Written Wonderland

"I see," Ren said, and by the sound of his voice, she could tell he had turned from her. Had he really been that upset by what they had done? Had she hurt him?

"Well, it doesn't seem to have harmed me at all..." he said with a shrug. She breathed a sigh of relief at that. Everything was a fresh experiment, but so far... she seemed compatible with this place. She mentally thanked the magic of the ground she had bonded with.

"Let's get you to the priestess," Ren said with a finality that made Jaz's heart ache. He nodded down the road and took a step that direction, but then he sighed and looked at her with an unreadable expression, his cheeks strangely reddened.

"Would you be able to... walk, and hold hands? Would you want that?"

Some childish burst of excitement burst up her throat and almost made her take his hand immediately, but she managed not to show it past the glint in her eyes. Reason took hold soon after, and she gave it a thought before answering.

"Y-yes. Although..." She looked at her hand, which had already begun to pale again, and then along her sleeve. She had long sleeves, but they were off her shoulder somewhat. "Will you let go if the color gets here?" She tapped the shoulder of the hand he had touched earlier.

She didn't like the idea of hiding, but until she got a better lay of the land, she didn't want to make herself a target. Better to blend in as much as she could, at least until they met with the priestess.

Jaz's eyes nearly sparkled, and Ren relaxed a little, his expression softening.

"Y-yes," she said, her gaze drifting down to her hand--already paling. "Although... Will you let go if the color gets here?"

Ren followed her gaze from her hand up her long sleeve to where it exposed her shoulder, her other hand tapping there to confirm where she meant. He nodded in understanding and agreement, and held his hand out to her again. Though, as soon as it was outstretched, he pulled it back, a fresh thought occurring to him.

"Just--don't..." his eyes flicked a little awkwardly to the side and narrowed slightly, frustrated by the embarrassment that he felt. It was just, doubt creeped in--was he sure that what had happened before was Jaz' doing? What if it had just been his imagination? But, no, she had said she thought she might be able to show him. With a heavy breath, Ren returned his gaze to her, his expression stern.

"Don't try to show me anything else."

His voice was gentle, perhaps a bit of a strange contrast with his expression. He felt awkward, but he genuinely wanted to convey that he wasn't upset with her. He just wanted to keep his attention present as they entered the village. Hoping she would understand, he extended his hand to her again with a fresh nod, and his expression finally softened again, if only slightly.

Ren nodded, and she instinctively felt that he understood why she was asking. She hoped that he took it as a sign that she wasn't completely helpless or was at least thinking this through.

He extended his hand and, just when she was about to move to take it, he pulled back, and her heart sank. Was he toying with her?

"Just--don't..." His eyes darted wildly, and Jaz thought it was the first time she had seen him unsure of himself. Her eyes widened and softened a little, trying to understand.

Quickly enough, though, he set his jaw and his eyebrows lowered in a glare as he finished.

"Don't try to show me anything else." His voice was soft, but the sternness of his expression and his words won out, and Jaz dropped her hands to her side, looking from one to the other. She supposed it was good to know that something of the images had gotten through in their contact, but... had it gotten warped somehow? She had a difficult time believing that the memories she had chosen--the canopy, the night blooms--would have given him cause to be angry with her.

He held out his hand to her again, and it might have been a measure of trust... except that he had commanded her.

Jaz sighed heavily, the new barrier between them palpable. She wished he hadn't said anything. She wouldn't have tried again. Not while walking. Touching and putting one foot in front of the other was going to be enough. And surely there would be hundreds of novel things in the village to catch her attention. But the command hung heavy, and melancholy seeped from Jaz into the air, her throat tight.

But, she did want to touch him, and she was prepared to swallow the lump in her throat. She could ask Ren clarifying questions later if it became relevant. After all, he might just leave her with the priestess and be done with the whole situation.

