JUNIPER
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
All right, so ... this wasn't going to be an easy conversation. Not that Juniper had expected it to be, but she still felt her stomach sink in disappointment at Alina's hostile stance. Nephele had described the three of them as allies, working together to protect and promote the Fae, but Alina clearly didn't share that opinion. For a moment Juniper wished she could have spoken to Nephele instead ...but it's the easiest thing to do
"I'm concerned. Nephele asked me to help our people reach out to outsiders." Maybe knowing that fact would get Alina to open up a little more -- Juniper had assumed that Nephele had told Alina of her intended role, but perhaps it hadn't come up. "I would like to propose that we work with the other lands' leaders to bring the Ascended to justice, but outsiders will not see unbridled violence against Ascended who haven't personally harmed us as justice."
Juniper paused, thinking. If Alina hadn't known about the incident, then Juniper couldn't ask who had done it -- but Alina seemed to disapprove of Juniper's questions more than she condemned the murder. Her attitude didn't exactly shock Juniper; few Fae would mourn an Ascended, whether they were personally involved in the attack on the Mathair or not. But "not mourning" and "actively murdering" were quite different things ... weren't they?
"I suppose I also want to know how you plan to deal with the Ascended moving forward." Juniper took a deep breath. "I stand with you, Alina, and with our people. If we intend to go to war with the Ascended ... then I will take up arms. But I have to know what we're going to do. And, in the moment before that war begins, I do think there may be better options."
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
