"That's pretty. Maybe one of the half-dryads will figure out a way for me to say it. Anyway, are you ready?"

"Ready!" It seems to have figured out how to alter the intonation when it's replaying his words, though the tone sounds off still.

"Okay." He chants, just a few words this time, and the scene around them changes; it's warmer, a little, and the sun is higher in the sky between the leaves of the trees that surround them. The promised lake is a little ways away; they're on the path that leads down to the pebbly, loamy beach that surrounds it. A bird calls in a nearby tree, alarmed at their sudden appearance.

October repeats the bird call, then turns a bunch of very delighted yellows and oranges, and waves tendrils around, exploring.

"I'm not sure how long Everia will be - ten minutes or so, probably, but I don't know if she was busy. You can look around a little while we wait, she won't mind."

The being chirps and starts spreading out, investigating, meandering towards the water - still, keeping a tendril near Raafi. Of course, it's very big, and apparently can spread out quite a bit, so it's able to get pretty far rolling down the path before it's stretched itself too thin to stay near Raafi and keep going at the same time.

He follows, when the problem becomes obvious. "I'm not going to stay long, I don't think," he adds conversationally, "but maybe a day or two. I'll be back, though, I usually spend at least a few weeks here in the winter. Nice climate for it."

The being makes a humming noise - seems more contemplative than sad, at least - and pokes towards the water.

"I do sometimes stay longer. But I think you'll have plenty of friends here, even without me. Do you swim?"

A ripple, something like a shrug, and the being flows into the water a bit more - then back out then the leaves become a bit waterlogged.

"I guess not. That's all right, the beach is nice too." He finds a rock to sit on, and does so.

The being curls around him, trilling happily.

He pets them again. "Do you want to hear more about-"

"Hey, city boy," the call comes from up the path. "Where'd you go?"

"By the lake!" he calls back.

Everia stumps into view a minute later - a small creature, shorter than the farmers' children, who seems to be made of grey rock in a feminine humanoid form, vaguely enough so that the lack of clothing simply seems practical. "What did you find this time?"

"Well, I'm hoping you can tell me. Friendly, though." He gestures with the tentacle wrapped around his hand.

October trills happily, waving several leafy tendrils at the new potential friend.

She comes a little closer and offers a hand, the same way Raafi did at their first meeting. "Leaf and Juuni should be here soon - Leaf's a half-dryad," she directs at the creature's main mass, "and might be able to understand you."

"They do talk a little, mimicking - I've got Tongues on, I'm not sure they'd understand me without it." He repeats Everia's message about the half-dryad to the creature, in case the language magic is helping.

A tendril curls around her hand.

"Leaf! Juuni! Friend! Half-dryad?"

"Mmhmm. Dryads are a type of fey who are partly trees, and live just in one place like that, but they have a body like mine or Elveria's too. And half-dryads are more like us, they can go wherever they want, but they're still a lot like plants, and can talk to them. And Juuni is a baby dragon, I bet he's really going to like you."

    "-huh, I understood that."

"Trees! Dragon! Friend?" These are very exciting concepts!

"I expect so."

"Friends are good."