sigh and say magic

Samuel

It twisted at his heart that they had their irreconcilable differences, because Juniper seemed kind and considerate, the kind of person he could get along with well if it weren't for who they were; she offered comfort after the story about his parents and he smiled, nodded, appreciated it but felt a pang of guilt too, to know that he'd hurt someone this gentle.

"I know those people are out there. I don't know how to even begin to talk to them. I appreciate that you are at least willing to see me." He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and looked out into the trees, lacing his fingers together; there really wasn't much else to say. Something awful had happened, there were many more such events coming up and neither of them had the power to stop any of it. "I can't give you advice - I've struggled to do the same with people on my own side."

It seemed they'd come to an end of productive conversation. "...I wish we could have more satisfying answers. But...All I can say is that if you want me for your trial, I'll be there. And...I hope we don't go to war, and that one day we can meet again under better circumstances." After all, Ascended were ageless and Fae lived for hundreds of years; it was very possible they could have this meeting again in two, three centuries.

Part of being alive is wishing that you weren't sometimes

as your brain forces you to breathe

Base Code by Sky!

JUNIPER

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

"Some people will never come around. But I will do what I can to reach those who can be convinced, at least on my side -- I suspect they will be more willing to listen to me than to you. Although ..." Juniper bit her lip, trying to decide whether the idea that had just struck her was a good one. "A public apology, a public acknowledgment of wrongdoing, might help. Just for the Ascended -- an Ascended -- to admit that they -- you -- committed a crime, even if there's not much to be done about it now, might soothe tempers. Or it might inflame them further. I'm honestly not sure."

She smiled, sincerely, and her words were -- of course, being Fae -- true: "Thank you for speaking to me. We may ... have our differences, but I believe we can work together for peace despite our history. And I'll let you know if the trial idea moves forward."

As for meeting in better circumstances ... That would be nice, but it might also require Juniper to forgive Sam, and she wasn't sure she could do that, however many decades and centuries passed. But they did have a long time ahead of them to deal with that -- assuming they didn't go to war and wipe each other out.

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

table by Skylark

Samuel

Sam nodded along with what Juniper said, still finding her to be intelligent and eloquent; if only they could be on the same side. "...I'd have to work on it for a while to find exactly the right words. I have a habit of saying things and them not coming out how I mean them." Quite often, he'd written letters or made speeches with one intention and had people leave with an entirely different idea of what he'd meant.

"You're welcome. I...hope this will lead to something better for all of us." Hope, hope, hope; all they had was hope and he was beginning to feel like that wasn't enough when put against the apparent certainty of the war coming up amongst them. Neither he or Juniper had the power to change anything about it though, so all they could do was talk and hope.

Leaving the woods and walking back home, Sam had his head down and hands in his pockets, trying to think of anything he could have said better. As if one phrase different could somehow heal the rift between the Ascended and the Fae, as if the responsibility was on his shoulders.

He didn't have any more answers when he reached his front door than he had when he'd left.

{FIN}

Part of being alive is wishing that you weren't sometimes

as your brain forces you to breathe

Base Code by Sky!