Realizing she had let a couple beats pass, Jaz finally reached toward Ren's hand, and relief washed into her the moment she made contact. She sighed quietly, this one significantly happier. Gods, commands be damned, she wanted to jump onto this man and curl every limb around him, such was her hunger. But she slowly interlaced her fingers with his, enjoying the way his knuckles brushed against hers, relishing the moment their palms kissed and the way their wrists leaned out of the way from each other.

And, true to her word, she looked up at Ren with a bit of a smile and tugged him forward.

((OOC: Depending on how you want the scene in town to go, I have at least one character who would enjoy making an appearance. Could be now, could be as they are leaving.))

Jaz looked down at her hands and sighed, and for a brief moment Ren's eyes narrowed in consternation about her apparent disappointment--was she really so impatient to show him more?

But then he realized his mistake, and his expression softened, eyebrows tugging up in subtle apology. He hadn't meant to command her, and he should have been more careful with his phrasing. He thought about apologizing, trying to revoke the command in some way, but nothing felt right to say. Instead he just settled for patience, giving Jaz whatever time and space she needed to consider the situation.

In the end, she did finally take his hand, and she sighed quietly, relaxing into a renewed happiness. Ren relaxed as well, warmed and relieved that she could still enjoy the comfort of the touch, even with the sting of his command in the air. Her fingers gently moved to twine with his, and he welcomed them, attention sinking happily into his skin as their palms pressed against each other, fingers squeezing knuckles warmly. Then she surprised him by tugging him forward, pulling his attention up with it into his vision, Jaz looking up into his eyes with a bright, beautiful smile. He could hardly help the small glint of a boyish smile that tugged at his lips in reponse.

He moved on quickly, though, determined not to fall too far into what this touch exchange really was before getting to the priestess to discuss it first.

He led them down the curve in the road, and a little while after, a small village began to come into view. It started with a small cabin or two scattered just in sight of the road, and then trees thinning to give way to a few buildings gathered closer together, forming the modest market the village could boast. A smattering of villagers were out and about, some on their way to some errand or another, others mostly just milling about. Pretty much everyone took note of Ren and Jaz approaching, some looking more intrigued than others. It certainly wasn't every day that someone wandered in from the outer road, but Ren was a familiar enough face for most folks to simply go back to what they were doing, unconcerned that today would be terribly different from any other. Perhaps a few more eyes lingered on him than might have, given the stranger holding his hand.

((OOC: So tbh I didn't have much of a vision for this when I started typing this post lol, mostly just... small village in the woods. I found myself kiiiiiiind of thinking of it similarly to Trinidad? Maybe smaller in sheer number of people, but with that similar sense of scale. Like, this is more than a super rural community of 15 people who happen to live close to each other... but it's a small enough town that there's maybe like, one kinda primary "trading post" and maybe some peripheral speciality and/or hospitality shops, and someone could pretty easily explore the whole village in a single day, if that's just what they set out to do. I'm also thinking there's probably a few to several people sort of like Ren who live in like, an hour or two walk from the town and visit maybe weekly or something, so Ren's not a huge anomoly in that sense. Feel free to ask about anything else that would be helpful lol. I imagine that the temple is probably fairly centrally located, like they'll probably be walking through/past the market area to get there.))

Jaz was grateful that at least Ren returned her smile, flashing with a little bit of the happy mischievousness he'd had with the kids. Still, they moved on, and Jaz tried not to think too terribly hard about the ways his hand shifted comfortably in hers as they walked alongside each other. It did, however, make her feel like it was rather unnecessary or perhaps too difficult to speak such that she was silent for the rest of the short walk to the village.

It wasn't far, just another bend in the road, before there were a few small structures similar in design to Ren's cottage. Finally, Jaz started to recognize some similarities to her own village--these people were clearly more interested in living close to each other than Ren had been. That relieved Jaz somewhat. At least, in that regard, Ren wasn't a good stand-in for human beings as a whole. Maybe they would receive her more warmly as well.

