[Ah, that wasn't hard to unveil. Then again, Juniper doesn't seem the sort to keep secrets. The kind of young woman that wears her heart on her sleeve.]
Hags that were going to devour you.
[How pleasant. How very demonic-sounding.]
But these hags granted you the leeway to play with the local wildlife, too. [Implying that she was kept there for a while, he assumes? That they didn't snatch her up and try to eat her immediately.] Were they hoping to fatten you up first before eating you? Lucky for you and your guardians they weren't in a hurry.
[ Indeed, these were the sort of hags to lay out a long, elaborate plot - to let things marinate, so to speak, so that all the pain and suffering their will rend from their victims in the end will be all the more savory.
Juniper offers an uneasy little laugh. Because V is probably right about all of that. ]
I, um... That was probably it. It's not like I got to ask them, or even if I did, I probably wouldn't remember.
[ ... ]
A lot of people who come out of the Feywild don't remember anything about their time there. And some people come out like... It's been years for them, but it's only been a few hours in the Material Plane, or the other way around. I came out with these almiraj ears, the Feywild's wild magic, and really unreliable short-term memory!
[Ah. V munches on another nacho, then another, as she explains further.]
In that case, I'm sorry for being blunt about your memory before.
[For that was not just Juniper being, well, air-headed that lent her a trait of forgetfulness. It was a result, among many things, of her being trapped in a strange realm, in the custody of hags that wanted to eat her. Eventually.
Not an ideal situation to be in, despite her bubbly demeanor.]
And so the Feywild's magic remains with you to this day. Ever unpredictable.
No, it's alright! Honestly, even without that magical stuff gong on, I'd probably still be pretty dim!
[ Confidently. Surely the magical memory loss doesn't help, but who's to say, really? ]
But... yes. That's exactly it, about my wild magic. These sort of random magical occurrences happen a lot in the Feywild, but for me it comes out when I'm... Well, mostly when I'm really upset or angry.
[Calling herself dim? V's surprised by her candid nature. Or maybe her own self-awareness, which is often proof of someone who isn't as dim as they'd think?]
Or in the middle of battle. As was the case when we sparred, correct?
[You know what? He can't even look dubious. V enjoys a good fight, too; maybe a little too much, even if this body can't really perform as well as he's used to. Battle rage? "Hehe"? That's a mood.]
...You returned? [After being trapped and held captive by hungry hags?] What for?
[ Hold, please, she's munching on a particularly cheesy nacho... But more importantly, she needs a moment to think about her answer. Her lips press into a thin line, her countenance thoughtful and a bit subdued compared to her usual sunshine. ]
Mmm... I've always wanted to go back. Like you said, there were times in that place that were... nice and happy!
[ A beat, as she considers whether to add this or not, but ultimately she always wants to tend towards honesty, and so: ]
And... sometimes I can hear this laughing in my head that reminds me of those times. Lately, they've been sounding less... fun, though - so I started wondering if I should return in case that... changed something, you know? Like maybe if I went back, my memory would be less spotty, or I'd have better control of my wild magic...
[Happy memories in spite of it all. He can understand that, too.]
So it's still like home to you, in a way. Happy memories and not-so-happy ones. I understand. I have places like that, too.
[The rest, though, is a little more worrisome. Less sentimental.]
But this laughing, if it sounds ominous, then... I do wonder if something has changed. I suppose you wouldn't know unless you decided to return. That, or choose to wonder for the rest of your life. And you hardly seem the type.
[ She nods, and she's easily reminded of the last time she saw Declan before he disappeared, before she ran away. He had urged her to think about what would happen if she didn't follow the urge to return to the Feywild. She... She didn't want to be keep wondering, anymore.
"You should follow your heart, Junebug."
And so she did. And what she's learned... ]
I went to this fey carnival called the Witchlight Carnival that was coming through our plane... I knew I would be able to find a way into the Feywild from there. But what I learned... I couldn't help but wonder if I was being drawn there somehow. There's another coven of hags called the Hourglass Coven that's been using the carnival for a long time now for their evildoing!
So my new adventuring friends and I are going to beat the coven someday and bring the old Archfey back, and save the carnival and that little corner of the Feywild and all the fey who live in it!
[ She continues to look solemn, though this time determined, too. ]
But - ah, you said... You have places like that, too..?
[Oh. That's quite an adventure she's being drawn to -- and a perilous one, too. But there's something about Juniper's determination that makes him think she'll just be fine. She's with friends, isn't she? She can protect them as well as she protected himself and Declan in the dungeon. They're all in good hands.]
And in doing so, you may unearth a few more answers to your questions. Hags really are bad news in your world, aren't they?
[But her question causes him to shrug, picking up another nacho.]
