[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?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
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!
no subject
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.
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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?
no subject
[ With nachos. Wouldn't that be fun!? ]
I can definitely help you scope out some places, V!
no subject
[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.