even mountains rise and fall

Leafchange: a time of transition. The weather got colder, the days got shorter, and the Greatwood, like Halo, began stocking up on provisions for Deepfrost. Last Deepfrost, a fair share of those provisions had gone to Halo, the Fae's hunters and gatherers working overtime to help provide for two regions, in exchange for Halo's goods -- and the promise of Halo's protection if war came.

Now war was coming, handed down by the gods, and yet Halo's status remained uncertain. Would its new leaders keep Morgan's promise, after ousting her? Juniper didn't know the exact details of Morgan's departure from Halo, but she knew that the transfer of power hadn't been planned -- or voluntary.

Morgan had hoped to remain neutral in the war to come. Back then, so had Juniper. But now she feared that neutrality was out the window, and if war had to come ... Juniper intended to win.

So now she stood before the Council Hall's door as the guard who had escorted her from the palace gates knocked on it.

Juniper

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The knock at the door felt unusual, and for a moment Noah just sat at his desk, staring through the open door. Eira had stood from her napping position, and it was not until the griffin prodded his mind that the warden stood. He stepped from his office at the same time Hotaru stepped through an open door. He looked at her for a moment before steeling his frame and stepping towards the door. He swung the great doors back and, upon seeing the guard towering next to the frame of a stranger, softened some. The Halovian smiled and stepped aside, gesturing for the fae to step inside. "Welcome," He said, voice steady and warm despite his glacial features. He nodded to the guard before he turned and headed back to his post. "What can we help you with today?" Noah asked, closing the doors behind the visitor. He knew that Morgan had met with the fae of the Greatwood some time ago, and as Hotaru and Noah laid their plans for their reign, he had expected to meet with them. He was surprised at the haste the fae responded with. He stepped aside and gestured again towards the hearth, raging and bright and warm, with several chairs laid out in a crescent shape. Should the women move towards them, he would follow. Noah Olson cold in the violence after the war hope is a fire to keep us warm

Hotaru

Hotaru steps into the hallway with a curious expression when the knock heralds the arrival of the guards. On silent feet made all the quieter by feline shifts and predilections, she maneuvers behind Noah after they catch eyes in the hallway, ready to cover his back just in case. There is no need for such wariness however, as the doors open to reveal a petite woman with gilded wings, clearly from the Greatwood. Moments later she is at Noah's shoulder, the rumble of his tone sliding over her as she nearly materializes at his side.

Elegant and composed despite the oddity of her swollen belly, Hotaru follows Noah's outstretched arm, leading the way to the chairs so that Juniper could follow after her. "I am Hotaru, and this is Noah. We are the Wardens of Halo. Please, sit." She does so herself moments later, smiling slightly at the Fae in their midst. "Tell us what is on your mind." For surely something had brought her here, political or personal.

I don't think I want to be saved
long live the reckless and the brave

"Hello," Juniper said, greeting them both. "My name is Juniper Dubois -- I represent the Greatwood."

They might already know that, but she thought it best to say it anyway, to make it abundantly clear that she wasn't here as a private citizen, but as an extension of her home and people. Juniper took the seat Hotaru offered her with a smile, adding, "Thank you for your hospitality."

Then she paused, trying to decide how best to phrase her somewhat awkward purpose. How did you respond to a coup that replaced one of your nominal allies with unknown quantities? On one hand, she didn't want to condone such a transfer of power; on the other, she could hardly avoid acknowledging it, and she didn't want to offend her hosts, either.

She decided to start off simply: "I came here in the hopes of understanding what's happening in Halo."

Leaving that statement open, a chance for Noah and Hotaru to give her whatever account of the coup they wished -- to justify their actions, explain them, give her some indication of how to navigate this -- Juniper added, "The previous Warden and I spoke about the possibility of Halo helping to defend the Greatwood if it were attacked -- we had an agreement to that effect, in fact."

She did not ask if that agreement still stood, not yet.

Juniper

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Once everyone was settled and the introductions were finished, Juniper set right to work. Noah listened well and, though he did not look towards Hotaru or indicate conversation in any outward way, he reached for her across the bond. Does what you know of the Greatwood and Fae change our stance on this? From what I know, they are enemies of the Ascended. He tilted his head some, as if weighing the words that the diplomat before them spoke. "Morgan leaned toward the Voice. She claimed neutrality, but she shared her bed with an ascended." Noah's voice was cold, but solid as he stood on the facts. "We could not sit idle and watch Halo fall onto the wrong side of Caido." He knew that, on the heels of what he said, Hotaru's skilled tongue would have more to add. She was the one used to wearing the crown, while Noah was still adjusting to it. He knew, by instinct, to be careful - but he also knew that fae couldn't lie. Noah Olson cold in the violence after the war hope is a fire to keep us warm

Hotaru

It is a reminder that Noah was born in Halo, had not seen the horrors committed by the Ascended against the Fae as the Grounders had. No, they have been the ones to suffer most at the hand of the Ascended. They do not normally leave their forest though. But are they not all being forced into situations they would have previously found untenable?

She listens patiently as both Juniper and Noah speak, somehow graceful despite her large stomach, firelight dancing on fine bone structure. “While we forced her to step down, it was done with as much respect as we could muster for her role despite how her allegiances had dangerously shifted. Safrin herself gave the command to ensure Halo was devoted to the Old Gods, and the information that Morgan’s heart belonged to the Ascended man Neron was given by her as well.” Clarifying that they had not made assumptions, that the Gods themselves had seen fit to meddle, to intervene. They had merely been the vessels.

