[PRP] Start of a Beautiful Relationship? [Isobel/Juniper]

[Kolina]

Summer was coming to a close and fall wasn't far around the corner. Juniper was relishing the weather change. She enjoyed the cool nights and warmer days. It made for great sleeping while she could still fully enjoy the last bit of summer warmth during the day. The sun was beating down from a blue robin sky and Juniper was taking advantage of the few last dredges of light of the day to do a bit of yoga in the park.

She shifted through her salutations, into her warrior poses, and as she was stretching through her downward dog, she happened to glance behind (underneath?) herself and caught a glimpse of what looked like a familiar form. Lowering to her knees, she glanced behind her again, eyes squinted. "Isobel?" She called at the girl.

If she was wrong the person would probably just keep going and Juniper would be spared the possibility of embarrassing herself. If it was Isobel, and she wasn't quite sure since, when she met the girl, Isobel had been wearing a mask, then the girl would hopefully hear her and stop.

So as not to be found looking over her rump, Juniper turned and sat down on her yoga mat. Her gaze still fixed upon the younger girl.

Ephe

shitty start is shitty, BUT it gets us going.

 

[Ephebe]

Madam Nibbs and Isobel often took walks, and the parks of Ashdown were favourite haunts of theirs - which is why they were out and about in the park today.

After all, it'd be a shame to be indoors with weather this good. Strolling along, Nibbs cozily ensconced in her over the shoulder bag and watching the world pass by with interest was how Juniper's yell found them; having been in the midst of watching some flowers, Tibbie blinked, a bit confused at the sudden sound of her name.

Who..? "Åh! Juniper?" A wide smile broke out on her face and excited, she nearly jogged over to the older woman, Nibbs audibly complaining the whole way.

"H-how are you?" Stopping in front of the yoga mat, she shifted awkwardly on her feet, still smiling and blushing slightly. The little Madam was still grumbling, but it was lower in volume now that she wasn't being jostled around.

Kolina

good start is good! ouob

 

[Kolina]

"Ha! I was right." She stated when Isobel turned towards her.

Climbing to her feet, Juniper smiled when the younger girl hurried over, and peculiar sound emitting from the girl's person as she jogged. "I am good! Glad to see you seem to be doing well but, uh, what was that noise I just heard?" She questioned as she looked the girl over, not seeing anything in particular that may have made such a racket.

"I have to admit, it almost sounded like a cat." And if that was true, Juniper was quite intrigued to meet the little rascal. Wherever he was.

Ephebe

 

[Ephebe]

Isobel laughed, shifting her weight to the back of her feet. "That's because it was! This-" she moved her arm out of the way so Juniper could see the tortie kitty snuggled up in her bag- "is Madam Nibbs, my very best friend in the whole world!" The Madam in question blinked up at Juniper and flicked an ear, but otherwise seemed uninterested now that her transport had settled down.

"She's a little, um-" how to say it? "grumpy, so it's probably best not to touch her. She doesn't really like people other than me that much - I mean, she'll tolerate being touched by them but she looks very exasperated. I didn't know cats could be so expressive before I got her!" There was obvious love in Tibbie's voice and face as she talked about her cat, hands gesturing expressively and crown of flower buds in full bloom of colourful flowers.

Kolina

 

[Kolina]

Juniper's gaze turned to the cat when she was introduced. A smile spread across her face. "She's so cute! And her name is adorable. Her owner has good taste." Juniper gave Isobel a wink.

"Though, she shouldn't be grumpy. She's out enjoying the day with her owner." At the mention that she shouldn't touch, Juniper obeyed Isobel's warning, but still wanted to reach out to scratch the feline's head. "I dunno, cats seem to really love me." She said and carefully held out a hand to the pretty lady in Isobel's bag. She didn't push trying to pet Madam Nibbs, but let her sniff.

She glanced up at Isobel with a grin when he noted the crown of flowers. A brow rose. "Um. Are you starting a new fashion trend? I don't much mind, it's very pretty and all, but you definitely didn't have a crown of flowers just a moment ago." She tilted her head, and dropped her arm from Madam Nibbs. "A little bit of magic, hm?"

Ephebe

Juniper's dreamer power:
KITTY CALLER
Dreamer Power
See a cat? Want to pet it? Good, because every cat wants to cuddle you! No getting stood up by snob cats for you! smile

 

[Ephebe]

Isobel blushed at the compliment, fiddling with the sleeve of her dress for the sudden awkwardness of having hands doing nothing. "Um, thanks! It was the name that fit her, you know? I had to have her for a little bit before I knew it, but once I knew it there wasn't any doubt because it was her name. I wonder if it's like that naming babies too, or just pets?" Idle curiousity, in any case. She smiled widely, still shy, but glad that Juniper was as good company as she remembered. And just as cool and confident too! Who else was brave enough to do yoga out in public? Tibbie certainly wasn't.

