a flipped mirror
juniper
Noah Olson
the Forsaken
Hunter

Age: 34 | Height: 6'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 9 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 47 - Endr: 46 - Luck: 47 - Int: 1
EIRA - Mythical - Griffin (Venom) VI’ADORE - Mythical - Unicorn (Healing)
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MP: 1005
#1
noah
Free from all old stories Ive been told, I walk through the valley of my own shadow
Just weeks ago, Noah was on the opposite side of this encounter. One of his guards, a soldier as loyal to the ice as he was, had brought the diplomat to his government's doorstep. He and Hotaru had met with her and heard her out, listened and gave what they could to her. Now, he was accompanied by another fae. Without ever having been anywhere except the Mathair the hunter had wandered for quite some time before the kind soul found him. He shared what was happening, and with haste the hunter was escorted through the forest of the Greatwood in search of the Amberwing. The Sentinel learned of her new title and position from his escort, and to say that he was pleased with it was an understatement. she had moved up the ladder from being just a diplomat to one who wielded true power and authority -- and to also learn of who ruled at her side made his stomach flip with the possibilities of it all. Thanking his escort, Noah took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
Juniper Dubois
the Amberwing
Diplomat

Age: 57 | Height: 4'8 | Race: Fae | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Greatwood
Level: 3 - Strg: 13 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 12 - Luck: 15 - Int:
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#2
JUNIPER
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper mostly lived at her embassy now, needing to be close to the Greatwood's center of power, which had shifted from Sidhe Village to the Sea of Branches. Oh, the village would always be the heart of the Fae as a people, but that was exactly what made it unsuitable as a capital -- the way the Fae, like an aloof individual, guarded their heart closely and let no one in. The Sea of Branches was more open to the outside world, better equipped to deal with changing times. Let Sidhe Village remain a center of the Fae's ancient history and culture; the Sea of Branches would carry them into the future.

And today the future held Noah, at Juniper's door. As she opened it, her eyes widened at the sight of the Sentinel; she hadn't expected him in the least. But she didn't forget her manners. "Warden? Welcome to the Greatwood; please, come in. Is everything all right?"

She stepped back to let Noah in to the embassy's reception room, which contained a front desk, two doors, and a staircase leading up to Juniper's private quarters.
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.



table by Skylark
Noah Olson
the Forsaken
Hunter

Age: 34 | Height: 6'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 9 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 47 - Endr: 46 - Luck: 47 - Int: 1
EIRA - Mythical - Griffin (Venom) VI’ADORE - Mythical - Unicorn (Healing)
Played by: Time Online
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Posts: 2,012 | Total: 2,366
MP: 1005
#3
noah
Free from all old stories Ive been told, I walk through the valley of my own shadow
Noah, wrapped in ice and thorns and all that was unlike him, still smiled gently as Juniper greeted him. Her surprise was easy to see, and as he stepped in with a small limp in his gait, he lifted his hand to her. "As of right now, I am not longer Warden of Halo." His voice dripped with the anguish of the statement. "It is what I came to inform you of." He leaned on his good leg, his companion pressed into it.

"Is there somewhere more private we can speak?" Noah asked, his hand resting atop Eira's feathered head. He let his glacier eyes wander through the embassy for a moment, noting that there weren't any others that he could see, but in the wake of what had just happened with him, he sought only to have his words fall on Juniper's ears.

Juniper Dubois
the Amberwing
Diplomat

Age: 57 | Height: 4'8 | Race: Fae | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Greatwood
Level: 3 - Strg: 13 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 12 - Luck: 15 - Int:
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Posts: 417 | Total: 1,206
MP: 1749
#4
JUNIPER
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper's eyes widened as Noah spoke. Clearly something monumental had happened in Halo, even if she didn't understand yet what. Another leadership change? And, from Noah's manner, this one didn't seem voluntary either ...

Well, he said he had come to inform her, so presumably he intended to elaborate. But first, manners -- and Noah's concern for privacy. "Just a moment."

