Written Wonderland

After a moment, Jaz chuckled, and Ren raised a curious eyebrow to her as he swallowed his bite of food. She was quiet for a beat longer, perhaps lost in thought.

"Our myths say," Jaz finally began, "that Dehaljadrun sang the plants into being when she first created the realm, and we still sing to them, so they might remember what it felt like to be in her presence." Ren slowly took another bite of food, contemplating this as Jaz continued, "And, in pleasure, when we djinn are tangled and twined, it is a song. Some of the elders say it's possible that song is the goddess' truest form."

Ren chewed slowly, digesting what Jaz had to say. Her has had drifted out the window, wistful as she regarded the meadow, and Ren was grateful to feel spacious in formulating his reply. Admittedly, his first reaction was discomfort--he still didn't know how to feel about this goddess of Jaz's--but he tried to move past it. He snagged a little bit on recalling Jaz's song the previous night in this lens, but ultimately he decided that if she'd been calling her goddess in to that experience... then, well, it had felt good. Ren had certainly invited his own goddess into their interactions, perhaps it was only fair. He sighed softly, and this time it was his turn to shake his head at himself, though he wasn't quite in a chuckling mood about it.

Finally, he said, "I sing to myself sometimes, or to the plants I suppose. Sometimes, it feels like a prayer to Veil or Inora, but mostly... mostly I think it's just..." he shrugged, having to search a moment for the word, "...living." His frown perhaps hinted that his wording still felt off, somehow, but he continued on. "I also enjoy singing with others. There are many songs that most folks who frequent the temple know and share in together. In that way, it can feel a bit like a prayer to Sankera, bringing the community together."

After a while of sitting with Ren in silence, her stomach clenching as she waited for his reaction, she looked at him as he chewed.

At last, he said, "I sing to myself sometimes, or to the plants I suppose. Sometimes, it feels like a prayer to Veil or Inora, but mostly... mostly I think it's just..." he shrugged, "...living." Jaz's breath caught as her stomach relaxed too quickly, too excitedly. She leaned forward, catching herself on the table. But, Ren was frowning. She couldn't make sense of it. "I also enjoy singing with others. There are many songs that most folks who frequent the temple know and share in together. In that way, it can feel a bit like a prayer to Sankera, bringing the community together."

Jaz's eyelids grew heavy and eventually closed, her body swaying with pleasure as she thought pleasantly of moments during celebrations when all the djinn in the village would sing together.

Breathlessly, Jaz whispered, "Almost as good as touch." She kept her eyes closed for a few more moments, waiting for the aching longing in her body to calm. Suddenly, her stomach was hungry again.

"I'd like to visit the temple on such a day," Jaz told Ren as she opened her eyes, curious what he had noticed of her physical state. She then took her fork and reached gently toward Ren's plate to see if she could manage another bite.

((OOC: Jaz is prepared to be unsuccessful here.))

Jaz leaned heavy on the table as Ren spoke, her eyes slowly closing. He might have thought he was being just a tad bit perverse, the way his mind connected her body language now to how she had looked while resisting his command the previous night, but then she whispered,

"Almost as good as touch."

Ren swallowed, growing stiff, though not unpleasantly so. He enjoyed the warmth at the core of him, even buried as it was beneath layers of stony armor. And, he felt oddly hopeful. If he could sing with Jaz instead of touch her... perhaps there was more that he could give her. But, now didn't seem like the moment to jump right into it.

"I'd like to visit the temple on such a day," Jaz said, opening her eyes to meet his. He nodded, trying to relax enough to offer her some warmth in his gaze. Then, she picked up her fork. Somehow, that helped Ren relax further, and he smiled gently as he slid the stacked plates closer to the middle of the table, where he and Jaz could each partake of whatever bites they wished.

"Yesterday might have been if we had stayed later, or instigated it before we left. I'm sure we can get a song going next time we're there."

Jaz assessed Ren, uncertain what he had thought of her display. He was more tense than he had been when she had closed her eyes, but he didn't seem on edge, exactly.

He pushed the plates closer to her to allow her access to the food, and she chewed the egg and squash slowly, closing her eyes briefly again.

"Yesterday might have been if we had stayed later, or instigated it before we left. I'm sure we can get a song going next time we're there."

Jaz thought back to the time at the temple, how she had wanted to leave quickly on account of being overstimulated, worried about dynamics with Ren and Monica, and completely unable to touch anyone. Not to mention that there were likely people in the village who would likely exile her again if she let slip who her goddess was.

"What if I turn blue," Jaz asked, "when I sing? Or when I'm around singing?" She was beginning to formulate a plan, but she wanted Ren to think about it with her.

"What if I turn blue," Jaz asked, "when I sing? Or when I'm around singing?"

Ren frowned, taking his time on his next bite as he thought.

