Written Wonderland

((OOC: We changed "naan" to "flatbread" to be a little less specific.))

Elk nodded as though chewing on her response. Maybe Jaz was being obtuse, but she didn't really have more to say just yet about the city she had come from. She had left it for a reason, after all. She wanted to start fresh.

“When you’re not cooking or doing chores for Gwen, what do you like to do for fun and merriment, Jaz?”

Jaz couldn't help the giggle that escaped her at that.

"Well..." Jaz said, trying not to say the first thing that had come to mind. "We have a lot of festivals here, and I do enjoy foraging and exploring the forest most days. But, mostly, I pride myself on my ability to keep others company." She smirked a little at that, wondering if the innuendo would come through.

Either way, they had just about come to the Guest House, and by the smell of it, Gwen had just finished making her own meal. Perhaps they would have other guests to entertain.

((OOC: I figure, maybe one more post from Elk and then we can set the scene for inside the Guest House. If you want any other of your characters there, maybe as short-term or long-term guests of the tell, feel free to include them!))

“When you’re not cooking or doing chores for Gwen, what do you like to do for fun and merriment, Jaz?”

Jaz giggled as though she couldn’t help herself, which caused Elk to smile reflexively.

"Well..." Jaz said with a slight pause "We have a lot of festivals here, and I do enjoy foraging and exploring the forest most days. But, mostly, I pride myself on my ability to keep others company." Jaz smirked, perhaps suggesting that she preferred more intimate settings. Elk blushed, and their tattoos flushed orange for a moment, before being slightly hidden in the glow of the approaching warmth lights of the Guest House.

They didn’t fight the redness on their face, and stumbled on their words at first, chuckling to themselves. “after foraging and exploring forest, one would invite a warm bed & company, I imagine.” They stretched, and their limbs made a faint noise of groaning tree branches…”this body is quite stiff & I am yet unaccustomed to its mobility. I’d welcome just about anything that would loosen these muscles up.” Elk finished, their tone somewhere between flirtatious and bemused.


((OOC: fixed flatbread and I like that flow.))

Jaz turned to look at Elk, wondering for a moment if she had really just been so forward with this otherworldly being. Had their tattoos flared orange just then?

But then both of them were in the warmth of the lantern light at the edge of the Guest House, and Jaz couldn't quite tell. Still, wasn't it possible? Their tattoos had been quite reactive since they met.

Because of me?, Jaz thought. She was smirking again.

But then Elk started stretching, lifting their arms into the air until they grasped onto each other, one pulling the other. Jaz heard creaking--almost like tree branches in the wind--and her spine felt caressed, the sensation deep into her bones. The sudden relief made Jaz exhale a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in.

”This body is quite stiff & I am yet unaccustomed to its mobility. I’d welcome just about anything that would loosen these muscles up,” Elk said. Jaz's smirk deepened, and she looked away from Elk briefly, slightly bashful but trying not to show it.

"Well," Jaz said, a hand on her hip now, "you'll have to meet Gwen first."

--

Gwen had spent the day in the garden. She wore a hat that she had woven out of reeds herself, down by the river. She treasured it--worn out as it was now after six years of use.

She was growing accustomed to this style of life, this place. These people. Even now as she harvested beans and wrapped herbs for drying, she was smiling thinking about all the people she had come to know. But then, of course, the person who wasn't among them. Not anymore, at least.

Gwen stopped what she was doing in the garden, setting her basket down. She put a hand to her chest, trying not to sob.

Ah, yes. Here it was. The next dreaming.

Somehow, Gwen had hoped there wouldn't be another one. But, that was foolish of her. Anyone could call a dreaming. The tell would have dreamed together eventually.

Still...

That they were going to dream as a means to answer a dream, though--that certain sounded more holy to Gwen. The right response to the problem this time.

Not so with the judgment, Gwen thought bitterly.

That was all it took. And Gwen was back there again.

"Just tell me," Gwen had said. "Please. Will you at least tell me why you won't say what happened?"

"No," Hector said.

"Then I have nothing here for you," Gwen said.

The look in his brown-gold eyes.

Gwen looked to one side. She had started burying one hand into the ground alongside her. Back to the garden. She took a deep breath.

Several more hours went by uneventfully. She traded some of her crops for help with more of the harvesting, and Gwen was genuinely happy, despite the hole in her heart.