And sniff the little Madam did, stretching out her neck as far as she could and nose working most furiously. Before her owner could marvel at her interest, she was already half-standing up and headbutting Juniper's hand, inviting it to please scratch her behind her ears or pet her head, thank you. If the new human hadn't gotten the message from that, she looked up at her and gave a soulful 'mrow' and a slow-motion blink, just in case.

"Åh, y-you were right - she really likes you!" Baffled but happy, Isobel beamed from her cat over to her human companion.

"Åh!" The exclamation was repeated once more as a shy hand went to her flowers, feeling them in full bloom. "I, I don't know if it'd really be a fashion trend or something as big as that but I, um, really love them. They're so cute and pretty! But ah, a bit hard to explain sometimes." She smiled sheepishly, dimples appearing as she scuffed the toe of one shoe against the gravel of the path. "I got them from the ball, I think - normally they're just a wreath of green buds, but sometimes they bloom. My friend Zac... his eyes changed during the ball, too - did you get something like that also?"

Kolina

that is THE BEST dreamer power ever!!!!! *A* (I want it) (not for Tibbie, just for me)

 

[Kolina]

"I wish I had waited to name Star. He could certainly use a more regal name to fit him, but I hadn't intended to keep him when I found him." She shrugged. "But he apparently had other plans for me." A chuckle bubbled up. "I love the little fella though."

Juniper grinned as the feline made her wants known and she complied. She started with just scratching Madam's head with a single finger, before using her entire hand to scratch under her chin and the side of her face. "You're a pretty girl." She smiled at the feline. "And very sweet."

"Cats love me for some reason." She shrugged. "I am not going to complain though. I will happily love up on them whenever they want." She continued to scratch the feline for another minute before eventually pulling away to save her back from the bending she was doing.

"Well, I think it's cute and certainly wouldn't mind having flowers sprouting from my head. The only thing I've noticed after the ball is that I don't seem to really need to wear perfume anymore? I also smell good." She shrugged. "The flowers are much more impressive. I dig them!"

"So, how have you been since the ball? Keeping out of trouble? Out of, uh, Other Ashdown?"

Ephebe

 

[Ephebe]

"I-I think Star is a very regal name! Stars are pretty and elegant and terrifyingly magnificent - and he's your star, right? So it fits," she smiled shyly, cheeks blushing slightly but believing wholeheartedly in her own words. That's what pets were to her; the star of one's life.

And Nibbs was in heaven, purring up a storm and on the verge of drooling ungraciously. But this new human knew all the good ways to scratch a cat! How lucky could a kitty get?

"I wish I had an ability like that," Tibbie sighed dreamily. "I want all the cats to love me too! But I guess Mogget liked me well enough and Nibb certainly loves me, so I suppose that's good enough." You'd be hard pressed to find a more devoted cat than the little Madam, to be true. "She chose me herself, you know? Just started following me around one day and set up shop in my garden!" There was an eminent amount of pride in her voice as she beamed down at the little kitty on her lap, reaching out nuzzle her softly now that Juniper had retreated.

"Åh, that's you? There's this amazing scent of flowers-" she stopped, blushing. "I thought it was the park or something! I think that's very neat too - not everyone likes flower crowns, but everyone likes someone who smells good!"

At the question, she took a moment to think before replying. "I've been... alright? I-" cried most nights and had nightmares every other night? No, that wouldn't do - she settled on: "Madam Nibbs has been comforting me a lot!" That was true, at least; the little tortie was the light of her life and easily her best cure for bad thoughts of the ball.

"Um, I've been to the grey place a lot though; well maybe not a lot - three times?" She sounded slightly quizzical. "It's been much more fun than the ball, at least - my friend Zac showed me how to do magic lights and we found the most beautiful garden! And I met a girl, Temperance, and we went for a drive and then we found wispy jellyfish with bad thoughts in them - åh, and Rylan told me about wargs! And-" she drew a deep breath, "gave me some advice about the ball. Åh, but I'm rambling, aren't I? Um, how've you been?" A sheepish but genuine smile as her flower crown was blooming and Madam Nibbs was getting an ear rub.

Kolina

 

[Kolina]

"When you put it like that it makes much more sense." She grinned. "I wish I could say that was the reason he was named, but it was much more mundane than that. He has a star shaped blotch over his left ear." She chuckled at herself ans shrugged. "But maybe, form now on, I'll tell people your story. It's much better."

"Oh! See, that's lovely! and you know she loves you because of it. The question stands though, who adopted who? Right? Sometimes I swear they know exactly what they want and they only let us believe we are the ones in charge." She glanced at Madam. "Sometimes." She gave the feline a little wink.

A blush rosied Juniper's cheek and she cleared her throat. "Um, yea. I mean, it's great that I won't offend anyone with bad bo or anything, but it's still a bit odd. I sometimes catch myself wondering what I am smelling at times before I realize it's me."

A brow rose as Isobel went on about Other Ashdown. "Well you certainly have been busy!" She couldn't fault the girl for wanting to learn more about Other Ashdown. Hell, she was looking to learn as much as she could about it as well. Plus, she was very intrigued to learn about magic.