Juniper grabbed a sign that said "Closed -- be back later" from the front desk and hung it on the outside of the embassy's door, then locked the door as she returned. "There, that should give us some privacy. There's no one else here right now." A young Fae did act as Juniper's receptionist sometimes, but she was off today. "Please come in, sit down -- are you hurt?"

She began to lead Noah towards one of the back rooms: the meeting room, which held both a long table surrounded by chairs and a lower, more comfortable seating area; Juniper headed for the latter. Her instinct was to offer tea, but she didn't have any made, and the matter seemed too urgent to delay by preparing some.
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.



table by Skylark
Noah Olson
the Forsaken
Hunter

Age: 34 | Height: 6'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 9 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 47 - Endr: 46 - Luck: 47 - Int: 1
EIRA - Mythical - Griffin (Venom) VI’ADORE - Mythical - Unicorn (Healing)
Played by: Time Online
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Posts: 2,012 | Total: 2,366
MP: 1005
#5
noah
Free from all old stories Ive been told, I walk through the valley of my own shadow
As everything cleared out and they were left truly alone, Noah softened some, though not entirely. "I came to warn you, Juniper. Though Morgan stepped down willingly from the seat of Warden when confronted -- without any forceful means enacted -- she turned her back on the people of Halo, on her stance of neutrality, and used Ascended people to take back the Citadel. They came with intent to destroy -- and destroy they did. I came to warn you that Morgan has turned to the Ascended and the Voice. It is clear by her actions."

The Sentinel shifted, the pain in his leg reverberating in a way that would have caused a lesser man to wince. "I came here to tell you as I fled for my life to a place I knew the Ascended could not reach me." He had no intentions to stay in this world, to live in her lands. It was not his home, and though he was now a refugee he was not here begging the fae for sanctuary.

Juniper Dubois
the Amberwing
Diplomat

Age: 57 | Height: 4'8 | Race: Fae | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Greatwood
Level: 3 - Strg: 13 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 12 - Luck: 15 - Int:
Played by: Bees Offline
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Posts: 417 | Total: 1,206
MP: 1749
#6
JUNIPER
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
If Juniper's eyes had widened at Noah's first proclamation, well, they were saucers now as he laid out the full story. Her face had gone still, all of her energy devoted to understanding and trying to contextualize Noah's words.

"I see," she said at last, because she didn't know what else to say. She started to figure it out, though. "Thank you for bringing me such important news. Is Hotaru safe? How many people were hurt?"

That was Juniper's first thought: for the other Warden, and the people of Halo caught between their quarreling leaders. Her feelings on Hotaru and Noah's coup notwithstanding -- and those feelings would shift with this new information -- she didn't want to see anyone harmed, especially given Hotaru's pregnancy.

Then Juniper rubbed a hand over her face, struggling to calculate what this meant in the grand scheme of things. Not just Morgan's lost neutrality, but ... "So the Ascended now occupy Halo?"
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.



table by Skylark
Noah Olson
the Forsaken
Hunter

Age: 34 | Height: 6'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 9 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 47 - Endr: 46 - Luck: 47 - Int: 1
EIRA - Mythical - Griffin (Venom) VI’ADORE - Mythical - Unicorn (Healing)
Played by: Time Online
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Posts: 2,012 | Total: 2,366
MP: 1005
#7
noah
Free from all old stories Ive been told, I walk through the valley of my own shadow
"I was hoping you would know." He sighed, shifting his weight.  He hadn't heard from Hotaru at all, but was hoping she would have done just as he had. It seemed, however, that was not the case. "Deimos commanded her to come here and she was able to be free of ascended attack far before I was. I drew them away from the citadel and towards the climb, hoping they would not hurt my people."

Noah sighed again, one rough hand lifting to rub at his forehead. "An Ascended ally, that's assured." Whether or not there was an influx of ascended citizens taking up residence in his home was another unknown -- but he knew that Morgan only had ascended allies. She had played her cards, hand turned out for the world to see.

