The thing still baffled him in a way, but he didn't have a choice but to use it, especially at times like this.
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With a soft sigh, Astrid started to tell Drizzt Hiccup's name, and then stopped, gawping at the device in the man's hands.
"The runebox?" she asked, and dug into the pouch at her hip. "You know how to work it? What does it do?" She held the runebox in both her hands, frowning at it before meeting Drizzt's eye again. "I've never seen anything like it!"
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"For the most part." he didn't know everything, but he knew what he needed to by now. How to call someone, or find their name on the contact list. Video calls, the basics that Malik had been kind enough to inform him about.
"Neither have I before I came here, actually. But." He moved closer so they could both look at the screen while he pressed the buttons, "It's some sort of communication device. You can speak with others that have one as well. It also..." he didn't like this part, "Can record your dreams."
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She prodded some of the buttons on the runebox, watching with controlled delight as the square screen at the top lit up and showed her a menu of options. She'd never heard of such things! 'Documents', one said. Well, that one sounded kind of important. Fiddling with the device a moment, she found a pebble with an arrow on it that would allow her to move the words on the little lighted box. The records in the village archives never had so much in-depth information! Why, even the dragon-training textbooks didn't seem quite this thorough!
A bit enthralled (Astrid did so love learning new things, even if she rarely admitted to such scholastic goals), she skimmed through a few pages of information, then looked back up at Drizzt.
"Thank you," she said, venturing a smile. "I don't think I would have known what to do with this thing. Maybe if I read everything carefully, I can find a way to get back to Berk." She furrowed her brow then. That had sounded a bit mean--Drizzt had been so helpful and here she was making it sound like she wanted nothing more than to leave. "If... if I need to talk with you sometime in the future," she amended, looking back at the runebox, "I can find your name here? And vice-versa?"
Maybe he was blue, but he seemed very kind, and despite her tendency toward brusque, abrupt demeanor, Astrid was not quick to forget a kindness. If there was something she could do to help him in return, she would eagerly do so.
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He watched her, a small smile on his lips. He couldn't contain the amusement in seeing her so delighted and enraptured by the device. To be honest, he had done nearly the same thing when he was alone. It was something different, strange and interesting. And since it didn't try and kill him, obviously he had grown to like it by now.
Drizzt didn't think much of it, honestly, he had already said that this would be his new home. Well, new wasn't exactly the right word considering he never really did have a home. He just didn't want to leave this place. Not after all that had happened in his world. The welcoming citizens of Somarium were just what he needed.
"You're welcome, Astrid. I hope you're able to find your friend and return home soon." he nodded to her question then, "Yes, I'll gladly assist you if you need anything else. Do not hesitate to contact me in the future."
There was a pause, and then, "Have you found a place to stay?" He glanced up at the sky. At least it wasn't dark right now, otherwise he'd be more wary about her walking around. Dragon beside her or not, and even if she seemed capable of handling herself. Blame his protective nature and trauma with kids, "If you haven't by nightfall, I have a cottage close by. You're free to stay there as long as you may need."
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Tugged from her mortification by Drizzt's voice, she looked back up at him, then shook her head.
"I haven't even..." She paused. A place to stay? She... was really stuck here, wasn't she? Blowing a sigh up through her bangs, she slid the runebox back into her pouch and folded her arms. "I'll keep that in mind," she said; "thank you." She furrowed her brow. "How would one go about finding a place to stay, anyway?" She'd never had to do anything quite like this before.
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He frowned a bit. He knew it must be hard to be thrown into a different world like this without much warning. but he couldn't do much else but offer what he could. "I just took the closest open cottage. If there is no one living there, you're free to take it as your own. It's...odd, but it seems to work for everyone else." and it worked for him.
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It wasn't like Vikings needed to get permits or zoning to build their cottages, they didn't need electricity or gas lines or anything like that, but Astrid had at least been expecting to have to build her own house or something. This at least made it easier--she didn't think she was a very good carpenter.
She gave Drizzt a small smile.
"Thanks for your help," she said. "I'm sure I'll find something. And... I guess maybe I'll see you around, huh?" At least it seemed she'd successfully made a good ally--even if she didn't really know what was going on, it was always easier when you had a few good people you could turn to when you needed advice.
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