far from my forest home

Stormbreak didn't see many tourists, did it? Yet that was the best description of Juniper now: here to see the sights, gauge the culture, and maybe make a few inquiries about the Order. She'd made similar excursions to the other regions of Caido, but those had been different -- much easier to reach, thanks to the Ascended's portals, and less intimidating. A city like Haulani was hard enough for Juniper to accept, after spending all her life in the sparsely-populated Greatwood; but Stormbreak? All imposing stone and soaring cathedral? It baffled her, made her feel even smaller than she usually did in a world not made for Fae.

She'd managed to find her way to the plaza, though, and here among the market she felt a little more at ease, a little more assured that people were still people, even here, thanks to the place's lively mercantile and civic energy. Now she sat lightly at the rim of a fountain, resting her feet and wings after a day of travel and trying to figure out which of the several visible inns she should visit to spend the night.

Juniper

"art nouveau winged fairy" by e³°°° is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit here

Oh, empty my heart

She was finally back home. After many long weeks lost in the Wilds, with all that brought of guilt, anxiety, fear and self-dependence, it was a relief to feel the sturdy weight of Stormbreak around her again. Deliciously tanned and freckled after long days in the Torchline sun, Seren made her way up from the skyport and into the market district. Her mission for the remainder of the day was simple. Find food to quiet the roaring of her stomach - and sate the voracious appetite of the young dragon that flew ahead of her - and then return to the Nest. She missed her room and the training fields and the safety of being exactly where she was supposed to be, and couldn't wait to get back.

As the girl and her dragon passed by the plaza, a shimmer of colors caught Umbra's attention. Flapping clumsily with oversized wings, the hatchling turned towards the fountain. Another pair of wings had been spotted, and he issued a deep croon in greeting, apparently thinking they should belong to another dragon. Seren followed suit - suddenly understanding the troubles with being attached to a willful creature - but any awkwardness she might have felt was gone as soon as she saw who it was her companion had approached.

"Are you a fae?" she blurted, all smiles and innocent curiosity.

I've got to make room for this feeling

SEREN

Juniper turned at the sound of the dragon making his way towards her, her eyebrows shooting up. She had never seen a dragon before -- certainly not an adult, and not even a hatchling like Umbra. Smiling at the creature, she almost spoke to him before realizing that he was not alone; Seren's question precluded anything Juniper might have said.

"I am," Juniper said, returning Seren's smile. She was glad that someone had come up and talked to her, since getting to know the locals was part of her mission. "My name is Juniper. I serve as my people's ambassador, so I'm here exploring."

More detail than Seren had asked for, perhaps, but the young woman seemed curious. And Juniper had some curiosity of her own to satisfy: gesturing at Umbra, she said, "I'd heard there were dragons in Stormbreak, but I didn't expect to meet one so soon!"

Juniper

"art nouveau winged fairy" by e³°°° is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit here

Oh, empty my heart

Seren was curious, and had absolutely no objections to the detailed introduction. It was efficient, and to the point, and quite appreciated. "Oh, good, I was right. Welcome to Stormbreak, ambassador," she replied warmly. "I'm Seren Taliesin, Dragoon-in-training. And that's Umbra." She grinned at her companion and watched him circle once over Juniper's head, before dropping down to land on the rim of the fountain beside her. Dark blue scales shimmered like rippling water in the sunlight, and the pale silver eyes were aglow with curiosity as he reached out a nose to snuffle along the woman's wings.

"Most dragons are housed in the Nest," she explained, "with the Dragoons. We just came home from Torchline, and haven't settled him in yet. I suspect he's going to follow me around anyway, even after he gets his own space." The idea of leaving the young hatchling alone for extended periods of time was unpleasant. Seren would much rather go through the trouble of keeping him out of trouble than be alone again.

I've got to make room for this feeling

SEREN

"It's good to meet you, Seren," Juniper said, smiling. The name Taliesin tickled something at the back of her mind, though. Where had she heard that name before? Oh, right: "You don't happen to be related to Remi Taliesin, do you?"

Juniper held her wings still as the dragon examined them, still smiling. She enjoyed -- and returned -- the hatchling's curiosity, and his stillness allowed her to examine him as well, watching the way the light played over his scales and eyes.

"What a beautiful creature," she said aloud, realizing the compliment probably wouldn't go amiss. Turning back to Seren, she added, "He must be very attached to you, then. How did you two meet?"

