Written Wonderland

Jaz wore a funny face while she looked at Elk; they noticed, and figured this was because Toffee had made them laugh through the power of a positive shared memory.

Their tattoos remained green in color, glowing slightly with subtle ripples below the surface. The light faint, yet perceptible against the dimming night sky.

Toffee asked “shall we retire for the night”, and Jaz nodded her agreement. “come along, then. It’s not far.” Her excitement began to return, and Elk sensed similar response stir within themselves. A part of them felt relief that she had returned, though there was a bit of pending anxiety likewise brewing within them. After all, something had caused her to teleport alongside them earlier….this sorcerer wanted to understand this while simultaneously intuiting a tenderness opening within themselves in response to her presence.

They turned to follow Jaz, and asked, with an inviting gesture, “mind showing me the way?”

((OOC: happy to start the conversation. Elk is feeling bashful, but that shouldn’t stop us.))

Jaz led the way out of the temple, casually glancing at some of the robed people in the rooms she passed. Could she ever be happy here? There was a sense of purpose they all seemed to have, and yet... Jaz wasn't sure she could feel anything more than trapped here, still waiting. Waiting for what, Jaz didn't know. It felt like she had been waiting for a long time.

When they were out of the temple, Jaz turned to make sure Elk was still following and smiled, turning back around quickly. Jaz wondered what Gwen would think about her bringing another guest back so soon. It wasn't as though it hadn't happened before, and besides, Gwen always got something out of it, one way or another. That reminded her--she owed Gwen some time in the garden. Maybe tomorrow before the dreaming.

Did Toffee and Tigre tell Elk about the dreaming? Jaz didn't know and decided not to mention it. It wasn't relevant. Yet.

By way of making small talk, Jaz said over her shoulder, "Gwen can sometimes be a bit standoffish at first, but she's a load of fun once you get her going. Very laid back." Jaz pressed her lips together, wondering if that was actually true. Gwen had been quite somber after the last dreaming, try as Jaz might to cheer her up. She wasn't known for turning people away, though, regardless.

Jaz led Elk through the temple as Toffee & Tigre stayed behind. As they walked, she had a pensive, slightly peculiar expression on her face as Jaz’s head looked around. Elk sensed a kind of lingering anxiety in her, but wasn’t particularly sure what it was about. Jaz had this habit of looking at road figures and taking in the sites, and yet earlier she’d had a different energy to her.

Peculiar. They thought to themselves. I wonder what’s changed? This is a very different energy from what she carried within earlier….

And yet, despite their questions, they followed her as they each made their way outside. When they reached the outdoors, she turned around to see if the peculiar sorcerer was still following & as expected, they were.

Elk moved quietly, yet uncautiously. The longer they operated this new frame, the more comfortable it became and this one seemed to do particularly well on meals of vegetable matter.

As they walked, Jaz spoke over her shoulder “Gwen can sometimes be a bit standoffish at first, but she's a load of fun once you get her going. Very laid back." She quieted herself rather quickly, almost as if a touch uncertain, and Elk lengthened their stride to catch up to her in a couple of paces.

“In fairness, it’s likely not every day that she meets someone with shapeshifting tattoos and skin that periodically glows. I suspect I rather stand out.” They said with a laugh. Turning to Jax as the pair walked, they asked “How long have you been in this tell? It sounds as though you’ve been staying with Gwen for a while.”

“In fairness, it’s likely not every day that she meets someone with shapeshifting tattoos and skin that periodically glows. I suspect I rather stand out,” Elk said, laughing as they caught up with her to walk alongside. Jaz looked at Elk with a smirk, a warmth filling her low belly. Their laugh was pleasant. Jaz almost whispered a prayer to the gods that Gwen would be similarly affected but stopped just shy, laughing internally at herself. Maybe being someone of the vows would not be as difficult as she thought.

“How long have you been in this tell? It sounds as though you’ve been staying with Gwen for a while.”

Jaz laughed, mostly as a way to buy time before she responded. "It's nearly been a year. Longer than most of Gwen's guests, to be sure. But she needs me." Jaz wondered how many more times she was going to say that, about Gwen needing her. But, in many ways, it was true. Jaz had brought almost half of the guests that came through, whether they stayed in Jaz's room or not. Gwen wasn't exactly one to advertise. The innkeeper cared more about the gardens and the food than the guests, it seemed. Always peculiar to Jaz.

The few villagers who still remained out on the main path looked at Elk and Jaz with quizzical expressions, but Jaz just smiled and waved to them, trying to convey that everything was all right, even despite the sinking feeling in her stomach that it was probably very much not in some deep way she did not yet understand.

Elk’s laugh hung low in the air, a bit throaty and jovial. Jaz looked at them with a smirk on her face. As Elk asked their question, Jaz seem to be contemplating something to herself in response.

“How long have you been in this tell? It sounds as though you’ve been staying with Gwen for a while.” She laughed, taking a brief pause before responding, “It's nearly been a year. Longer than most of Gwen's guests, to be sure. But she needs me." Elk smiled back at her, answering “you must be a good guest. I hope I will likewise be able to help her & show my gratitude, should she accept. Maybe we’ll find time to chat further while we do our chores.”, warm and reasonably cheerfully for being in a new place.