“If the Greatwood stands against The Voice and with the Old Gods, then we are already of a mind. I’m not surprised Morgan had such an agreement in place, but its efficacy and sincerity are…questionable. Would she send her forces against her lover, or his family?” Delicate fingers splay in the air as if painting the visual, and the Valkyrie sighs softly. “Are you seeking to confirm the arrangement?” I see no reason not to if that is her only stipulation, she adds to Noah. Defending the Greatwood and the Fae against the Ascended? Is that not something they are already tasked with, protecting Old God lands and followers from The Voice’s influence and harms?

I don't think I want to be saved
long live the reckless and the brave

Juniper almost spoke after Noah's brief statements, but held her tongue until Hotaru finished, and was glad she had. Her conscience would have demanded that she defend Morgan's right to sleep with whomever she liked. Oh, Juniper wasn't naive enough to think that Morgan could totally separate her political and personal lives, but she would have felt obliged to say that the Warden deserved the benefit of the doubt.

But if the command to take over Halo had come from Safrin, well, that made things simpler. Then Juniper's doubts about the coup's morality landed on Safrin, not on Hotaru and Noah; they had just followed the goddess's orders, as anyone who wished to live a long and healthy life would. (Juniper, after all, didn't intend to take Safrin to task for giving the order, either.)

Juniper took a long moment, choosing her words carefully. "For Halo to side with the Voice would be a disaster. My understanding, however, was that the will of its people, and its Warden, was to remain neutral if at all possible. A difficult proposition, certainly, but one with which I have no quarrel. I appreciate that you acted to secure the Old Gods' interests here, but I must ask about the wishes of Halo's people as well as its leaders. Do the citizens of Halo want to fight for the Old Gods?"

And, if so, why didn't they remove Morgan themselves? Juniper didn't include that part. For all she knew, the majority of Halovians did support Noah and Hotaru, and it was at their urging that the new Wardens had acted.

As Hotaru sighed, so did Juniper. "I cannot accuse the Warden of failing in her obligations before she was ever called upon to meet those obligations ... but I understand your doubts." And share them, she didn't say. "I would certainly sleep easier at night if you confirmed your intentions to keep her promise."

Juniper stopped just short of actually asking Hotaru and Noah to confirm the existing alliance, afraid that they might demand something more in return than just the food the Greatwood had shipped to Halo last Leafchange. A mutual defense arrangement would make sense -- but Juniper didn't want to agree with one, for fear that the more aggressive Halovian leaders might drag the Greatwood into premature war.

Juniper

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Noah did not give any outward sign that he understood Hotaru's words over the attuned bond, but the woman would feel his understanding. While he had used the bond countless times to coordinate hunts, having the ability to speak privately and without interruption mid-political conversation was a benefit Noah never imagined himself utilizing before. I don't want to promise her any force that will not be reciprocated. Noah was afraid that the fae would do just what Hotaru said -- hide in their forest and leave Halo against the Ascended. "Neutrality is not realistic." Noah sighed, eyes moving to the hearth of the fireplace for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "We did not as our people to fight in anything -- we did not write their names down to march on the Ascended." He let his gaze settle back on Juniper again, voice sturdy and eyes glacial. "We are trying to shield them, protect them from the Voice and her reaches. You of all people know she only brings destruction and death." "The fae helped keep Halo fed over the last hard season," Noah started, folding his hands on his lap and leaning forward slightly, "But Frey has blessed us with a greenhouse. An ability to sustain our own people from our own land, and we will continue to move forward in every way we can to sustain ourselves. If this is a meeting based on militaristic plans, please be clear." This did not mean Noah was ungrateful for their help, but it was no longer needed -- the Sentinel needed to know what the root of this conversation really was. Noah Olson cold in the violence after the war hope is a fire to keep us warm

Hotaru

Nor I. Amicable neutrality is enough - we are already aligned by way of following the Old Gods. Her voice is soft and warm through the bond, like ocean tides, and yet her pretty face never wavers even as Noah says his piece. There is nothing for her to disagree with, and her hands fold delicately over her stomach, the shadows playing on her face and across golden hair the only revelation of a deeper shrewdness.

"Fighting is not necessary to be aligned with the Old Gods. Frey, for example, is far more invested in the earth and creatures that inhabit it - things that will go on long after human skirmishes and wars. Our allying the land of Halo to their name doesn't have to be a notion for war - and I hope it does not become that, despite the connotations others place upon worshiping one pantheon or the other." And exactly that would lead to inevitable discourse, of that the Valkyrie is sure.

I don't think I want to be saved
long live the reckless and the brave

Juniper considered Noah's and Hotaru's responses carefully. As much as she agreed that fighting should be a last resort, their claim of nonviolence seemed a bit disingenuous, given the prophecy of coming war. But Juniper knew how to choose her battles, and it definitely wasn't worth arguing against Halo's peace. "Protecting their people should always be uppermost in a leader's mind. I hope peace reigns in Halo for a good long time."

Though that did contradict, perhaps, the alliance Juniper had asked of them. Noah made a good point; as much as Juniper would have liked to see past promises hold, she wasn't naive enough to think that Halovians would happily go to war now for last year's favor. Time to put her cards on the table. "I can't commit the Greatwood to a military alliance without consulting others. But if the idea appeals to you, we can make further arrangements."

She probably should have gotten an answer, one way or the other, from her fellows before bringing her concerns to Halo. Her negotiations would be much stronger if she could actually tell Noah and Hotaru what the Greatwood was willing to provide, not offer vague consultations. But it was too late for that now.

Juniper

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