"Well," he said after a moment, "we'll certainly have to experiment before returning to town." He offered Jaz a slight, crooked smile, hoping that she might feel some positivity in his implicit offer there. Growing a little more serious, he added, "You don't seem to turn blue when you eat food." He nodded toward her, gently guiding attention to her color. "Maybe it's only touch that changes your skin?"

Ren frowned, and Jaz felt herself melting in defeat. This was all going to be difficult, wasn't it?

"Well," he said, drawing her attention back, "we'll certainly have to experiment before returning to town." He smiled crookedly, and she tilted her head as she looked at him, her mind turning. Was he offering to sing with her? The thought lifted her mood again, and her face felt hot. But his expression returned to neutral as he added, "You don't seem to turn blue when you eat food." He nodded in her direction, and Jaz compulsively looked down at herself. Sure enough, she hadn't changed color. "Maybe it's only touch that changes your skin?"

She shrugged, confused about the mechanisms of it all and frustrated that she didn't understand her own body. She felt foreign to herself in this foreign place. Sighing dramatically, she took one of the last few bites of food as though to make a point. Chewing, she thought the matter over.

"I look forward to experimenting," she said, a glint in her eye as she looked at Ren.

Ren did think he caught a sigh of blush on Jaz's cheeks, which pleased him, but the shrug that followed when she briefly investigated her own skin disheartened him, just a little. Perhaps he'd been too pragmatic about it. He still couldn't quite grasp what her internal experience was around her skin color, and he flagged a mental note to try to be more sensitive about it.

Sighing dramatically, Jaz scooped up another bite of food and chewed thoughtfully, and Ren took the liberty to scoop up the last bite himself to enjoy.

"I look forward to experimenting," she finally said with a glint in her eyes, and Ren offered a gentle, just slightly crooked smile, pleased that she was returning to playfulness. He nodded subtly as he began to stand, gathering their plates and pausing momentarily, gesturing for Jaz to set her fork alongside his on top.

((OOC: Assuming she complies?? Or if not he would just move on and let her keep the fork then lol, maybe with a small smirk and quirked eyebrow.))

He went to set the dishes down in the pan he'd used to cook, and then dithered for a moment about how to direct things from here. Making a brief calculation, he drew in a breath and turned around, resting his hip and one hand against the counter behind him, leaving the small stack of dishes open to Jaz's view beside him.

"There's a stream just a couple minutes from here," he said. "Would you be willing to wash the dishes while I get some things packed for the day?"

Ren gave a small smile, and Jaz took it as a good sign. She was starting to understand what pleased him. Slowly, she was creating a catalogue. He nodded and stood, gathering the plates and waiting for Jaz to put her fork alongside his. She did so, noting the suggestion--it was not a command.

Jaz looked out the window at her tent, amused that it hadn't been used. It would only get colder from her, she imagined, if the seasons were anything like what she was accustomed to in the mountains. Perhaps the next time they went to town, she should get more blankets.

Or start a fire, she thought, wondering if she would ever get to the point where using this land's magic would not deplete her. Maybe it would only deplete her more the longer she was away from home. The thought terrified her. But--Ren had started a fire, assumedly without magic. How? She should have paid more attention.

But then Ren spoke, dispelling her thoughts and melancholy as she looked at him leaning back against the counter, the pile of dishes behind him.

"There's a stream just a couple minutes from here," he said. "Would you be willing to wash the dishes while I get some things packed for the day?"

Another request. Not a command, Jaz thought, and she smiled, feeling ridiculous about the ways she was anticipating hearing another command from his lips. She supposed it was a different sort of denial that he was steering away from it. That both commanding her and not commanding her were both adding a delicious tension between them was fascinating, and Jaz felt radiant somehow in the wake of it.

"Yes, I can do that," she said, standing and looking around for the supplies she might need. As though anticipating that, Ren handed her a cloth and a small bar of soap as well as a jug of water. She placed the soap and cloth on top of the plates, which were inside the pan, and carried all that by the handle of the pan, taking the water jug from Ren with her other hand.

He then told her the direction of the stream, holding open the door for her. It was gorgeous outside. The meadow's flowers were brilliant splashes of red, yellow, and purple, and the golden glow from this realm's sun made it difficult to long for the purple sun of the realm she had left.

After a few moments, her arms reminded her that she had work to do, and she set off in the direction Ren had mentioned. There were fewer trees in this part of the area than along the path toward the town, and Jaz took pleasure in how the thigh-high grass brushed up against her legs. Small flying insects with impressive orange and white wings took flight even though she walked carefully through the brush, delighting her every time.

She found the stream without much difficulty, noticing that the water level was low, if the bank was anything to go by. It was another indication that this realm was at the end of its growing season. Using the water left in the jug, she scrubbed the remnants of food from the dishes, pouring the dishwater onto a nearby tree to offer some nutrients. Then, for good measure, she rinsed them in the stream before placing them back in a neat pile. She then refilled the water jug and sat by the stream for a few moments, enjoying the dappled sunshine and the sound of the flowing water.