They noticed a handful of villagers looking strangely at them - Jaz waved at them, as if to sooth some nerves, and Elk smiled, understanding that their glowing arms were probably not helping matters.

Elk stilled their spirit and let it slow, slightly, becoming more gentle and observant, calming the glow of their arms slightly to a dull buzz, faint enough to cause passerby to blink confusedly, assuming they’d seen nothing.

Turning to Jaz again as they walked, they asked “tell me, what’s your favorite dish of Gwen’s? Our meal at the temple was delicious, and I’m starting to realize how much I’ve missed a hearth. I’m not sure how long it’s been, but it’s been a while.”

((OOC: not that I have the munchies or anything))

"You must be a good guest. I hope I will likewise be able to help her and show my gratitude, should she accept. Maybe we’ll find time to chat further while we do our chores." Jaz didn't know who Elk was talking about, but she nodded, all possible meanings being amenable.

When Jaz looked over at Elk, they seemed a little more subdued, pulling their glow more inward, and Jaz felt her heart sink a little bit. She ached for Elk to feel comfortable here. But, of course someone like Elk was going to draw attention. They were beautiful. Radiant. Fascinating. Jaz stood a little straighter after thinking that, walking beside them, smiling.

Elk asked, “Tell me, what’s your favorite dish of Gwen’s? Our meal at the temple was delicious, and I’m starting to realize how much I’ve missed a hearth. I’m not sure how long it’s been, but it’s been a while.”

They want to talk about food now? Jaz thought. But she laughed and genuinely thought about it.

She ached for the meals of her home village first. Jaz had been meaning to teach some to Satyr and hadn't quite gotten around to it. But beyond that...

"There's a ginger curry dish that Gwen makes sometimes," Jaz said, her mouth watering slightly at the thought of it. Jaz then looked down at the ground ahead of her and smiled slightly, thinking of fond memories. "And sometimes we bake fruit together on the fire." The thought of it warmed her low belly, and Jaz shivered pleasantly, feeling the urge to grasp one of Elk's hands. At the last moment, she refrained, wondering if that would already be too familiar.

As Jaz and Elk walked, they found themselves inching closer to Gwen’s and Elk found themselves appreciative of the conversation. Jaz seemed to bring out quiet ease & distinct bit of nervousness in equal measure, and they quite enjoyed this.

Jaz seemed to be enjoying herself too, standing slightly straighter and nodded in response to their query.

"There's a ginger curry dish that Gwen makes sometimes," Jaz said, almost hungrily - she looked down at the ground and smiled slightly, bringing a smile to Elk’s "And sometimes we bake fruit together on the fire." She seemed to shiver slightly, and they felt inclined to offer warmth if that would be desired.

“A ginger curry, you say? The idea of a warming spice sounds alluring - particularly in combination with fruit baked over a fire.” They said, quietly. ”I’m not sure when last I’ve had either of those dishes, yet my mouth waters at the thought.”

They let the thought linger in the air for a moment before asking “are there any dishes you favor most from your homeland?

…”mostly, I gather herbs and berries along the path, and sometimes I fish - it feels like it’s rare for me to share meals with others, and I find myself inspired and curious.” Elk said, smiling softly as they walked. They found themselves desiring closeness, and yet being uncertain of the etiquette & local custom for navigating such an interaction.

((OOC: are we calling Gwen both Satyr and Gwen here? If so, is there a preference for which one I use?))

Edit: corrected names.

((OOC: Nope! Oops, Jaz got it wrong. It is fixed now. Thanks for the catch.))

“Are there any dishes you favor most from your homeland?" Jaz swallowed hard at the question. Not many people asked her about where she had come from. She had an urge to dodge the question.

Elk continued, ”Mostly, I gather herbs and berries along the path, and sometimes I fish--it feels like it’s rare for me to share meals with others, and I find myself inspired and curious.”

Good-naturedly, catching her slight and hopefully imperceptible falter, Jaz joked, "Gwen will have to put your culinary skills to work."

She let stand a small moment of silence, thinking. "Fenugreek flatbread, I think," she finally said quietly.

Thankfully, they were getting close to the guest house. It wouldn't be long now. Perhaps they wouldn't spend too much time on thoughts of her past. She was ready to put all that behind her.

((OOC: Option for Elk to interject; otherwise, I can continue.))

Elk’s question hung in the air for a moment, leaving them with a brief sense that perhaps they had asked a difficult question.

Jaz took a moment to chew on it, perhaps deliberating on what her favorite food was during a moment of silence. “Fenugreek flatbread”, she replied. Elk wasn’t sure if they’d had that specific dish before or not, but they nodded at the consideration and filed that away as something to try at a later date.

Curiously, though, Elk also recognized that this had been one of the longer pauses Jaz had taken in answering them, and they decided to switch topics to something more focused on the tell.

“When you’re not cooking or doing chores for Gwen, what do you like to do for fun and merriment, Jaz?” they asked a little sheepishly. Fun hadn’t really been an experience they’d been allowed to have, to date, and so they found themselves curious while simultaneously hoping to find reasons to spend more time with her as they approached Gwen’s unofficial inn.

((OOC: good choice. We love naan))
Edited to flatbread.