Leave Me In Ruins

Meliad

Research at Derek's felt just like any evening researching at Derek's, only this time, Stiles' feet were laid across Derek's lap. He was reading through a book on mythical creatures while Stiles scrolled through his laptop. It felt domestic in a way that Stiles adored. The way Derek's thumb rubbed his knee absentmindedly between page flips made him smile to himself.

Lydia had opted to stay at the station with Jordan for a little while but planned to join them later. Stiles would gladly take advantage of their time alone together. It was harder to keep his hands to himself now that he and Derek were actually together.

It's just temporary, he reminded himself. Just until this Ash Keeper was dealt with.

"I think I found it," Derek said, a frown pulled at his brows as he pointed to the page he was reading.

Stiles swung his feet to the floor, setting his laptop aside in favor of Derek's book.

"Meliae, Nymphs of the ash tree," Stiles read. "It's a nymph? Aren't nymphs exclusively female?"

"It says here that the male version is referred to as a Meliad." Derek pointed to the bottom of the page.

Stiles took the book from Derek, scanning the small paragraph of information. "That would make sense. They used a natural drug on us." He nodded.

Derek's jaw clenched. He hated the reminder that Stiles had almost been killed. He couldn't imagine what he'd have done.

"But a Nymph that does ritual magic? Seems unlikely. That's more of a dark druid type thing. And how is it appearing as people we know? Kyle's sister saw her boyfriend. I saw you. Adrian saw me. Savannah saw her sister. And in all the video feeds, he looked the same."

"Maybe that's where the belladonna comes in? You said yourself it can cause hallucinations."

Stiles chewed at his bottom lip. "But what are the odds it would make me see you and make Adrian see me?"

"If I was on your mind at the time then..." Derek shrugged.

"Maybe." Stiles frowned, but his tone was uncertain.

"You don't think it's a Nymph?"

"I think this Nymph is breaking the rules somehow. When have you ever heard of Nymphs seeking out people? They usually stick to the rivers and streams that they're used to."

Derek rolled his eyes but couldn't help the tug on his lips. "Well, maybe it was drawn here like so many other supernatural beings."

Stiles handed the book back to Derek and reached for his computer again. "This book is old. Maybe there's something more recent."

Derek slid an arm around Stiles' shoulder as he settled against his side, his computer balancing on his knee.

Derek watched as Stiles' fingers flew over the keys. He was always so good with research. He knew the right keywords and phrases to use. He knew how to tell which sites were bullshit and which were legit. There was a time when Derek rolled his eyes, claiming that Stiles couldn't just google everything and have all the answers. Now, though, he knew that to be false. Stiles could google just about anything and get his answer, and he was always right.

"Okay, so this says that Meliads are actually considered a type of Dryad. Dryads lived in and with the trees of the forest. The original dryad was a nymph of the oak tree. The word Drys itself signifies oak in Greek. However, as time went on, the term dryad came to mean any kind of tree-dwelling nymph," Stiles said, an excited energy to his tone.

Derek knew that tone well. Stiles was getting somewhere in his research.

"Dryads would often take the form of young and beautiful women, and most of them lived immortal lives. Unlike many other nymphs and fairies in folklore over the world, dryads were not mischievous but rather shy and unassuming. They were timid and quiet mythical creatures bound to protect the trees and the forests. So see, it already doesn't line up..." Stiles leaned forward, eager to keep reading.