The trees thinned then and made it possible for Jaz to see a grouping of stalls where people set out what Jaz assumed were their wares. It was difficult, seeing a dozen people milling around, many of them with sickly beige skin, but Jaz reminded herself that the light coloration was... normal for humans. Or at least, not abnormal. She did wonder, though, what caused the darker pigmentation she saw, if Ren's might turn darker with touch, but she didn't feel it right to ask.

Jaz reminded herself, though many of the market stalls had interesting smells and even sparkling adornments, that these were not gifts. These were meant for some kind of trade. These foreign trinkets and foods were exactly the things so many of the elder djinn enjoyed telling stories of. It didn't seem wise to stop and engage with them before meeting with the priestess, but Jaz hoped she would have some time to explore them afterward.

Or maybe they'll just lock me up as a dangerous creature, Jaz thought bitterly but still squeezed Ren's hand a little for reassurance. Gods, it might not be much, but holding hands was certainly helping her ability to focus and steady herself.

After they had passed through the market, they came to one of the largest, most central structures in the small village, and they had taken a few steps that direction before someone--a tall, thin man with light skin and a grayish-blond mop of hair--pushed himself off the wall and approached them.

Pulling the strand of hay from his teeth, he clocked Ren, Jaz, and their intertwined hands before saying, "Look who the cat drug in! Good to see you, Ren. And with such a novel beauty in tow. Who's this?" The man gestured to Jaz, his fingers within a half meter of one of her cheeks. Instinctively, Jaz flinched and took a half step back, her grip tightening into Ren's. She resisted the urge to check if her shoulder were giving her away.

((OOC: Kind of imagining a Jarrett-type figure here (Ren can call him that) that Ren has interacted with a couple of times. They may have been at the tavern together if there is one here. Or done some trades. Jarrett does manual labor. I'm imagining that they don't know each other very well but that Ren doesn't have a good impression of him. Feel free to ad-lib as desired with their previous interactions. Also, I'm imagining that Jaz's shoulder is still light in tone but another two minutes or so might change that.))

Jaz was quiet as they walked, and did indeed let Ren's mind alone so he could focus on the village--on the villagers paying them mind. He may be on friendly enough terms with most, but he had no idea how some of them might react to what Jaz was, if they knew. He held her hand tightly, vouching for her in some part. He hoped she wouldn't make him regret that.

His eyes checked the color of her shoulder whenever he felt he could spare a glance. Hopefully if anyone caught it, they'd understand that Ren had his eyes on Jaz, in addition to vouching for her with their clasped hands, and they'd trust him enough not to stick their noses in just yet.

Jaz squeezed his hand, and he returned the gesture. She was in his care for this strange promenade, and he would honor that. They walked through the market without incident, and Ren was hopeful as they approached the temple near the center of the village. They didn't quite make it, though, before someone finally decided they were going to stick their nose in.

A tall, thin man with light skin and a grayish-blond mop of hair pushed himself off the wall and approached them. Pulling the strand of hay from his teeth, he clocked Ren, Jaz, and their intertwined hands before saying, "Look who the cat drug in! Good to see you, Ren. And with such a novel beauty in tow. Who's this?"

The man gestured to Jaz, his fingers within a half meter of one of her cheeks. Jaz flinched and took a half step back, her grip tightening into Ren's. In the same moment, Ren took half a step in front of her, gently squeezed her hand again, and then let go, silently urging her to stop touching him for now. He didn't know how close the blue had gotten beneath her sleeve to her shoulder, and he couldn't afford to keep track of it now.

"It's okay," Ren nodded back toward Jaz briefly, "you can introduce yourself." Then, he drew his gaze quickly back to Jarrett, giving the man a slight but sharp, warning grin. "She's a bit shy," he added to Jarrett. "No touching."