No new guests had requested rooms, but that wasn't unusual this soon after a caravan. Gwen cleaned off the counter and began to cook.

She lost herself in the chopping and preparation, enjoying the long, slow process of stoking the coals properly.

It wasn't until the soup was made that she heard someone come in.

A family from up the road. Five of them, all different ages. They were smiling.

Gwen nodded at them and scooped soup into bowls, setting it out for them. She then came back with bread as they settled in.

In the back, Gwen smiled to herself. She wouldn't need to eat alone tonight.

And yet, she couldn't quite go join in with the family sitting there. She was a little too tender for that. Will they be attending the dreaming? Gwen wondered. Should I? She wasn't prepared to answer that question.

It had been only six moons since Hector left, and yet Gwen had a strong feeling that she would never see Hector again.

Finally, she scooped a bowl of soup for herself and grabbed a hunk of bread, sitting at a table nearby to the family. They seemed rather absorbed in their own conversation, but they smiled gratefully in her direction.

Gwen tilted her head, and the grandmother nudged the youngest of the group. Iosef, Gwen remembered. Just turned eight. They gulped for a minute, looking over at Gwen shyly. At last, they came over to Gwen and held out one hand.

"I found this is a cave, and I wanted to do something special with my family." Gwen brought her hand to her chest again, looking into the kid's palm. It genuinely looked like he had found a small ruby." Gwen nearly started crying. This kid was going to be all right.

Maybe what my child might have been like?

Gwen's other hand flew to her belly for a moment, and she flinched. Awkwardly, she realized that Iosef was still waiting. She did her best to recover.

"You are an extraordinary gift to your family," Gwen said, loud enough so they could all hear it. She nodded at Iosef, and he scurried back to the table, giggling slightly.

Gwen finished her meal and took her bowl back to start cleaning up. One of the men in the group, Jan, came to help Gwen with the dishes. She nodded gratefully at him, recovering herself slowly.

Soon enough, they had come and gone. Gwen put the rest of her soup out on the side window with some bowls so passerby could have the rest before it went to waste.

The door then opened again, revealing Jaz and a robed fellow with thick tattoos, orange and golden in the light. They were red and blushing and--strangely familiar. Gwen narrowed her eyes for a moment but then quickly dropped her gaze and smiled, nodding in toward the tables and turning around.

"You hungry?" She asked with her back still turned. Another one so soon? Gwen thought, bemused.

"We ate already," Jaz said, smiling reassuringly at the robed figure. "Elk is looking for a room."

Gwen turned around and raised an eyebrow, looking at Jaz. Not quite that friendly yet, then, huh? Or maybe Jaz was playing a game of some kind. Gwen shook her head playfully. She looked over at where she had put Iosef's tiny ruby and then back at Elk.

"You're in luck. We have three to choose from right now." After a short pause, Gwen added, "Pleasure to meet you, Elk." And still, she could not shake off a strange sensation of familiarity.

Jaz turned to Elk with a curious look on her eye. Had she noticed the tattoos & how they change when I blush? they thought a bit sheepishly - they felt like they couldn’t quite hide that part of themselves around her, and where that happens, one tends to be a bit…shy.

This awareness of an emotion that felt rather novel to them arose, and they cherished it for a moment, taking it in. Had this body come with new sensations attached?? They wondered, idly, recognizing a peculiarity in what was shaping up to be a novel experience in so many ways.

That this was translating to their tattoos flaring intermittently was strange and uncertain. Elk expected that this would get them into trouble at some point if they didn’t get this under wraps, and yet there was a part of themselves that didn’t want to be that closed off….

As they contemplated this within themselves, they complained of their aches and stretched, creaking like treeflesh.

“This body is quite stiff & I am yet unaccustomed to its mobility. I’d welcome just about anything that would loosen these muscles up,” & Jaz let out a sigh, exhaling a breath as though she’d felt their actions. Their energy brightened under the surface of their skin, and feeling her relax a touch at their side made Elk smile. They caught what looked to be a smirk and what almost looked like a blush, bringing a tinge of warmth to Elk’s face.

After a moment, Jaz responded “well, you’ll have to meet Gwen first.” and Elk, still smiling, murmured a soft agreement before replaying.

