She curls up facing away from him and tries to sleep.

She is way too miserable to sleep. Mostly about him. Like, she's also miserable about this whole nonconsensual cleric of Shelyn business, but - she has no idea what she did to upset him so badly, and she absolutely can't ask what it was, because the last time she asked him what she'd done she caused this to happen, and he probably doesn't want to be her friend at all anymore. 

Obviously he was more invested in - something, than she'd assumed. She's not sure what the something is. He's the one who said he didn't have serious intentions. Or, well, technically he said that Fazil said that, but she doesn't know why he would have repeated it if he didn't agree.

She doesn't understand what she did wrong. 

She doesn't succeed at stopping her tears, but if she bites her hand at the same time she can cry almost absolutely silently, only the barest hitch in her breathing sometimes. She thinks with a sort of sick pride that she's very good at being the thing she is, an already half-dead servant of Asmodeus who is so good at trapping all of her horrible human weakness inside herself where it can't be seen, where it can't bother anyone with its ugliness and incredible self-centeredness, even when her heart feels like it has a very large rock in the middle of it. What an obedient little Asmodean she is.

It's really a pity that he doesn't accept clerics of other deities as anything besides refuse.

She wishes they were very very very good friends, so she could ask Hagan for a hug. This is never going to happen. They're never going to be friends at all.

Eventually she sleeps.

It takes him a while to figure out how he feels. 

It's Korva who had it figured out, of course, a long time ago, when she snapped at him that Osirians seem to think being in the same room is a sex act. He'd been annoyed. Being cautious about life-ruining mistakes wasn't the same thing as being confused about what sex was. But - if you use magic to put a man and a woman alone in a room together, they'd be - distressed, exposed, they'd feel like they'd been made to lose something they'd cared about keeping - maybe Chelish people would only feel the same way if you actually forced them to kiss, but they'd feel it at some point -

- hadn't bothered him in the cave, but he'd been fully dressed, and felt in control of himself. He does not feel very in control of himself now. Not that he'd ever touch her - though, thank the gods, she never ever ever wants him to touch her, imagine how much worse this would be if she did - but. He doesn't feel right now like the sort of person who can detach himself from whatever situation he's in and not feel like he lost anything. He feels very very stuck, right here, with her, and with the mysterious forces that put them both here -

He wants to be alone. He wants to be away from her. He wants to have control over whether he interacts with her until he stops feeling things about her.

In the morning she'll do a Sending and they'll go home and he'll get himself together and everything will be okay. 

Eventually he is calm enough to stare at the stars and try to guess where they might be. None of them are familiar.

She wakes up at dawn, with the sun. She's confused about where she is. She remembers. She succeeds at not crying about it again, although it takes her a moment to be sure that she won't.

"Anything else you want me to prepare, besides the Sending?"

" - guess we should plan for if Elizabeth can't immediately get us back. So, Create Food And Water? Maybe Admonishing Ray, for nonlethal damage. Sense Alignment."

Nod.

"I'm gonna - go over there and commune. Or whatever."

And she heads off a ways into the forest.

Well, he will - also prepare spells.

She sits down with her back against a tree.

Okay. Communing. How does she commune. 

     Traditionally one meditates on the virtues that one hopes to embody as a representative of their deity. I understand that the circumstances of your elevation to cleric status are unusual, but I believe that you already embody your goddess's primary priorities. You are full of love, for people and for beauty and for art. I would have accepted many bearers to reunite me with my other half, but you are particularly worthy. It must have been the goddess's will that it be you.

She just wants Sending. And the other spells Hagan said. And probably others but it's not really very important.

     I can help you prepare spells! But you must open yourself to my power, which can only be granted for the sake of increasing love and beauty in the world. I don't think it will be hard for you. You love very easily.

This is kind of the most ridiculous thing she has ever heard.

     You love Hagan. And your sister, and your niece, and Valentine, and Cecelia. You wish that you were strong enough to take better care of them. You wish that they would not have to come to harm, or be in pain. I will grant you the protection domain, because you wish for the power it offers, and the luck domain, because I think you might need it. Would you like me to explain your powers? Perhaps this will annoy you less than speaking of your feelings.

Sure.

So the pendant explains her domain powers to her, and helps her prepare spells, and only annoys her a little.

She heads back to Hagan an hour later.

"Have a message wording?"

"Oh, right. Uh. 'Hagan and I in unknown location with dangerous locals and quest from Shelyn, situation precarious, please get us or if impossible send help'?"

She sends it.

She waits.

"Pendant says we should have received a response by now if we were going to. There's a five percent loss chance across planes, it's possible that's all."

"Amazi-" Sigh. 

"Did you get Create Food And Water?"

"Yeah."

Here's some food and water. Way more than they can eat themselves, actually.

"I'd say we could take it to a temple and they could get it where it's needed but, uh, not sure we should venture back to civilization."

"Pendant says the festivals only last one night, by now it should be over. And in addition to the normal cleric powers I get tongues at will, so we can talk."

     I don't think there are any temples left, though.

"It doesn't think they have any temples."

"Well. Okay.

We should probably not camp out in the woods with no supplies if it's safe to interact with civilization. I guess."

     I didn't say it was safe. I expect it to be safer than hiding in the woods. But everyone here is a member of the Body, and if they learn that you are not, you will be in great danger. The Lawgivers will come to absorb you into the Body, and you will be under the same control as everyone else. I think this will make it very difficult to complete your quest. I do think you should go back to buy things today, since many people will have lost their clothes in the festival, which will make it much less strange that you need new ones.

(She relays this.)

"What the hell is the Body - do you want me to just touch the artifact so it can talk to us directly, I won't touch you -"

"Yeah, fine."

She holds the pendant up a little away from herself. She can't move it very far, the chain's too small.

He presses the tip of his finger to it. "Uh, what's the Body?"

The Body is the entity that almost everyone on this planet is a part of. They are connected to Landru. Usually the control is indirect; members experience contentment and tranquility, and obey all laws. Eventually the control is relaxed - people too old for the festival are capable of exercising more judgement in their affairs, although they have of course spent their entire lives under the control of Landru. Occasionally, however, Landru summons the Body for a particular purpose, and takes direct control of all its parts. If it is discovered that you are not of the Body, he will summon it against you, and you will find that everyone you meet is now part of the attempt to catch you. They will trap you and take you to the Absorption Chambers. 

Unfortunately, despite the dangers, you must interact with society to deliver me to the Great Hall of Landru. I think that you must pretend to be members of the Body. It shouldn't be very hard, if you know the rules; they are not a suspicious people.

" - you catch all that?" he asks Korva.

"Yeah."

"What are the rules?"

Obviously there are the laws. Do not steal, do not cheat people, and do not break into locked rooms. Do not harm anyone, or cause property damage, or touch anyone not a spouse or a family member, except during festival. Young people are required to attend the festival when it occurs, so people will probably assume you were farmers or travelers who arrived in town specifically for the festival. Then there are the mannerisms. You ought to wear the same clothes as everyone else, and walk around very calmly, and look pleased at most things, and when you meet someone you should put your hand to your chest and say 'joy to you, friend', or 'peace and tranquility'. And of course you must not conspire against Landru in public, or seem confused about him, or everyone will know you are not of the Body. Perhaps Korva ought to do most of your talking; I can very easily feed her lines if she gets stuck.

I think you had better pretend to be married. Everyone your age is married. It's the law, and I shouldn't like to see either of you actually married off to someone you didn't know or love.

"Sounds...hellish."

"I was gonna say."