"I don't intend to stay here long, so you do not have to worry about that." He guessed she did not want refugees wandering around her forest.

Juniper Dubois
the Amberwing
Diplomat

Age: 57 | Height: 4'8 | Race: Fae | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Greatwood
Level: 3 - Strg: 13 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 12 - Luck: 15 - Int:
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Posts: 417 | Total: 1,206
MP: 1749
#8
JUNIPER
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper shook her head. "Your visit is the first I've heard of anyone fleeing Halo. I hope Hotaru and the others aren't hurt."

She could offer no more information, no more condolences or confidences; it was time to put the invasion behind them and turn to the future.

"Do you intend to try to retake Halo?" Juniper asked. Then she added, "I understand if you'd rather not say. I can't commit the Greatwood to being your ally in any such attempt."

Certainly not without speaking to Nephele and Remi, and even then, Juniper herself would argue against trying to put Noah back on the throne. To have the conflict confined to Halo was one thing; get another region involved, and they risked war breaking out early, long before anyone was ready. Besides, she imagined the citizens of Halo would no more welcome such an intervention than she would if the Halovians tried to tell the Fae who should rule the Greatwood.

"I wish I could welcome you here more fully, invite you to stay," Juniper said, with regret. "But it might be safer for both the Greatwood and yourself if you don't. If you're injured, though, I don't think anyone would begrudge you a stop with one of our healers."
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.



table by Skylark
Noah Olson
the Forsaken
Hunter

Age: 34 | Height: 6'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 9 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 47 - Endr: 46 - Luck: 47 - Int: 1
EIRA - Mythical - Griffin (Venom) VI’ADORE - Mythical - Unicorn (Healing)
Played by: Time Online
Change author:
Posts: 2,012 | Total: 2,366
MP: 1005
#9
noah
Free from all old stories Ive been told, I walk through the valley of my own shadow
"I didn't come here to ask for your help." He knew the woman, the fae, to be selfish in nature especially after their last meeting. She did not care about the world or anyone else but herself and the Greatwood.

Noah could not blame her, but he also could not find her honorable.

"I merely came to warn you. You will soon be surrounded by the threat of the Ascended if you do not act." Underlying in his words was a warning, his eyes hardened and spoke it enough -- you can't be a coward forever, Juniper. She couldn't commit the arms of the Greatwood, but she was willing to take the arms of others. Noah could not find anything commendable in that. Standing, taller now than before as he pushed aside the ache in his leg, he turned to leave.

"I hope your people can fare well in this world, with the decisions you'll make." It was sincere, genuine, but still wrapped in the coldness of his wounds and lack of honor she displayed. Then, the hunter quietly exited the now empty building, and set back to finding Deimos and removing himself from the Greatwood.

Juniper Dubois
the Amberwing
Diplomat

Age: 57 | Height: 4'8 | Race: Fae | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Greatwood
Level: 3 - Strg: 13 - Dext: 14 - Endr: 12 - Luck: 15 - Int:
Played by: Bees Offline
Change author:
Posts: 417 | Total: 1,206
MP: 1749
#10
JUNIPER
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
"Thank you for the warning," Juniper said before Noah left. She didn't tell him that she was acting, if not as drastically as he had -- but then what had Noah and Hotaru's coup won them, in the end? It seemed to Juniper that they had achieved the exact end they had hoped to prevent, driving Morgan and Halo to openly embrace the Voice. Though perhaps it was better to have such allegiances declared rather than secret.

Meanwhile Juniper and the Greatwood readied for war more carefully, worrying about portals and defenses rather than coups and invasions. Perhaps the united front the Fae presented offered them the privilege of focusing their attention at home, but they -- or at least Juniper -- certainly hadn't stopped paying attention to events abroad. And the entire Greatwood had war on their minds.

Juniper didn't bother explaining any of this to Noah on his way out. Instead she simply added, "I hope you and yours stay safe as well," without any of the coldness Noah had presented to her.

When he left the building, she head to her office. Not as inactive as Noah thought, she had work to do.

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



table by Skylark


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