((OOC: What I'm imagining is that Ren and Jarrett probably haven't had many head-to-head conflicts, but Ren's witnessed Jarrett interact in some ways toward women (or, I guess, potentially men too? idk lol) that have him totally within his rights to be taking the warning stance he's taking right now. Jarrett would probably recognize in Ren's stance/expression that Ren is essentially being territorial over Jaz right now. I'm imagining how Ren doesn't tend to stake *much* territory--there's a reason he lives like 2 hours out of town--but, when he does stake territory, he defends it pretty assertively. I'm not sure what this tangibly would have looked like, but I think that would be Jarrett's general understanding? Hoepfully that's all helpfu/interesting lol))

Jaz was relieved by the way Ren took a step between Jaz and the new man, even if he did let go of her hand in the process. She couldn't begrudge that, though the impulse to put a hand on the back of his arm was strong.

Jaz looked stonily at the new man, uncomfortable with the sudden familiarity. But Jaz was also tired of being scared and skittish. Maybe it was just her experience with the dark fae that had her shaken, but she hadn't felt fully herself since arriving in the human realm.

"It's okay," Ren said, nodding back toward Jaz, "you can introduce yourself." She threw him a mild dirty look, but he turned back around too quickly to see. Introduce herself how? Hello, I'm Jaz, a djinn. Would you like to see me turn into smoke?

"She's a bit shy," he added to Jarrett. "No touching."

Jarrett rolled his eyes, and Jaz couldn't help the slight scoff that escaped her lips. Was Ren not going to let her touch anyone?

Some part of Jaz wanted to reciprocate the man's gesture somehow, just to prove that she wasn't shy and maybe to spite Ren a little. Then again, there was probably a reason Ren was defensive--these two did know each other somehow--and Jaz didn't know the culture around touch greetings here, so she refrained.

"Oh, come now, Ren," the man said.

"I'm Jaz," she said, uncertain of anything more than her name. With more confidence in her voice, though, she took a step sideways out from behind Ren and said, "Ren's been showing me around."

"Jarrett," the tall man said. "And don't worry, Ren here won't let anything happen to you," he added with a tinge of inauthenticity. "Don't often see him take on company, though."

Jaz looked at Ren, somewhat unsurprised.

Jarrett then said, "But surely a handshake is harmless enough? It's nice to meet you, Jaz." He held out his hand to her, and Jaz stared at it, uncertain. She didn't really want to touch him--except for the part of her that thought it might goad Ren--but was rude to refuse such a gesture?

"I... uh... maybe another time." A pit fell into her stomach. She hated turning touch away, but she worried what she might sense in this man. Was it always going to be so difficult to navigate interactions with humans?

Gods, she just wanted to get to the priestess.

Jarrett shook his hand once as though to insist or goad her on, and she snapped, "I said no." It was a harsh voice, not at all shy. She was tired of standing her ground. She was tired of being lonely. And she was just plain tired from not sleeping hardly at all since her sorala had begun. She wanted company but not from someone who was going to make her feel like even less of herself. As much as something about her mind and body--soul, maybe-- demanded something new and different, she still craved familiarity.

"All right," Jarrett said, awkwardly pulling back his hand and frowning. "Maybe Ren's finally found someone as cold as he is. Best of luck on your way, then," he said flatly, looking pointedly at Ren.

Jaz's belly curdled further, and wetness stung at the edge of her vision. When had anyone ever described her as cold?

Looking briefly at Ren, Jaz took several brave steps between and past the two men, walking herself to the temple doors. She stopped there, though, unsure of how to enter.

The doors were closed, so she should knock and wait for someone to answer? Wait, no, temples were common spaces. With a look back at Ren and a nod of her head she hoped was beckoning, she went in.

((OOC: Jaz is very near to tears by the point she opens the door, if Ren can see her.))

Jaz scoffed when Ren said "No touching," and he stiffened, resisting the urge to toss her a warning glare. He would have thought it was obvious that she shouldn't touch anyone until they got to the priestess--for the safety of others, and for her own. Maybe he should have warned her more heavily about the possible ways humans might react if they did see her skin turn an unnatural color.

