Leaving the Djinn

[Emily]

Ren was a little nervous as the impulse began to rise in him to pull away, but Jaz followed his lead graciously, and her eyes met his with open gratitude. Her skin had nearly all changed to the blue that touch summoned, save for a splotch on her forehead that retained the more familiar beige. Fleetingly, Ren imagined bringing his thumb up to tenderly caress the spot, but his body did not move.

Jaz turned her attention toward her blankets, then, contemplating her next steps toward bed, and Ren's gaze trailed toward his own bed to begin doing the same. Awkwardness flared back up--some old, chivalrous guilt about making a guest sleep on the floor--but he reassured himself that this was the wise course of action. Besides, realistically, it wasn't as though his own hosts had ever slept on the floor for him; the impulse was a mysterious one. With a soft sigh, he shook his head and settled into bed, back facing the wall as always.

"Sleep well, Jaz."

---

Ren did not sleep much. Some nights were like that anyway, and with the awareness of another person in the room, it had been nearly inevitable. But at least the sounds of Jaz breathing were not unpleasant, and Ren had much to meditate on about the day.

There were some moments of resentment, when tiredness truly gripped at him but sleep still would not come. He thought unkind thoughts about Jaz in those moments, but he let the thoughts pass as clouds in the sky. It was not Jaz's fault that Ren had so much trouble sleeping in the same room as another. And, it was not Jaz's fault that Ren had not been sleeping well for some nights, even alone. He did wonder, at other moments, if her arrival was somehow related to his fitful dreams, but he couldn't even conceive of why or how it would be. He couldn't remember anything about the dreams to hold onto.

Finally, the thought occurred to him that perhaps Jaz staying with him might actually help him. With the dreams, with the shadows that flickered in his periphery, perhaps even with the need to sleep with his back to the wall. Caution bloomed in the wake of the thought--all that was far too much to put on Jaz, of course. But, perhaps on a goddess... Ren recalled the warm embraces of Sankera's cloak, how it felt to offer himself as a host and anchor to Jaz. And, finally, with a wordless offered prayer, Ren closed his eyes and found his way to sleep.

---

Ren was awake again early, the dim stirrings of pre-dawn light mixing with memories of his doorknob rattling the morning prior. He reoriented himself quickly, though, and returned to a meditative rest as he took in the slow, gentle coming of morning's ambient light. While he hadn't slept much, his dreams at least had been far kinder. Not that he remembered them still, but he felt a serenity this morning that had eluded him of late. He thanked Sankera for it.

He waited until Jaz began to show signs of stirring before got out of bed, stretching quietly in the small free space next to his bed.

"Good morning," he said to her with a soft smile once it seemed that she was awake enough to hear it.