Closing her eyes, Jaz tasted the air, curious about all the smells she didn't recognize. She wanted to learn each of the beings they belonged to, learn what they liked, what helped them to grow--but that would take years, she thought. Then again, was she really in any big hurry to get back? She wanted stories to tell before she returned, and just trying to get home in and of itself? Well, that might not make the most interesting story. She also needed to enjoy this new place and understand why the fae gates might have chosen to send her here. Otherwise, the effects of her sorala might not fully resolve, and she might come back with the same sense of wanderlust. No, she needed to make a life for herself here. At least for a while. And sitting next to a stream as it trickled past seemed like a good place to start.

After a few more peaceful minutes, Jaz picked everything up and returned to the cottage.

"Yes, I can do that," Jaz said with a smile, and Ren nodded, relaxing a layer to have figured that next part out. She hopped right up, and Ren got her the supplies she would need. She attentively took in his instruction on where to go, and by the time he was holding open the door for her, he felt a somewhat astounding amount of delight. Perhaps it really culminated when she paused out in the meadow, beholding the surroundings. He took in the sight for a moment himself, appreciating the flowers swaying gently beneath the sun. One of the many reasons he had chosen this exact spot for his home.

Then, Jaz turned and began to head toward the creek, and Ren likewise turned his own attention to getting things packed for their journey. He was grateful for the spaciousness Jaz’s absence provided for that process, though he did hope she was enjoying her time at the creek. She was still gone when he finished packing all the essentials, and he tidied a few things around the cabin, grabbing a couple more things to pack along the way. He began to get a little bit worried after a few minutes, though. Perhaps it was irrational. Still, he was restless, and decided to go ahead and take his packed bag to meet Jaz at the creek.

No sooner did he step out the door, though, than he spotted Jaz approaching, and he couldn’t help a relieved smile--perhaps in part a bit chagrined at himself and his own paranoia. What exactly had he even been worried about? That she’d gotten lost, maybe? Ren shook his head gently at himself and continued walking a few paces closer to Jaz, arms outstretched to invite her to hand the jug and dishes to him to take. *

“Go ahead and--” a slight frown flinched into his expression as he caught himself. Though, just as quickly as he’d realized his mistake, he remembered what Jaz had said about commands that morning--that the sensation was pleasant. His frown turned back up into a subtle, gentle smile, with perhaps a small twinkle of playfulness in his eyes. “Pack whatever you would like to pack for the day.”

((OOC: * Up to you if she hands the jug and dishes to him or not; he won't press if she doesn't seem to catch or acquiesce to the gesture. His mind kinda rolled right on ahead to the next thing anyhow lol.))

The jug of water was heavy, and Jaz had to stop several times to switch which hand held what as she traversed the path back toward Ren's cottage. With all the long-growing grasses, she could easily see getting turned around here, but she remembered the path back, and Ren's cottage stood at the edge of the meadow--discreetly positioned but still catching some of the sunlight. She smiled and unconsciously quickened her step.

To her surprise, Ren came out onto the porch looking concerned, but it took a few beats before he saw her. When he did, his face relaxed noticeably, and Jaz tucked some satisfaction deep inside herself, knowing that Ren had been worried about her. Perhaps, eventually, his concern would grate on her, but she had barely been here for a full sun cycle, and she was happy to know that someone was genuinely looking after her well-being.

Ren outstretched his arms, and Jaz thought for a moment he might be beckoning her into a hug, but as she approached, he lowered his hands, gesturing toward the jug and the dishes. Jaz's face fell mildly, though she handed her burdens off obediently.

“Go ahead and--” Ren caught himself and frowned but not soon enough to stop Jaz from feeling the beginnings of an electric buzz in the back of her head and throughout her spine. That he didn't finish the command meant the sensation didn't stop either, keeping her on edge. She closed her eyes as they subtly rolled back. She stiffened and leaned forward--her body trying to find some way to obey by moving forward indiscriminately.

"--pack whatever you would like for the day," Ren finished, and Jaz opened her eyes to look at him, the sensation completing as it finally finished moving through her body. Feeling little urgency toward the command that Ren ultimately issued--vague and full of her own ability to choose--Jaz studied Ren curiously, though her lids were still somewhat heavy. He looked pleased with himself, lips pressed together with an eyebrow slightly raised, and Jaz had the impulse to playfully push him into the long grass. But then the buzzing electricity started to threaten again, bunching in the back of her neck as it urged her into Ren's cottage. Most her things were packed anyway, she reasoned, buying her more time before resisting the command started to become unpleasant.

Feeling defiant, Jaz kept staring at Ren and then decided to sit down in the grass, laying down and looking up dramatically at the sky. "Why? Are you in a hurry?" Jaz asked, the buzzing in her neck and ears growing louder and more insistent.