Juniper

"art nouveau winged fairy" by e³°°° is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit here

Oh, empty my heart

Tucking her hands behind the back, as her laight summer dress lacked the deep pockets of uniform trousers she had started to become used to, the young woman shook her head lightly. "Mh, not quite. He is family, though. Married to my father, and he's the father of my brother. You know Remi, then? Is he why you are here in Stormbreak?" Her curiosity was easy to read, the smiling face an open book for any who cared to look.

Umbra inspected the fae's fragile wings with careful attention that required a lot of snuffling and huffing. The over-sized wings dragged over stone and dipped into the water of the fountain as he angled himself this way and that. As the young dragon twisted, paler blue scales around the joints of his body - armpits, jaw, throat and all other soft folds - became visible, and made it appear as though he was softly glowing.

Seren laughed quietly as she watched his antics, ready to dive in and lift him away if he seemed about to do something dangerous. "His egg came flying out of a geyser, when I visited Torchline. It broke when it landed, and I just couldn't leave him there all alone." Stepping closer, she eased herself down on the stones next to Juniper. "Is it your first time seeing a dragon?"

I've got to make room for this feeling

SEREN

"Ah, I see. Yes, I know him -- he's been helping with the defenses in the Greatwood." Some Fae might have resented Remi's authority, the way that the demigod had shown up in the Greatwood and just assumed they would listen to him. Juniper didn't, though. As far as she was concerned, they could use all the help they could get. "He's not why I'm here, though. I was just curious about this place."

Enjoying the dragon's attention, Juniper fluttered her wings a little, curious to see how he would react to the movement. It occurred to her too late to hope he wouldn't pounce -- Fae wings were rather delicate, after all.

"What a lucky encounter -- for both of you. The gods must have guided you to meet him." Juniper remained ignorant of Seren's divine heritage for the moment -- though perhaps she ought to have guessed at it, knowing that Seren's father and stepfather were demigods. It certainly wasn't a stretch to assume that Seren knew the gods' favor. "Yes, I've never seen one before."

Juniper

"art nouveau winged fairy" by e³°°° is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit here

Oh, empty my heart

"Mh, I did have some help," Seren admitted, and thought of her mother's quest. Belatedly, she wondered if she should have revealed her family name to this person. She had promised her father to be more careful around strangers. But Juniper was in Stormbreak, and she knew Remi... so it should be fine, right? She didn't have to say anything more.

Quite predictably, the twitching motion of the wings piqued the dragon's attention. Umbra sat back on his haunches and batting playfully at the appendages with soft paws, the claws tucked away as much as he was able. Seren knew he meant no harm, but it looked risky all the same. "Umbra, come say hi properly," she urged, and held out her hands towards him. Only reluctantly did he comply, and there was many a longing look thrown over a shimmering shoulder as he plunged down into the basin of the fountain, splashed over to Seren and leaped out again into her lap. Soaked, dripping, splashing water over both the women in gleeful lack of concern.

"Rogue!" his companion laughed as she leaned back, trying to shield herself from the flying droplets. As she looked up again, though, it was Juniper she addressed. "Well, do you have a guide to show you around? I was going to find lunch before going home... would you like to come?" They might not be able to hit all the places in a day, but Seren would not mind the company. Not in the slightest.

I've got to make room for this feeling

SEREN

Juniper nodded with a smile, accepting the idea that a god had taken a stronger hand in Seren's finding Umbra than she might expect. She still didn't realize that Seren was a demigod, but receiving personal guidance from a god -- at least, from one of the heralds -- was hardly unheard of in the Greatwood.

As Umbra raised his paw, Juniper took a quick step away from the fountain -- she, too, thought it was bad idea to let the dragon bat at her wings, even if she'd potentially started the interaction. She couldn't be sure that his claws would remain sheathed, after all. Turning, she laughed as Umbra splashed over to Seren, following Seren's lead. "Oh, he may be a scoundrel, but how can you scold such a face?"

Then Juniper answered Seren's question: "I have no guide, and I would be glad to accompany you."

Juniper

"art nouveau winged fairy" by e³°°° is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit here

Oh, empty my heart

Seren laughed and scooped the dripping dragon up into her arms as she stood. "Oh, believe me, I can scold all I want. He won't listen unless he wants to... and he knows perfectly well how cute he is." There was an offended huff from the hatchling, but the wide eyed look of innocense Umbra turned on her only made the girl laugh more.

