far from my forest home

Juniper smiled. "You would be welcome in the Greatwood." Though perhaps not in Sidhe Village -- the Fae were still rather defensive of the heart of their homeland. "If you ever do come, I've built an embassy in the Sea of Branches -- it would be a good place to start your visit."

At Seren's description of the exclusion of Abandoned, Juniper's face turned a little troubled. Excluding the Ascended made sense; she had no problem with Stormbreak's desire to keep the Voice's followers away. But the Abandoned ...

"Yes, Ascended are unwelcome in the Greatwood. My people as a whole despise them for their attack on the Mathair. But we have no particular issue with the Abandoned." No particular issue, by which Juniper meant "no greater issue than with other outsiders." Plenty of Fae still desired isolation, especially after all the trouble outsiders had brought over the last few years. "After all, plenty of us do magic ourselves."

Juniper

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Oh, empty my heart

"That sounds very interesting! I will be sure to stop by, when I get a chance to travel there." As for the Abandoned, the fae's expression mimicked Seren's own feelings on the subject. Juniper's comment made the starchild lean forward over the table, enthusiasm conveyed in gesturing hands and a gleam of intensity in the blue of her eyes.

"Perhaps the fae might make some overtures to the abandoned, then?" she suggested eagerly. "It worries me that there are so few places where they might feel welcome and useful, with a proper chance to prove that the crimes of the Voice do not speak for all of them. I know Halo is trying to stay neutral in the conflict to come, and many are flocking there, but perhaps that does not have to be their only haven." As the winged woman said, the Fae were not abandoned for possessing magic. If any could guide mages to use their gifts without offending the gods, it would be the people of the Greatwood.

A waitor came to deliver the food, and Seren paused the discussion to admire the elegance presented on the plates. It looked more like works of art than a meal to be devoured, and she was quite keen to see what Juniper's reaction would be. Umbra too was given a good sized bone to gnaw on, and the contented crunching from beneath the table would punctuate any quiet moments from now on.

I've got to make room for this feeling

SEREN

Juniper considered Seren's words with interest. She had never given the Abandoned much thought, really -- never thought of reaching out to them as a distinct group, rather than as inhabitants of the regions in which they lived. But Seren certainly had a point. As little as Juniper wished to think ill of her gods, she didn't agree with their distaste for the Abandoned. Juniper refused to judge even the Ascended for the actions of a few, and the Ascended had chosen their allegiance to the Voice. The Abandoned could not help being born with magic, and thus should not suffer for it. "I'd never thought of that, but you make a good point. My people are still wary of any outsiders, but as we grow more open, it might be a good idea to show the Abandoned that their magic is not a mark of shame in the Greatwood."

So Halo was trying to stay neutral ... Juniper truly did wish them luck, as she would rather not see people drawn into war -- but Morgan had promised to defend the Greatwood if it were attacked. If she kept that promise, then Halo could stay out of the fight only in two cases: if the Greatwood stayed neutral itself, or if the Fae attacked first. Juniper would love for the former to be the case, and intended to fight like hell against the latter.

The food arrived to interrupt Juniper's musings, and she turned to it with wide eyes. "Oh, wow."

She had never seen food arranged in such an artistic way. They had good food in the Greatwood, of course, but they usually focused more on the food's quality than its appearance. If the food here tasted half as good as it looked, Juniper would be quite satisfied -- but as she picked up her utensils, she hesitated.

"I'm not sure where to start," she admitted with a chuckle. "It looks too pretty to eat."

Juniper

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Oh, empty my heart

"Oh, just dig in!" Seren had no such compunctions as that. She demolished her artistically arranged meal with a savagery that would have made the chef laugh and weep to see, and hummed with pleasure as she began stuffing her mouth.

Happy with being home, happy with the company, happy to finally sate her hunger and content with the way Juniper took to her suggestion, she let silence reign for a moment. Surely the Fae would find the courage to dig in eventually - Seren's satisfied twirl of her cutlery was a sign that the food was edible, at the very least - and in all honesty, she couldn't think of something more to say.

The ball was, so to speak, in Juniper's court.

I've got to make room for this feeling

SEREN

Juniper didn't need much encouragement; with a smile, she started on her food. She paused only once, to look up and add, "It's delicious!" Not that she was surprised -- she had guessed as much from the food's appearance. But she still wanted to express it.

Though they focused on eating, Juniper and Seren exchanged a few more pleasantries, a few comments about the food itself -- but nothing more of note. Then they finished their meals and stood to go. Juniper bade Seren -- and Umbra -- a pleasant farewell before heading out into Stormbreak again to explore further. She still had to visit the region's famous temple, after all, and see how outsiders worshiped beyond the Hollowed Grounds.

And she still had no idea who Seren's mother was.

- FIN

Juniper

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