"Oh, come now, Ren," Jarrett said, and Ren settled for tossing his warning glare at the man. He had no particular beef with Jarrett, but of all the people who might cross exactly the wrong sorts of lines right now... Ren's eyes briefly flicked to the doors of the temple, calculating the risk if he just grabbed Jaz's hand again and rushed her inside.

"I'm Jaz." Ren pulled his gaze back to Jaz when she poke up, watching as she gained a little confidence and took a step sideways out from behind him. "Ren's been showing me around."

"Jarrett. And don't worry, Ren here won't let anything happen to you. Don't often see him take on company, though."

Ren rolled his eyes a little, but relaxed just slightly. Jarrett teasing him was annoying, but all in all harmless. So of course, the man had to go and push it.

"But surely a handshake is harmless enough? It's nice to meet you, Jaz." Jarrett held his hand out toward her, and Ren stiffened again. His weight shifted toward Jaz, the impulse surfacing to step between them again, but instead he looked at Jaz, and felt awkwardly relieved to see her hesitating.

"I... uh... maybe another time," she said. Her voice was so uncertain, so torn, it tugged at Ren's chest. He knew she wanted touch. But it was just too dangerous right now.

Jarrett kept his hand outstratched and shook it, nonverbally insisting, and Ren threw him an icy glare, lip curling in a small snarl. Jarrett was dangerously close to crossing a line, and needed to know it.

"I said no." Jaz's voice was emphatic now, harsh and crisp. Ren relaxed his snarl at Jarrett, his posture backing off subtly--almost deferring to Jaz, at least for a moment. In that moment, she had truly spoken up for herself, and didn't need his defense. He wanted to respect that, though truth told, it was all very instinctual.

"All right," Jarrett said, awkwardly pulling back his hand and frowning. "Maybe Ren's finally found someone as cold as he is. Best of luck on your way, then," he said flatly, looking pointedly at Ren. Ren just stared back with a flat, displeased expression.

Jaz surprised him by walking away first--between Ren and Jarrett, which sent a spike of fear up Ren's chest. He almost instinctively reached for her, but stopped himself at just a small twitch. He probably shouldn't touch her either, right now. He eyed the hand he'd been holding, wanting to know exactly how obvious her color was, exactly how likely Jarrett would have seen it.

Jaz stopped at the temple door, and Ren tossed Jarrett one last warning glare before following after her. She looked back at him, her eyes wet as she beckoned him with a nod. He nodded in return--he was coming--and she finally opened the temple door, and he followed her silently inside.

((OOC: And tbh I think I want to brainstorm about the temple before posting again, but didn't want to hold onto this until then.))

The temple was a fairly large building, certainly compared to many of the others around. It was circular, a small stone fire pit in the center, its smoke serenely wafting upward to the hole at the center tip of the slanted ceiling. Small cusions surrounded the fire, and more lined the back wall of the temple, in front of short tables brimming with trinkets and artwork and potions and food. There seemed to be four clusters of them, altogether taking up the back half of the temple's walls, though decorations blended nearly seamlessly from one to another. No one decoration was especially impressive or ornate, but the collaction of them all together was heartwarming. It brimmed with community and harmony, stewardship and introspection. A small handful of people sat scattered about the cushions, quiet and lost in thought, or perhaps prayer. One person sat quite near the fire, tending food that cooked over its flame.

"Ren," a warm, welcoming voice rose gently from the side. A woman with long black hair and dressed in simple but flowing cream and beige robes set a teapot down on a table near the entrance, warm steam rising from its spout. Ren regarded her with a warm nod, and she walked over to take one of his hands in both of hers in a warm greeting. He seemed on some level uncomfortable, but more along the lines of a little bit nervous than altogether displeased; he made no attempt to stop the touch from happening.

"A treat to see you twice in one week," she said with a smile, gentle playfulness in her voice. "Who's this?" She turned her gaze to Jaz with an equally welcoming smile. She gently released Ren's hand and moved closer to Jaz, her hands silently opening to Jaz as if to ask, May I?

