"Thank you," Juniper says. With a gentle smile, she adds, "I hope you will find something that speaks to you as well." As for her actual experiences as a diplomat -- Juniper nods. "It was quite challenging at first. I had always been a loner -- not exactly by choice -- and to reach out to others ... It scared me. At first it was almost easier to reach out to outsiders than to my fellow Fae." Juniper gives a self-deprecating little laugh. "And, of course, facing the Ascended themselves was terrifying." She's particularly thinking of Wessex, of venturing into the Wraith's home with no assurance that she would even come back. But Wessex turned out to be less of a monster than Juniper had believed. "Every time I did something that I hadn't thought I could ever do, it encouraged me to try the next thing that I'd thought to be impossible. And then the next thing."
Juniper nods; though she's ready to let the subject of Aurelia's past drop, she has one last thing to add, one last drop of wisdom -- one last platitude, someone uncharitable might say, but Juniper believes it. "All any of us can do is try."
Another nod, as a slightly bitter expression crosses Juniper's face. "I had plans. I was working towards peace ... It was going to be a hard road, of course, with no guarantees, but it would have been better than ... And then the Oracle spoke, and all of that went down the drain. Ever since, I've ... struggled."
Juniper nods; though she's ready to let the subject of Aurelia's past drop, she has one last thing to add, one last drop of wisdom -- one last platitude, someone uncharitable might say, but Juniper believes it. "All any of us can do is try."
Another nod, as a slightly bitter expression crosses Juniper's face. "I had plans. I was working towards peace ... It was going to be a hard road, of course, with no guarantees, but it would have been better than ... And then the Oracle spoke, and all of that went down the drain. Ever since, I've ... struggled."
Juniper
"art nouveau winged fairy" by e³°°° is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit here
