{open} know thine enemy

JUNIPER

you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do

Juniper thought about that for a second. Some Fae would have recoiled at the idea of the Voice invading the Old Gods' sanctuary, and Juniper herself had no love for the "New Gods," not when the Voice had ordered her goddess's murder. But she doubted the Ascended would give up their goddess, so if there was to be peace, the pantheon would have to coexist at some point. Maybe Azrael's Temple was an example for all of them to follow.

Still, she didn't reply verbally, moving on to look at Azrael's sketches. "Oh, wow. You've really put a lot of thought and work into this. And these are very well done. If I lived in the Hollowed Grounds, you would have my support."

This was a future she wanted to see -- building and rebuilding, not war and destruction. So she lingered a bit over Azrael's designs, almost wishing she could promote them somehow, but that was not her role. That was an internal issue for the Grounders, and unless they asked for help -- unlikely in the current political climate -- they probably wouldn't want a Fae poking her nose in to say what they should do. Even if they did ask, the Fae as a people would probably refuse; in their minds, the Grounders and their Queen still owed them for the whole Mathair thing.

And then it was time for the sticky question. Juniper had hoped Azrael wouldn't ask so directly, but she couldn't lie, of course; nor did she want to avoid the question. They had to find out someday, and it might help if they heard the story from a Fae, instead of whatever sanitized version the Ascended might feed them. Though Juniper would try to break the news gently. "Two years ago, a party of Ascended entered the Greatwood and burned down the Mathair. They ... also killed a number of the Fae who sought to defend her. Ever since, our goddess has remained silent to our prayers."

if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.

table by Skylark