Ren's first impulse was to interrupt the immenant contact, but he hesitated. Mostly, he glanced down to Jaz' hand to see if it was still strangely-colored, though he supposed that perhaps it wouldn't matter; this was exactly who they'd come to tell everything to, anyway, and though some glances had been tossed their way as they'd entered, the rest of the temple's occupants were content to go about their introspective business, trusting the priestess to address the newcomers this morning.

So, Ren nodded softly to Jaz, inviting her to touch the priestess--or not--and introduce herself as she wished. Though he was at the ready to add once she did,

"We were hoping to speak with you in private."

Jaz was met with several strong, strange scents as she entered the temple, and several humans looked up at her from where they sat, though many simply continued what Jaz could only assume was worship. Casually moving her hand behind her back, she walked deeper into the temple, so much darker and more peaceful than the bright bustling outside. Jaz breathed a sigh of relief, both that she felt safe here and that there were enough similarities to her own temple--incense, trinkets and gifts, comfortable areas for reflection--that she could feel at ease.

There were four distinct areas of the temple, and Jaz wondered if that meant this village had pledged itself to four different deities. Scraping together some of her memories from the elders' lessons, she thought about the human realm--a hyper-embodied world shared by all the gods. How many gods were there, even, and which four were relevant here? Running her eyes over the altars, Jaz did not see any that would represent her goddess, and Jaz could not keep her face from falling at the realization. But, she should have suspected. Ren did not seem to think well of Dehaljadrun, after all.

But, Jaz did see a number of dried plants on the altar. Did the humans, too, have an affinity for the goddess Ressen? Oh, to have ended up in Ressen's realm for her sorala. The goddess of plants and cultivation was revered only second to Dehaljadrun among Jaz' people. Or were the humans' gods and goddesses well and truly different than the ones she knew of?

"Ren," a woman's voice came gently from one side of Jaz. She had long black hair and dressed in flowing cream and beige robes. As the woman set a vessel of steam down near the entrance of the temple, Jaz immediately took a liking to her. Maybe it was just the long, flowing hair that reminded Jaz of her people, but the woman was tender with the object she held, too. She wanted to believe that this woman would be gentle with her, too.

Jaz turned to watch the woman take one of Ren's hands in both of hers, and a jolt of anxiety shot through Jaz. Would the woman do the same to Jaz? Did Jaz want her to?

"A treat to see you twice in one week," the priestess--Jaz assumed--said with a smile. Jaz looked at Ren and smiled, grateful to know that this was a place Ren frequented. She was enjoying learning more about him. "Who's this?" the priestess asked, and Jaz stiffened, instinctively bringing her hands in front of her when the priestess turned to face Jaz.

The priestess offered her hands as though to ask if Jaz would allow it, and Jaz looked at Ren briefly. He looked at Jaz's hand and then nodded softly. Jaz took a deep breath and smiled shyly, more tears springing suddenly to her eyes as she offered the hand that Ren had held only minutes before to this new woman. Her hand was splotched with beige and blue, and Jaz closed her eyes as the two of them made contact.

The djinn swirled with apology--knowing that, if the priestess picked up on any of Jaz's emotions through the touch, they would be of desperation and fear, frustration and loss. But, Jaz also tried to cultivate and gently send a sensation of profound gratitude for the safety and comfort of this place, tinged with a hope that maybe, just maybe, this woman might have some direction to offer.

Jaz was about to offer her name to this woman--that had seemed harmless enough--when Ren spoke instead.

"We were hoping to speak to you in private."

Yes, that would certainly make Jaz more comfortable. While she was fairly certain that no one else had registered the strangeness of Jaz's coloration, she didn't want to worry about what others might hear in her account of what she was and what had happened.

((OOC: up to you how much the priestess does actually feel of Jaz's emotions. I imagine that, if she had sent images, they are pretty abstract and available for interpretation.))