"Great! Company!" Seren did a happy little twirl on the spot, pleased with the notion of someone to share her time with. This day was just getting better. "Do you have any preferences when it comes to food? I will eat anything, but I have to admit I don't know that much about your people. You do eat meat, right?" With Umbra clutched to her chest like an oversized teddy-bear, the young demigod indicated a direction and began to lead the way to a street she knew where restaurants and taverns competed for the patronage of the citizens. As it was the middle of a sunny day, the milling throng of people increased steadily, and Seren made a point of sticking close to her new friend so they could keep up the conversation.

I've got to make room for this feeling

SEREN

Juniper, too, laughed at the look on Umbra's face, and at Seren's words. What a cute little dragon -- she scarcely would have believed that he could grow up to be such a menacing creature as Juniper understood adult dragons to be. Or maybe he'd stay small, since he was bonded to Seren? Otherwise managing his eventual size might be difficult. "Well, you can hardly expect him to have such an advantage and not use it."

At the sight of Seren's delight, Juniper's smile widened. She liked the young woman already, with her lively air and charismatic enthusiasm. It made Juniper want to match her manner -- and it was flattering, to find someone so excited about her company.

"Yes, we eat meat," Juniper said, following Seren. "As for what I'd prefer ... Well, since I'm here to experience Stormbreak, is there a cuisine the city is particularly known for?"

Juniper

"art nouveau winged fairy" by e³°°° is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit here

Oh, empty my heart

"Hmm, good question." Seren looked between the restaurants, and tried to find a red thread between the food they served. "I suppose... that if Halo's food is practical and filling, and Torchline has pleasure food, then the cuisine of Stormbreak is all about style. It is going to look good, and taste good, and be very well presented. A lot of fish, though not as much as you would find in Haulani, and... you know what? I'll let you judge for yourself."

Since it did not particularly matter, Seren picked a place at random and waltzed over to plop herself down in a chair, and waved for Juniper to join her. Most had seats outdoors, which was preferable since she had Umbra. It did not take long before a waiter showed up with menus and drink requests, and when they disappeared again, Seren leaned her elbows against the table and propped her chin against the braided fingers.

"So, what do you think of Stormbreak so far?" she asked. "Does it live up to the gossip?" Judging by the glitter in her eyes, the girl wouldn't mind hearing about the gossip either.

I've got to make room for this feeling

SEREN

Juniper followed Seren to the restaurant, taking her seat. She was intrigued by the description of Stormbreak's cuisine. "That sounds lovely. We don't eat that much fish in the Greatwood -- some, from the river, but mostly meat, fruits, some vegetables."

The Greatwood's food reflected its source for an earthy, woodland aesthetic, lacking many of the staples that the Hollowed Grounds' farms might provide. The Fae drank berry wine and ate fine meats, nuts, fruits from their orchards.

As for Seren's question: Juniper considered a moment. The truth was, she'd come here to find out about the Order, and she'd learned nothing of them so far. Perhaps Seren would know something, but Juniper wasn't sure she wanted to come out and ask directly. Instead she said, "The gossip I've heard mostly speaks of Stormbreak's secrecy, of how strange and distant it is. I haven't found it that strange, though it is magnificent. But I must ask -- is it true that there are no Abandoned in the city?"

Juniper

"art nouveau winged fairy" by e³°°° is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit here

Oh, empty my heart

Picking up a glass of water, Seren sipped and nodded. It didn't take much to interest her, and the Greatwood was in many ways a mystery to her. "That sounds lovely. I've always wanted to visit your home some day. Maybe I should ask Remi to bring me along..." Deep forests and hidden villages sounded like an excellent adventure. Umbra too seemed intrigued; he popped his chin up onto the table and watched Juniper with keen eyes as she spoke.

"Yes, it's true. Unfortunately. There are wards in place that protect against magic, so neither Abandoned or Ascended can enter the city. If they try..." She grimaced, indicating it would not be fun. "The Voice is very much a villain in the eyes of people here, and anything that can be associated with her is shunned. But that's true for the Greatwood too, right? After the Mathair..." Trailing off, her silence was a question and an offer for Juniper to elaborate if she wished.

I've got to make room for this feeling

SEREN