Places of happy memories... and sepulchral ones, too. Yes. My old family home, where I spent a portion of my childhood. It's nothing but ruins now, but it's connected to fond experiences that I'll never forget. Still, we all hold a place in our hearts for nostalgia, don't we?
[ Huh... Special... Sepuchral... Tomato tomahto? He sure pronounced it in such a weird, fancy way? ]
Ah... So something happened to your old home..? I'm sorry, V. But, um... The special memories are still there in your heart, so...
I think I understand. For me, too, it's... I don't really remember anything from my life before I got whisked away into the Feywild anymore, so it's kind of... All I have from my earliest memories, you know?
[He will expand Juni's vocabulary through conversational osmosis somehow, someday.]
Yes. [And because anyone would be curious, and he would rather tamp down this wonderment first, and make it clear:] It burnt down. I can tell you about that incident some other time, just... not today.
[Not that he suspects she'll mind. But speaking of that matter is always so difficult, even as he is now, and what's the point of bringing the mood down? It's nacho night. Why waste it on dour remembrances?]
And our earliest memories are the most formative, no matter what they are. In spite of where they took place. [He nods, agreeing. So the Feywild had affected her memories even before she was whisked away?] That house, though... It was big for three people. A grey, stone exterior. Myself, my brother, and my mother lived there. I remember a reading room with tall windows that would always let the sunlight in, and you could see the garden blooming through the panes.
[He misses that room.]
The property itself was expansive. There wasn't much in the way of neighbors. When I wasn't reading, I was outside exploring, looking for little hidey-holes to call my own.
[ Of course she doesn't mind; despite how tactless Juniper can be at times, when it comes to matters pertaining to someone's past... She knows when not to be pushy, having been on the receiving end of such efforts in the past. She offers the explanation its due acknowledgment with a nod of her head before she easily flows into the next topic.
She is more than happy to instead focus on the happier notes that V offers, closing her eyes as she munches on a nacho and letting his words bring the scenery to life in her mind, her own memories of her life in the Hollow Wilds with her family filling in the gaps. ]
It sounds really cozy and bright! I liked to explore a lot when I was little, too! [ Well, she still does, but- ] What were your favorite hiding places?! I always went into little tree hollows!
[These happy memories will always be tainted with sorrow and grief; that much will never change. But reflecting on them with someone else is still nice, and he can appreciate it in a way that Vergil was never truly able to for a long, long while.]
I never found myself a tree hollow. There was a large tree that had a cracked trunk, though. It had fallen over landed in a way that its branches created a "cave" to hide in. No one could find me there.
[ And Juniper feels the same way about the Feywild, even now. It will always be a place of such wonder and joy and whimsy, but especially during her most recent adventures... She is again and again reminded that there is much sorrow and grief to be found there, too. ]
Oooh... That does sound like the perfect spot.
Maybe you're too "big" physically, but I think we can find grown-up sized hiding places easy! Especially in the, um... "Online" world...?
[It's a bittersweet thing to share in common, but there's a small sense of solidarity in knowing he's not alone. Even if their circumstances are wildly different, they can both understand what it's like to carry a piece of the past in one's heart that simultaneously feels like comfort and shards of broken glass.]
A grown-up sized hiding place in the online world... Hm. Maybe. Like a secret spot, known only between a select few.
We should look the next time we're there. What do you say to that?
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Hags that were going to devour you.
[How pleasant. How very demonic-sounding.]
But these hags granted you the leeway to play with the local wildlife, too. [Implying that she was kept there for a while, he assumes? That they didn't snatch her up and try to eat her immediately.] Were they hoping to fatten you up first before eating you? Lucky for you and your guardians they weren't in a hurry.
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Juniper offers an uneasy little laugh. Because V is probably right about all of that. ]
I, um... That was probably it. It's not like I got to ask them, or even if I did, I probably wouldn't remember.
[ ... ]
A lot of people who come out of the Feywild don't remember anything about their time there. And some people come out like... It's been years for them, but it's only been a few hours in the Material Plane, or the other way around. I came out with these almiraj ears, the Feywild's wild magic, and really unreliable short-term memory!
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In that case, I'm sorry for being blunt about your memory before.
[For that was not just Juniper being, well, air-headed that lent her a trait of forgetfulness. It was a result, among many things, of her being trapped in a strange realm, in the custody of hags that wanted to eat her. Eventually.
Not an ideal situation to be in, despite her bubbly demeanor.]
And so the Feywild's magic remains with you to this day. Ever unpredictable.
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No, it's alright! Honestly, even without that magical stuff gong on, I'd probably still be pretty dim!
[ Confidently. Surely the magical memory loss doesn't help, but who's to say, really? ]
But... yes. That's exactly it, about my wild magic. These sort of random magical occurrences happen a lot in the Feywild, but for me it comes out when I'm... Well, mostly when I'm really upset or angry.
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Or in the middle of battle. As was the case when we sparred, correct?