“You and the other members of this tell have offered high praise about her, and I look forward to it.”

They didn’t quite realize what the evening held in store for them.

Eventually, they reached the door, which Jaz opened for the both of them - warmth spilled out of the space, and Elk looked in to see a young woman standing within.

Perhaps this is Gwen? they thought to themselves, which Jaz was soon confirmed by her response.

"You hungry?" She asked with her back still turned to the both of them. "We ate already," Jaz said, smiling at Elk. “Elk is looking for a room.”

This new person, presumably Gwen, turned around and looked at the pair of them, raising an eyebrow.

"You're in luck. We have three to choose from right now." She said, before pausing briefly. "Pleasure to meet you, Elk."

“Likewise, friend. You must be Gwen? I’ve heard so much about you. You mentions three rooms?” they said cheerfully in response, both curious about the lodging and hoping to learn more about Jaz and Gwen both.

Gwen had an interesting energy about her, to Elk, and they felt a kind of tug at or from her.

After pausing for a moment, they added. “I’d be more than happy to earn my keep. If you have use of some healing poiltices, for instance, I have the means to make them.”


((OOC, I like the wind up. Also, love that I’m continuing Toffee’s legacy of posting from the Lyft))

“Likewise, friend. You must be Gwen? I’ve heard so much about you. You mention three rooms?” Gwen nodded, quickly determining which of the three to visit first.

“I’d be more than happy to earn my keep," Elk added. "If you have use of some healing poultices, for instance, I have the means to make them.”

Wiping her hands off with a towel, she said, "Those are always useful." She didn't feel concerned about gifts just now. The guests had more than provided for her needs this year. Still, it was a kindness she wasn't about to turn down.

Jaz smiled at her with a glint of mischief that made Gwen cock her head to one side. Jaz winked at her. Gwen shook her head with a smile.

"Well, one of the cabins are free. They're out back if you'd like to see one and get settled in for the night. We all take care of our own places here--don't expect cleaning duty from me." Gwen liked being matter of fact. It saved time and hardship. Those were lessons Gwen learned early on, doing this.

Gwen gestured her head toward the back door and starting walking there. By now, dark had more fully fallen, and Gwen grabbed an extra torch and lit it from the glowing coals of the hearth. When they were outside, a light rain had begun to fall, but Gwen didn't hesitate. She walked through the winding paths of the garden and stopped by a log structure. "This is the bathhouse. The rule is, at least three people need the opportunity to use it if you're going to fire it up," Gwen looked pointedly at Elk, allowing herself to pay just a little more attention to their tattoos. She didn't want to stare, but she had never seen tattoos move like that and craved a closer look. Still, she held her curiosity in stride, moving on past the bathhouse.

At the edge of the forest, set back among the trees, was a small one-room house with a wool-stuffed bed and a stove of its own. It was the roomiest cabin she had and the only one used through much of the cold season. Somehow, Jaz had talked her into building this little place back here only this year, even though Jaz still almost always insisted sleeping in the main house herself. Still, it presented the opportunity for solitude and peace, and perhaps Jaz thought this newcomer needed that. Gwen trusted Jaz's judgment. Then again, maybe it was just the size of the bed that appealed to her. Gwen half-smiled again, turning around to face her guests once all three of them were in the room. It was cozy, but they could fit comfortably. Jaz immediately sat down in the chair that Gwen had crafted, simple but sturdy. Gwen smiled--she was proud of that chair, and Jaz looked damned good in it.

Holding her torch gently outside the door, Gwen said, "I have two smaller rooms inside, but I had the feeling you might like this one." She raised her eyebrow, wondering if Elk would accept it. In the meantime, Jaz winked again, this time at Elk.

This new person to whom Elk had just been introduced, presumably Gwen, nodded in response to their question about a room as Elk offered poultices or another means of earning their keep.

She wiped her hands off with a towel and responded “Those are always useful.", but said no more on the subject. Jaz smiled and winked at her, and Gwen cocked her head to one side before shaking it with a smile. Elk was unaware of the meaning behind what seemed to be quiet communication between the two of them.

"Well, one of the cabins are free. They're out back if you'd like to see one and get settled in for the night. We all take care of our own places here--don't expect cleaning duty from me." She gestured her head towards the back door, and both Jaz and Elk followed.

