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With her arm freshly bandaged up, Jun had decided to go to a local coffee shop. She didn’t normally go to one, considering she didn’t like to splurge money on things like coffee, but after the week she had, well, she deserved a bit of pampering, and a $2 coffee was the cheapest way to go. So, with her old, beaten down laptop, she headed to the coffee shop to enjoy some time there and just kill time with the free wifi.

With her bag slung over her shoulder, she walked into the shop. It didn’t seem terribly busy, which was perfect for Juniper. She had been hoping for a somewhat quiet atmosphere. There wasn’t even a line at the counter. With the intent of just getting a basic coffee, she walked up to the counter.

“What can I get for you today?” The man at the register asked almost boredly.

“Um. Just a medium coffee please.”

“Would you like a shot pf pumpkin spice? We just got it in for the season.”

Juniper was about to say no when she hesitated. She bit her lower lip and sighed. “Yes, I’ll take the flavoring. Thanks.” What was an extra dollar? Right?

The tinkling of the door’s bell behind her caught Juniper’s attention while she waited for her coffee. Turning she found a somewhat familiar face. It was hard to tell considering that the last time she’d seen the woman she had been wearing a mask. “Chel?” She questioned.

"Juniper." Jun offered her name when she was referred to tits lady. It was quite possible she never introduced herself. She had just caught Shun mentioning the other woman's name.

She noted the caprisun that the woman was sipping on and raised a brow. "A bit of an odd combination." She said with a nod of her head at Chel's drink. "Coffee and caprisun?"

"Anyway, I assume all has been well since....the ball?" She questioned casually. She had no idea what had happened to people after she had been carted away with the other tithes. By the time she had left the room everyone had begun their escape of the place.

Juniper laughed. "Well, sounds like your cousin and I may need to bond over coffee sometime."

Right then, her order number was called and Juniper walked up tot he counter to grab her drink. She turned back to join Chel. "Pumpkin spice coffee. This white girl will happily embrace the stereotype." She winked.

As much as she wanted to sip at her drink, she knew the liquid inside would be like molten hot lava. The sleeve around the cup was just making it tolerable to hold it, signifying that her assumption of the coffee's temperature was probably spot on.

"Oh um." She shrugged at Chel's question. "No actually. Things turned out well in the end though I guess. At least, I assume they did. I don't think any of us who were pulled into the tithe room were killed anyway." Not unless some of them got caught during their attempt at escape. Jun had worried that maybe someone had met their demise, but she hadn't heard anything.

Then again, she supposed that she wasn't going to hear anything when all she had been doing was working since the ball occurred.

"I am glad to hear things are alright for you though. No issues getting out of that ridiculous place?"

Juniper grinned. "Exactly. Embrace what makes you happy. A motto I like to live by."

Juniper was a bit lost to the fact that their conversation about the ball may seem a bit odd or even out of place in the coffee shop. Her tone of conversation though remained neutral and casual, so hopefully anybody listening in would think it was some sort of inside joke or odd reference. After all, people mention working killing them, why not talk about the crazy ball that was determined to sacrifice someone?

"Glad you guys got out alright. I don't know if I would have handled being separated from someone I was attending the ball with very well though. Especially in those circumstances." Nope. Juniper was pretty damn sure she would have panicked and went looking for the person. And let's be honest, it probably would have made the situation worse.

Juniper glanced around, noting a free table for two. "Interested in hanging out for a bit and chatting? Or do you need to get that drink back to your cousin before he throws a white girl sized fit?" Juniper joked with a wry grin.

"That doesn't surprise me. There doesn't seem like a lot could ruffle Shun's feathers."

Juniper put her bag that held her laptop beside her chair on the floor. Two hands clasped the small coffee in front of her as steam rose up from the mug. She had opted for an in house mug for her drink since she wasn't intending on leaving the shop any time soon. Some internet therapy was her initial plan, but it seemed she would get to enjoy some girl time as well.

"Perfect. We'll just have to get you out of here before it gets cold." She winked with a chuckle. "I doubt he'd appreciate you coming back late and with a cold coffee."

"Hm. Well, not a lot is up. Nothing really new anyway since the ball. Just living the same 'ol, same 'ol life like that night never even happened. It's a bit surreal to go from somewhere where magic existing to going back to your normal daily grind." She shrugged. "Sometimes I wonder if this Other Ashdown is worth going to more often. I mean...if I knew how to get there on my own that is."

Juniper sighed. "I don't have much choice, Chel. If I don't go to work I'll be in such a financial hole that I won't be able to dig myself out of it." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I am not trying to discredit everything that happened, but I can't stop my life because of it. I can't afford to." She frowned.

In a way she understood Chel's reaction. What occurred at the ball was terrible. So many people were affected in many different ways and as much as she wished she could have taken time to fully digest everything and come to terms with it, she couldn't. Instead she was force to deal with mundane life while trying to not feel completely lost.

"There?" She paused for a moment, brows furrowed as she tried to understand what she meant when it clicked. "Oh! Um, not really. Actually the ball had only been my second time there. Before that it was at a theatre where some crazy stuff went down." A dry chuckled escaped her. "If you ask Shun about it I am sure he'd say I was a damn fool who nearly got everyone hurt or killed. That man can hold a grudge."

"It's alright. Stuff like this will hit people differently. Maybe it's because I didn't actually see the murder happen that I am a bit...distanced from it and less perturbed." Her thumb ran over the rim of the mug that held her coffee. The spicey scent of the pumpkin flavoring was just barely scented amongst the strong coffee smell of the shop.

She laughed at the mention of Shun. "Well, I sort of got that feeling from him, but he seems to like you well enough, but as for how I think about all this?" She paused, as she pieced together her emotions and thoughts about everything she'd witnessed so far. "I think that...well...I think it's all very interesting."

With a sigh she leaned back in her chair, her mug left to sit on the table in front of her. "I am coming to the realization that life on the other side is much, much different. I mean, just look at what was done to the tithes, the ones who had been there for awhile. Some of them seemed quite willing to accept their fates for what they were, others not so much, but still, in a way, bent to what was expected of them. Why? What happened over there? Did they begin to integrate into the world? It's really hard to say, but, I can tell you for a fact that I am definitely interested in it. A bit scared of course, but my curiosity about all of it is stronger than my fear."

She chewed her bottom lip. "Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with some of the things that occurred, but...I can also accept the fact that life in Other Ashdown may be terribly different and require specific things. I just with I knew what was expected out of us. Those who can go to Other Ashdown I mean."

Ok. Seems like I hit a sore spot somewhere or something. Chel's change in attitude was quite obvious with her tone of speech.

"Look. I am not saying I agree with the whole murder thing, but you just said so yourself that you'll help to get rid of the enemy. What if that's a murder? Does it make it more right than what happened at the ball?"

She ran a hand through her hair, fingers combed through some of the minor knots that was forming in the slightly wavy hair. "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and you asked me mine." She shrugged. "I am not going to apologize for it. I find this other Ashdown intriguing and I want to learn more about it. I don't find that a crime. But, if it's something you don't like, then do what you can to stay out of it if you can."