JUNIPER
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper didn't know what to think of Nephele's words -- she was no soldier, so Eriadne's name was as foreign to her as Nephele's own, though she could recall hearing vague gossip of them both. New leadership? Unlike her grandfather -- and perhaps because she sought to distance herself from him -- Juniper had never followed Fae politics very closely. She knew of the turmoil of recent years, of course, but what had happened to Delah?but it's the easiest thing to do
The easiest way to answer that question, of course, would be to let Nephele in and ask. Such concerns were best discussed in private, not shouted through a door. And Nephele had made clear that she wasn't here to play some mean trick on Juniper or insult her, though Juniper didn't imagine letting her in would be entirely without danger.
But she opened the door. "Come in."
She stepped back to let Nephele into the room. Juniper's home was simple, small -- one main room served as living space and kitchen, with a tiny bedroom in the back. But it was cozy and woodsy; now, in DeepFrost, Juniper had warm blankets piled on her couch. She picked up another blanket from a chair that sat diagonally to the couch and gestured Nephele to it. "Feel free to sit down."
Juniper knew she wasn't giving the other Fae the warmest reception, but, well -- she didn't entertain often. Besides, in the back of her mind rested the knowledge that she might still come to regret even letting Nephele in. Even so, she was considering whether to offer Nephele some tea when the woman's appearance really registered: the black rags she wore, the bracelets around her wrists, the intense look in her eyes. The sight instantly turned Juniper serious -- and a bit more wary even than she had already been. She decided to leave tea unmade, and to wait until Nephele sat down to do so herself.
Time to ask her questions, then. "A new cabinet of leadership? What of Delah -- does she support this?"
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
