Ren did not move and did not approach to accept her hand; instead, he tilted his head slightly with an eyebrow raised as though curious.
Perhaps her gesture hadn't been obvious at all. Perhaps it wasn't a good time for touch. Whatever the reason, Jaz withdrew her hand, bringing it back down to her side as she considered the ground. There were sparkles in her vision, red and black behind or just in front of her eyes. Jaz slowly shook her head to clear them, closing her eyes and getting to her feet. She dusted herself off and looked at Ren, though she blinked down quickly.
Why did she feel like she needed to apologize?
There wasn't anything to fix. There was a melancholy in the area and the smell of death, blood. An offering. A sacrifice. An honoring.
The djinn had made them to the plants in smaller ways, and to the waterfall. Gifts, nutrients, care.
The stakes felt higher here. There was more needed and more to lose.
"Thank you," she ultimately said, "for being patient with me. Shall we take these to your friend?"
Leaving the Djinn
Re: Leaving the Djinn
Jaz withdrew her hand and lowered her gaze to the ground. Ren steeled himself against guilt, but it eased as Jaz pushed herself to her feet and dusted herself off, and his fear that she might have backslid dissipated. She was moving forward, and he was relieved--maybe even proud, if he dared to let himself feel it.
Jaz looked up to him only briefly before blinking back down to the ground, tugging at his curiosity again. Am impulse rose to offer her touch by way of a hand on her hair, wanting to reassure her of something. But he was still feeling too cautious, too uncertain about what all she had gone through these past moments. What all she was going through in this moment. Something felt heavy about it, and he let it pass with reverence.
"Thank you," she ultimately said, "for being patient with me. Shall we take these to your friend?"
Ren nodded, not quite sure what to say. In lieu of speaking, he stepped closer to her, gesturing for her to lead the way, but intending now to follow a bit closer. It would be tricky to get around her here anyhow, and the main path wasn't far.
Jaz looked up to him only briefly before blinking back down to the ground, tugging at his curiosity again. Am impulse rose to offer her touch by way of a hand on her hair, wanting to reassure her of something. But he was still feeling too cautious, too uncertain about what all she had gone through these past moments. What all she was going through in this moment. Something felt heavy about it, and he let it pass with reverence.
"Thank you," she ultimately said, "for being patient with me. Shall we take these to your friend?"
Ren nodded, not quite sure what to say. In lieu of speaking, he stepped closer to her, gesturing for her to lead the way, but intending now to follow a bit closer. It would be tricky to get around her here anyhow, and the main path wasn't far.
Re: Leaving the Djinn
Ren nodded and gestured back the way they had come, perhaps intending for her to lead. She nodded in return, walking back toward the main path. That much of the way, she knew. She had the impulse to bring her hands to each of her arms to comfort herself--she felt cold and hollow despite the relative warmth of the day and the sunshine--but she didn't want Ren to think she was weak. Instead, she kept her head up, walking forward, and the projected confidence did eventually soften her clenching stomach.
Once she arrived back at the main path, she veered in the opposite direction than the way they had come, figuring she would follow that until Ren told her otherwise. She resisted the urge to look back at him or seek his guidance. As much as he knew about this world, as much as he was her guide in many ways, he couldn't help her with the things he did not know, and this grief--or at least the intensity of it--was among them.
Ren had probably grown up eating these sorts of things--it was normal for him; whereas Jaz... gods, she missed her village terribly. But, she would need to get accustomed to this, and she was heartened that Ren did genuinely care for the chickens. He looked at them and spoke about them similarly to how the guardians of the feradons did back home. She took heart in that, and finally, she looked back to Ren, walking close behind her, and said, "You do a good job with them. They're beautiful."
And then some of the magic Jaz felt watching them eat seeped back into her facial expression, a glint of a smile, a softening of her shell. "Thank you for letting me feed them and for showing them to me."
Once she arrived back at the main path, she veered in the opposite direction than the way they had come, figuring she would follow that until Ren told her otherwise. She resisted the urge to look back at him or seek his guidance. As much as he knew about this world, as much as he was her guide in many ways, he couldn't help her with the things he did not know, and this grief--or at least the intensity of it--was among them.
Ren had probably grown up eating these sorts of things--it was normal for him; whereas Jaz... gods, she missed her village terribly. But, she would need to get accustomed to this, and she was heartened that Ren did genuinely care for the chickens. He looked at them and spoke about them similarly to how the guardians of the feradons did back home. She took heart in that, and finally, she looked back to Ren, walking close behind her, and said, "You do a good job with them. They're beautiful."
And then some of the magic Jaz felt watching them eat seeped back into her facial expression, a glint of a smile, a softening of her shell. "Thank you for letting me feed them and for showing them to me."