"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that -- are you all right now?" Juniper's sympathy is automatic, but no less sincere for that. It's her instinct to understand, to comfort, to ask after others. When Aurelia speaks of her leadership capabilities, Juniper frowns a little. "I don't think getting hurt -- or struggling personally -- necessarily makes you a poor leader. It's a lot of responsibility, and ... There's strength in knowing when to step down, too."
That last sentence comes with particular feeling. Juniper wonders almost every day if she's really the right leader for the Greatwood. She doesn't want to leave Remi leading alone -- nor, despite her embrace of outsiders, does she want to see the Greatwood led by a non-Fae alone. But sometimes Juniper thinks ... Well, if she stepped down, she wouldn't have to worry so much about the war and the way she'll inevitably be implicated in the Ascended's destruction. But she still can't help but feel that leaving to avoid the war would be cowardly.
Not that Juniper explains all of this to Aurelia right now. At Aurelia's question, she nods. "Rae represents nature and change. I thought ... If anyone might take a less, well, militant view to the current situation, it would be Rae."
As for Juniper's own religious choices ... "I've always worshiped the Mathair and the Old Gods, but I've never forged a personal connection to any of them. I've met Safrin and Ludo, but only when visiting shrines in a group."
And the knowledge that she still hasn't completed the quest Safrin gave her -- the quest that Alina had already failed in -- burdens Juniper's thoughts about that goddess. She anticipates an icy response next time she speaks to Safrin, even if she does manage to get the materials together and complete her quest.
That last sentence comes with particular feeling. Juniper wonders almost every day if she's really the right leader for the Greatwood. She doesn't want to leave Remi leading alone -- nor, despite her embrace of outsiders, does she want to see the Greatwood led by a non-Fae alone. But sometimes Juniper thinks ... Well, if she stepped down, she wouldn't have to worry so much about the war and the way she'll inevitably be implicated in the Ascended's destruction. But she still can't help but feel that leaving to avoid the war would be cowardly.
Not that Juniper explains all of this to Aurelia right now. At Aurelia's question, she nods. "Rae represents nature and change. I thought ... If anyone might take a less, well, militant view to the current situation, it would be Rae."
As for Juniper's own religious choices ... "I've always worshiped the Mathair and the Old Gods, but I've never forged a personal connection to any of them. I've met Safrin and Ludo, but only when visiting shrines in a group."
And the knowledge that she still hasn't completed the quest Safrin gave her -- the quest that Alina had already failed in -- burdens Juniper's thoughts about that goddess. She anticipates an icy response next time she speaks to Safrin, even if she does manage to get the materials together and complete her quest.
Juniper
"art nouveau winged fairy" by e³°°° is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit here