It was past mid dark, and the evening sky joined them as they went outside. Gwen grabbed an extra torch and lit it over the hearth, just as a light rain began to fall. None of them really seemed to mind, particularly not Elk - they rather liked the rain.

Gwen, Elk and Jaz continued walking through the winding path of the garden and stopped by a log structure. "This is the bathhouse. The rule is, at least three people need the opportunity to use it if you're going to fire it up," Gwen said pointedly, looking at Elk in such a way that inspired them to think that she was studying them, perhaps investigating their tattoos, and trying to better understand the strangeness with which they walked.

Elk nodded an agreement in response and said “I will keep that in mind, thank you. A bath sounds heavenly, and I enjoy that you are so conscious of everyone’s collective involvement in this ritual.”

As they moved on past the bathhouse, they headed to the rear of the space, nearish the trees. In this space, they found a lone cabin with a wool-stuffed bed and a stove of its own. It looked to be the perfect place to ride out the winter in comfort.

Jaz seemed to have her own agreement with this narrative and thought, and she sat down a top beautifully carved chair. Elk couldn’t quite tell whether they were more impressed with the carving or the person atop it, so they let their eyes study her body language and face for a moment, blushing slightly.

“I have two smaller rooms inside, but I had the feeling you might like this one." Gwen said, and Jaz winked over at Elk. Elk responded gratefully. “I would be honored to stay here, thank you. This is a beautiful space and it feels to be well tended. I’ll be sure to clean up after myself.”

Looking to Gwen and then to Jaz, Elk asked “is there any assistance I can offer this evening? There’s been talk of a group dreaming ritual, which I imagine would be challenging to prepare for.”

Then, they had a thought that caused them to blush around the ears, creating a slight flare in their tattooed landscape across their skin. Glowing orange again, they said “if not, that bathhouse is calling my name…. though I suppose I could simply let this drizzle refresh me instead.” They smiled, taking a seat upon the wool-stuffed mattress, testing it’s comfort with their hands and happily sighing with gratitude. This time, their energy turned, yellow and white, and they became aware of just how peculiar they might look with the soft glow emanating from within.

It had been such a time since they had experienced anything quite like this, and it felt luxuriant. Elk could see why Gwen was so well respected, and from this they could infer why Jaz liked so much to stay with her.

Setting up slightly, they looked back to Gwen and Jaz, visibly glowing with a smile that seemed to illuminate them further.

As Gwen suspected they would, Elk said, “I would be honored to stay here, thank you. This is a beautiful space and it feels to be well tended. I’ll be sure to clean up after myself.”

But then they looked from her to Jaz, saying, “Is there any assistance I can offer this evening? There’s been talk of a group dreaming ritual, which I imagine would be challenging to prepare for.”

At the mention of the dreaming, Gwen's neutral expression fell considerably, and she looked at the packed earthen ground of the small cabin, completely caught by surprise and not handling it well.

Before she could think of something to say, Elk added, "If not, that bathhouse is calling my name… though I suppose I could simply let this drizzle refresh me instead." Gwen tried to smile and managed to crook one side of her lips.

"You're welcome to the bathhouse. Leave the candles lit when you're done, and I'll come use it later." She decided not to answer their earlier question--she didn't know how. Maybe she would try again in the morning. Putting the torch in the metal holder outside the door, Gwen turned to walk out of the cabin.

"Rest well. I'll have some tea and breakfast in the morning if you want some." And with that, she took her leave, winding her way through the dark alone with ease in her body but not in her mind.

--

Jaz shook her head as Gwen left. She understood why Gwen was being sensitive about the dreaming, but... Gods, she could be moody sometimes. She looked over to Elk, seated as they were on the stuffed mattress. "She'll come around," Jaz said. She looked down at the ground, wondering if she should provide Elk with some more context.

"Gwen... had a history with the person we condemned during the last dreaming. He... left her without a word, only a dead stranger on the doorstep. She didn't have any idea what had happened before he came back years later to confess--none of us did. But he refused to tell her anything when he came back." Jaz decided to leave out the part about taking Gwen's previous lover into her own bed that night. It wasn't really a necessary part of the tale.

"Gwen had been with child when he left, but the child... didn't make it to term," Jaz said sadly, still unable to meet Elk's gaze. Finally, she looked over to them, hoping she had done right by Gwen in telling Elk. She hoped it would help Elk understand her quick departure. "She's had a difficult time recovering from it all."