[Oh, so does that mean-]
Like... a battle rage? A battle mania?
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[ ✨ hehe ✨ ]
Though a lot of those magical effects... They're new to me, too! I think going back into the Feywild must have triggered something...
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...You returned? [After being trapped and held captive by hungry hags?] What for?
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Mmm... I've always wanted to go back. Like you said, there were times in that place that were... nice and happy!
[ A beat, as she considers whether to add this or not, but ultimately she always wants to tend towards honesty, and so: ]
And... sometimes I can hear this laughing in my head that reminds me of those times. Lately, they've been sounding less... fun, though - so I started wondering if I should return in case that... changed something, you know? Like maybe if I went back, my memory would be less spotty, or I'd have better control of my wild magic...
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So it's still like home to you, in a way. Happy memories and not-so-happy ones. I understand. I have places like that, too.
[The rest, though, is a little more worrisome. Less sentimental.]
But this laughing, if it sounds ominous, then... I do wonder if something has changed. I suppose you wouldn't know unless you decided to return. That, or choose to wonder for the rest of your life. And you hardly seem the type.
So did you learn anything?
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"You should follow your heart, Junebug."
And so she did. And what she's learned... ]
I went to this fey carnival called the Witchlight Carnival that was coming through our plane... I knew I would be able to find a way into the Feywild from there. But what I learned... I couldn't help but wonder if I was being drawn there somehow. There's another coven of hags called the Hourglass Coven that's been using the carnival for a long time now for their evildoing!
So my new adventuring friends and I are going to beat the coven someday and bring the old Archfey back, and save the carnival and that little corner of the Feywild and all the fey who live in it!
[ She continues to look solemn, though this time determined, too. ]
But - ah, you said... You have places like that, too..?
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And in doing so, you may unearth a few more answers to your questions. Hags really are bad news in your world, aren't they?
[But her question causes him to shrug, picking up another nacho.]
Places of happy memories... and sepulchral ones, too. Yes. My old family home, where I spent a portion of my childhood. It's nothing but ruins now, but it's connected to fond experiences that I'll never forget. Still, we all hold a place in our hearts for nostalgia, don't we?
no subject
Ah... So something happened to your old home..? I'm sorry, V. But, um... The special memories are still there in your heart, so...
I think I understand. For me, too, it's... I don't really remember anything from my life before I got whisked away into the Feywild anymore, so it's kind of... All I have from my earliest memories, you know?
What was your house like?
do not perceive me, anna
Yes. [And because anyone would be curious, and he would rather tamp down this wonderment first, and make it clear:] It burnt down. I can tell you about that incident some other time, just... not today.
[Not that he suspects she'll mind. But speaking of that matter is always so difficult, even as he is now, and what's the point of bringing the mood down? It's nacho night. Why waste it on dour remembrances?]
And our earliest memories are the most formative, no matter what they are. In spite of where they took place. [He nods, agreeing. So the Feywild had affected her memories even before she was whisked away?] That house, though... It was big for three people. A grey, stone exterior. Myself, my brother, and my mother lived there. I remember a reading room with tall windows that would always let the sunlight in, and you could see the garden blooming through the panes.
[He misses that room.]
The property itself was expansive. There wasn't much in the way of neighbors. When I wasn't reading, I was outside exploring, looking for little hidey-holes to call my own.
i unperceived myself, apparently
[ Of course she doesn't mind; despite how tactless Juniper can be at times, when it comes to matters pertaining to someone's past... She knows when not to be pushy, having been on the receiving end of such efforts in the past. She offers the explanation its due acknowledgment with a nod of her head before she easily flows into the next topic.
She is more than happy to instead focus on the happier notes that V offers, closing her eyes as she munches on a nacho and letting his words bring the scenery to life in her mind, her own memories of her life in the Hollow Wilds with her family filling in the gaps. ]
It sounds really cozy and bright! I liked to explore a lot when I was little, too! [ Well, she still does, but- ] What were your favorite hiding places?! I always went into little tree hollows!
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I never found myself a tree hollow. There was a large tree that had a cracked trunk, though. It had fallen over landed in a way that its branches created a "cave" to hide in. No one could find me there.
I guess I'm too big for something like that now.
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Oooh... That does sound like the perfect spot.
Maybe you're too "big" physically, but I think we can find grown-up sized hiding places easy! Especially in the, um... "Online" world...?
[ She's still getting the hang of all this. ]
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A grown-up sized hiding place in the online world... Hm. Maybe. Like a secret spot, known only between a select few.
We should look the next time we're there. What do you say to that?
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[ With nachos. Wouldn't that be fun!? ]
I can definitely help you scope out some places, V!
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[Or a speakeasy. That sounds like fun, too.]
Then let's plan for it. It can be a little refuge. A home away from home... away from home. Only friends are invited to join.