>>2991832I would venture the concept that Kii (Dryads) is required to have normal sex, has a partial internal gestation period, and the 'births' a fruit body that finishes the gestation.
When she is willing to reproduce, flowers do bloom along her body, and the bark-ini she has on her pelvis slides apart to allow copulation. (Provided it is a part of her physical self and not clever censoring.) The flowering may be an involuntary action, but the exposing of her parts would be voluntary.
I broke the gestation into two parts for one reason; the woody parts on her ribs, pelvis, and sides. I suspect that these are only mildly flexible and would not allow for a normal human style pregnancy. (Abdomen expansion.)
In the 1st half of gestation her body creates the fetus and fruit body. (Think like a shell) This allows for all the important initial development to happen in a safe location. Once the baby/fruit develop sufficiently she births the Fruit. It would be smaller than normal human baby and with the bonus of the fruit being evenly round there would be no problems with tangled cords, coming out sideways, legs/shoulders getting stuck, etc.
The Fruit can then be rooted in a safe place with rich soil and sunlight to provide the nutrition needed to completely develop the new Dryad. Alternatively the fruit could latch into the mother/fathers body and draw nutrients when they do from soil and sun. (I prefer the stand alone idea) Once the Fruit has ripened it acts like a normal fruit becoming colorful and fragrant to attract herbivores to eat the fruit releasing the young Dryad. Alternatively signaling the parents to peel away the fruit body. Perhaps even when its time the Dryad inside begins to consume the fruit from within, giving it a burst of energy needed to move on its own for the first time.
Afterwards it depends on how Dryads raise their young, or if new Dryads are born knowing how to survive on their own.
Being long lived species I could see that going both ways.