Jaz sat quietly for a moment, listening to the rain as it drizzled down onto the trees, and from the leaves to the roof. She would happily take a bath with Elk, but she didn't want to be presumptuous or hasty given what she had just offered them of Gwen's story.

At the mention of the dreaming, a darkness fell over Gwen’s face & Elk immediately suspected they’d asked a question that was substantially more terse for her. Rather than prodding at this particular sore spot, they moved on “If not, that bathhouse is calling my name… though I suppose I could simply let this drizzle refresh me instead."

Gwen managed what looked to be a crooked smile to the woodland sorcerer, responding “You're welcome to the bathhouse. Leave the candles lit when you're done, and I'll come use it later." Elk nodded in response and she moved to the door, putting the torch in the holder just outside. “Rest well. I'll have some tea and breakfast in the morning if you want some." And she trailed into the darkness, Elk’s quiet thanks following her out the door.

Returning their attention to Jaz, she shook her head almost quizzically - Elk had the impression that she knew more to the story, but they didn’t wish to pry. Jaz looked to them, saying “She’ll come around.”, and Elk shot her a look of curiosity & hopeful agreement.

She looked to the ground, before speaking further. “Gwen... had a history with the person we condemned during the last dreaming. He... left her without a word, only a dead stranger on the doorstep. She didn't have any idea what had happened before he came back years later to confess--none of us did. But he refused to tell her anything when he came back.Gwen had been with child when he left, but the child... didn't make it to term," Jaz said, still looking to the floor with a heaviness draping across her words. After a long moment, she looked over to them, adding sadly, still unable to meet Elk's gaze. Finally, she looked over to them with a hopeful look in her eye. “She's had a difficult time recovering from it all."

Elk nodded with a look of empathy and offered care, recognizing a portion of the grief of an expectant mother’s loss. For that to be weighted with the loss of this lover, who had disappeared only to later return with a confession without context felt to them like a deeply-wounding thing, and they experienced a tightness and a sadness in their chest. As they did, their tattoos hummed slightly, inaudible and along a wavelength more felt than heard. A deep blue, pulsing slightly as though waves of emotion were precipitating changes in color just out of view.

A somber look hung on Elk’s face, their hands now clasped loosely in front of them as they sat on the bed. After contemplating this information, they nodded gratitude to Jaz, responding “Thank you for that added bit of context Jaz. I can imagine why she’d have a hard time with circumstances such as those. She has my earnest empathy & care…perhaps while I’m here, I can do some to help her?” They sighed wistfully, recognizing how difficult some wounds of the heart were to heal. This was something they knew well, and while they were often incapable of soothing the entity of their own hurt, they did know many magicks for the healing of a circumstance-battered heart.

The question was vaguely rhetorical at this point, and so after lingering a few respectful moments, they continued. “I suppose we shall see what will arise at this next dreaming. Perhaps a hint towards her healing of comfort will arise…” Realizing that they each needed to be well-rested and cared for to greet this ritual, they brightened somewhat, their mind turning to the bathhouse.

This time, their question was anything but rhetorical. “Would you like to bathe with me, Jaz?” A flare of orange shot up their tattoos, themselves feeling exposed at the asking of this question, yet choosing bravery in the moment. This time they recognized that Jaz might come to see some of the patterns beneath their skin, and this thought made Elk smile reflexively.

As much as they wished to help Gwen with her hurts, the sorcerer was ready for a bath, for company, and for the chance to learn more about the connection between themselves, Jaz and the magick that hummed betwixt and around them, resounding out into the night in silent waves.

Elk nodded, taking in everything Jaz had said. Their tattoos moved, and if Jaz trusted her own senses, she thought they hummed in the stillness. Playfully, she wondered if they also vibrated to the touch, but she managed to prevent an inappropriate smile from gracing her face just in time.

It was probably for the best, as Elk's face had fallen significantly, and Jaz worried that they were taking Gwen's departure hard. Finally, they responded. “Thank you for that added bit of context Jaz. I can imagine why she’d have a hard time with circumstances such as those. She has my earnest empathy & care…perhaps while I’m here, I can do some to help her?”

