JUNIPER
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper nodded, smiling. "That would give me some peace of mind. And, of course, I'll keep an eye on things if you have to travel again."but it's the easiest thing to do
She wasn't sure which of them would ultimately be more suited to finding the Mathair -- probably best that both of them try, two heads being better than one and all that. Juniper did regret, a little, that they probably wouldn't go on that adventure together, but it did make sense for one of them to remain in the Greatwood and look after their people. If only Alina ... Well. No use wishing now.
Another nod, a bit grimmer. "I had hoped that a trial might stave off a war -- mitigate one reason for our conflict. But, as I said, I'm no longer sure it would serve that function. I agree that hte Mathair and our defenses must take priority. Alina had a quest from Safrin, actually, that would help with that -- I think it was to prevent Ascended from using the portal into the Greatwood. But when she went to turn in the quest, Safrin rejected her attempt. I'm not sure why."
Juniper put her hand over Nephele's, squeezing in an attempt to comfort the other Fae. ]"I know. And -- it's not so much eternal life that bothers me as the Voice's stranglehold on their souls."
After all, Fae lived longer than any Ascended had yet survived -- and Ascended could always end their own lives if they found their immortality wearing, though the idea was grim. They could not, however, escape the Voice in death.
"I know." Juniper closed her eyes, feeling her own deep sorrow for the Ascended's fate. Whatever Sam might say about seeking peace, surely he and every other Ascended would defend the Voice if he had to -- for his own self-preservation. He'd already told her that he'd tried to break with the Voice and come back as he starved for fluid. "I don't suppose providing such fluid without the Voice is any more feasible than changing them back. If we could stop her from creating more Ascended, reclaim the souls of those who currently exist -- would it be so horrible, then, to let those so inexorably tied to her live out the rest of their existence with her in peace? Eventually they would die off, through accident and ennui, and we could then be rid of the Voice."
A fraught suggestion, surely; Juniper spoke without really considering how Nephele -- let alone the other Fae -- would react to such an idea, as she'd only just conceived of it herself. She doubted the Ascended would love the proposal either: to live such a fruitless half-life, knowing that everyone around them simply awaited their deaths. But it might be preferable to total extinction.
As Nephele spoke again, Juniper opened her eyes, frowning a little. She wasn't sure what Nephele meant -- but she had an inkling, and she didn't like it. "I will seek to follow my conscience, whatever happens. It is all I can do. But as for your burdens ..."
Juniper thought deeply about what Nephele had said: about Ludo's wishes, about the lack of options around the Ascended, about what decisions Juniper herself could live with -- and what decisions Nephele might have to make. "I fear we both will face hard choices before this conflict ends."
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