Jaz tilted her head, unsure what kind of help Elk meant to offer. She didn't think she could help them with that, and she was grateful when they moved forward without an answer.

“I suppose we shall see what will arise at this next dreaming. Perhaps a hint towards her healing of comfort will arise…” It wasn't out of the question, Jaz supposed, but she did think it was unlikely. Could Gwen's state have anything to do with the dreams the people of the vows all shared? Jaz thought of Sage, awake during what was already a difficult vigil, suddenly overcome by a waking dream of devastation. She shivered.

Soon, though, Elk's expression grew hopeful, shy even. "Would you like to bathe with me, Jaz?" Their tattoos immediately burst into a bright orange. Jaz couldn't help the light laugh that bubbled out of her.

"I thought you'd never ask," Jaz said, standing from her chair and gesturing back out toward the bathhouse, grabbing Gwen's abandoned torch as she went.

It was a short walk back to the bathhouse, but the rain had certainly picked up, so Jaz hurried through the garden paths more quickly than she had before. By the time they arrived, she was quite wet. She swung open the door to the bathhouse and giggled, reaching to light the nearest candles with her torch as she did so. Once they were both inside, Jaz made quick work of lighting the fire connected to the wooden tub, pulling in the nearby prepared kindling and adding some larger logs. The water would be hot soon, but it would take some time. Jaz picked up a couple clean cloths from a shelf and handed one to Elk. She set her own on one of the two benches in the somewhat cramped, dark space and began to take her clothes off. Better to be out of her wet things and near the fire now.

She set her clothes up to dry on some hooks to one side of the bathhouse and smirked in Elk's direction. Then, she bent close to the fire, which was catching quickly and already warming the space that doubled as a sauna. Though the stove had an outlet in the roof, there was also a flap they could open at the top to let some of the heat out if needed. Not yet, though. Not until the water was hot. Jaz traced the plumbing of the tub with her eyes, still impressed with Gwen's ingenuity. The bathhouse was built on a slight hill so that she could water the garden from the tub when it needed cleaning. Gwen wasted nothing if she could help it.

Jaz tossed a look to Elk from where she crouched by the stove, curious about what they thought of her and what else they were thinking. Or perhaps she was just admiring the glow of their body in the candlelight.

“Thank you for that added bit of context Jaz. I can imagine why she’d have a hard time with circumstances such as those. She has my earnest empathy & care…perhaps while I’m here, I can do some to help her?” Elk said quietly, contemplating how they might help Gwen. They felt for her, and while they might not have understood entirely the personal context of loss as substantial of what she’d gone through, this being knew, on some level, what it was to be defined by loss.

Jaz tilted her head slightly at the question, giving Elk the impression that she didn’t quite know what to say to what was largely a rhetorical question in the moment.

“I suppose we shall see what will arise at this next dreaming. Perhaps a hint towards her healing and comfort will arise…” they continued, and Jaz shivered as though overcome with some degree of discomfort and fear. Elk noticed this, and it reminded them of some of their own uncertainties around this dreaming…a thing they would confront soon enough, circumstances being what they were.

Nevertheless, Elk’s expression became more hopeful, if a bit shy, as they changed the topic to something happier, and perhaps more mutually enjoyable than speaking on old grief.

“Would you like to bathe with me, Jaz?" They asked, quiet and curious of the answer. Elk’s tattoos flashed orange, and they were gratified to hear a trickle of light laughter out of her. Something about the question coupled with the change of their tattoos seemed to delight her, by which the strangely-returned sorcerer was comforted.

“I thought you’d never ask” Jaz replied, standing from her seat and beckoning to Elk. Jaz led the way out of the room, grabbing the torch Gwen had left behind, and both began to make their brief towards the bathhouse.

It wasn’t a long walk, and yet the rain had picked up. In the glistening dark, Elk’s visage seemed almost otherworldly as flashes of torchlight and moonglow illuminated their face. Traveling through the rain unbothered, they followed quietly, eager for respite and company for the evening.

By the time they arrived, both Jaz and Elk were soaked, and she swung the door to the bathhouse open, swiftly using the torch to light the nearest candles as she let out a giggle. Jaz quickly lit the fire attached to the wooden tub, preparing the water by adding kindling and logs to the flame. Elk watched her work and appreciated her capacity - competence had long been a thing which excited them to see upon others, and witnessing Jaz moving fluidly around the space gave them the impression that she’d become quite familiar.

The space was dark and a bit cramped, and yet there was something warming and comforting about it. Jaz reached for a pair of clean towels, keeping one for herself and handing the other to Elk, who murmured thanks whilst being somewhat mesmerized in the fire light. Jaz began to undress from her wet clothes, and Elk let out a low gasp, taken by Jaz’s beauty as she set her wet clothes to dry on hooks to the side of the room.

Trying not to stare and failing slightly, Elk turned their attention to disrobing & began to strip layers away, their tattoos glowing as they did so. This energy within themselves began to illuminate the room faintly at first, and then more brightly as the layers of cloth confining their shape were peeled away, gently set upon hooks to dry.

As they revealed more of their torso, Elk couldn’t help but feel as though they were being laid bare. They hadn’t disrobed in front of another in this body yet, and there was a degree of nakedness beyond their increasingly revealed nudity - this left them feeling slightly exposed in a way they enjoyed.

Their face was young, and yet their body was asynchronous, somehow. Some of the scars on their chest had survived the transformation, both from the original host and from Elk’s journeys upon the world, and their broad shoulders were hunched slightly at first. They stretch their back slightly, standing up straighter and unclenching their shoulders, and their body made noises like wet plant matter twisting slightly in the wind.

Upon their chest were two designs, one placed to the left, one to the right. Upon their left breast was a sigil comprised of three interlocking triangles, each with their apex pointed upwards. Upon the right was a tattoo with a single vertical post, a small circle adorning top and bottom - from the topmost point of the symbol, a sweeping a arc formed, sloping down to intersect with the vertical bar before the line swung back and forth, creating a mesmerizing pattern terminating in a gently sloped spiral focused on the single vertical post.

These each felt like they had more and less life to them than some of the other pieces of ink. They were less reactive to the shining impulse, and yet hummed with an energy all their own.

These two were significant to Elk, perhaps in a particular kind of way that was beyond the ink upon their arms - a story could be told for either, for both. Both story arcs were seared into their memory, where so many other details left their mind hanging in the wind.

Elk could feel themselves being pulled into the wake of these memories, however, and drew themselves back to the present moment. They’d removed the rest of their clothing while reflecting, and returned their mind to find themselves nude, laid bare, their mental landscape hazy having just escaped potent remembered reflections of self.

The heat of the room was comforting, and they spotted Jaz crouched beside the stove, her curves illuminated by firelight. Her visage caused them to blush and a stirring of arousal between their legs caught their attention as Elk took this image to heart. Jaz looked back to them, perhaps to gauge their interest, and their tattoos flashed pink, only serving to arouse them further. Elk studied Jaz’s features against this source of warmth and light, drinking the shape of her silhouette against the furnace.

Even in the quiet darkness of the room illuminated by the candles and stove, they were all but certain Jaz would notice. This pleased them and rendered them somewhat shy in an instant. Something about her energy moved and called to them, and they found themselves present, attentive, and briefly unable to speak.

In lieu of speech, they chose to hum a soothing tune, and walked towards the wooden bathtub to check the temperature of the water. It was warming to the touch, though not quite enough to enter, and so they smiled at Jaz, trying to find their words as their tattoos gently responded to their hum, rising in color and countenance and falling in tune and time with the rhythm. A blessing placed upon the water through murmured, wordless song. A melody for the ageless, and a call to the dark.

Their tattoos continued to glow softly as the young-faced one hummed each note, this time vacillating between pink and red tones. Elk’s capacity for speech returned as they savored the energy of the bath and the blushing tension they felt in response to Jaz’s shape and presence. They found themselves wondering about her, while notably endowed with certain attentiveness in the moment.

“Is this to your liking, Jaz?” They murmured curiously, gesturing to both the water and to themselves, by tone and body language. A smile rose on their face, and their tattoos flushed pink and purple in response. Elk felt exposed, and yet the thought was exciting to them, in part for carnal reasons, and yet with a distinct helping of distinct curiosity in who she was, and where she came from. She stood out, and they felt a stirring desire to know why.


(OOC: I took some license adding a blessing to the water, as it felt like a way to help with the restoration of the body and of the mind after a long day - if there’s desire for that to change, please let me know and we will edit and reframe.)