"It sounds like you've had quite an adventure. I've met Temperance before she, well, needless to say we don't always see eye-to-eye but she's nice enough, I suppose. I am glad you get along with her though! And those wispy jelly-fish are...terrifying at times. It depends on what you find in them. Now, wargs, though I know what-/i] they are I didn't know they were a real thing. I guess I should have assumed so considering what else there is in Other Ashdown." In truth wargs seemed like some of the more benign class of Other Ashdown that she had heard of or encountered.

"I don't know who Rylan is, but what did he tell you?" She was curious to heard other opinions about the faerie ball.

"And don't worry about rambling." She laughed. "You've had a lot happen!"

Ephebe

 

[Ephebe]

"Well, maybe it's not two different stories but instead the same one? I-I mean, the star shaped blotch might just be a sign?" Isobel tried out hesitantly - it seemed eminently logical to her, but time and earlier attempts at making friends had taught her that other people sometimes viewed things differently.

She giggled more easily at Juniper's words though, nodding vigorously. "Yes! I think in this case it was definitely Madam Nibbs who adopted me, though. She was very determined!"

Smiling shyly, she then braided her fingers together and nodded again, more sedately, to the talk about her other Ashdown adventures. "It seems like a lot of things that are just stories here are real there - it's quite weird, isn't it? But sometimes rather wonderful, too."

She hesitated for a moment before answering the question about what Rylan had told her, but unbraiding her hands and putting them on the little Madam helped her find her courage. "He- I-" clearing her throat, she tried again; "I, I didn't feel so well about what'd, um, happened but he told me not to dwell on it. To remember Adoelle and her sacrifice, but not to get caught up mourning her because that hadn't been her aim and it- it wouldn't do anyone any good." She wasn't quite sure she'd succeeded, but she was at least attempting. It was easier during the day, when there were other things to distract her; night was the hardest.

"Thank you," she smiled again, a bit watery. "You're very kind." Her words were delivered with genuine sentiment, perhaps a bit too much for mere acquaintances, but Isobel had never been adept at measuring that kind of thing.

Kolina

 

[Kolina]

The other girl's timid nature was actually quite endearing to Juniper. It made Isobel feel sort of like a close friend or even baby sister as Juniper tried to reassure her without outwardly voicing for her to relax. In a way, it made Isobel feel more genuine and warming in her actions and words.

With a smile Juniper made a one shoulder shrug. "Maybe it is! Only Star knows." With a laugh she looked at Madam Nibbs. "And maybe other felines. I swear they know more than they let on, right girl?" She reached out and gave the feline another scratch under the chin.

"It's fun though, when the pet chooses you. The bond feels so much stronger and like they will never leave you."

"Ah...yes." She agreed as she turned towards her mat to begin rolling it up. She wasn't mentally in it anymore to finish the workout, but she had been near complete so it wouldn't hurt anything. "I think you summed it up there. It's terrifying and wonderful when you think about we can accomplish there."

"I am glad that your friend was able to help you. What he said was true. I didn't know Adoelle but it sounded like she wanted this so she could help us and protect others. We just have to try and honor her wish and not mourn for her in a way that is unhealthy." She glanced up at Isobel as she finished rolling her mat, slipping the elastic bands around it to make carrying it easier. "It's not easy, especially for anyone who knew her, but..." Grabbing the mat she stood up and tucker it under her arm. "There's nothing we can really do but continue on and just not forget her sacrifice."

Ephebe

 

[Ephebe]

Madam Nibbs purred mightily as she got another round of scratching from Juniper; Isobel smiled bashfully, shoulders huddled forward a bit. "I'm sure they do; they would probably tell all sorts of stories, if they could talk." Her smile grew as they talked of pets, hand absentmindedly stroking Nibbs along her back, "yes! I hope she won't - I mean I know she will, one day, but I hope it's a very long time out in the future." She wanted years and years of time with the little Madam, time spent together just the two of them. "A-actually I was thinking about the warg thing and it sounds really nice! Rylan said Nibbs and I might be able to do it too, s-so I was thinking about asking him about it more in-depth like."

Humming, she nodded in agreement to Juniper's words but otherwise let the topic pass. She still didn't know much about magic, was still learning, and in some ways very naïve about it.

"I, I didn't know her either," Tibbie bit her lip, looking a bit worried and sad all rolled into one. "But I think you're right. No, I know you're right it's just- not that that easy, you know? I've never seen anyone die before or- or-"

Kolina

 

[Kolina]

Not thinking about, Juniper leaned in and pulled the girl into a hug. "It's alright to be upset." She said softly, while holding Isobel. She waited a moment more before giving the girl an extra little squeeze before pulling away. "Everything will be alright. Take the time you need to come to terms with what happened." Juniper hadn't ever seen anyone be killed before, and Isobel was obviously bothered by it. It was likely that she'd be upset about it too if she had seen the act take place. Fortunately, she had missed the event.

"Here, let me give you my number. This way, if you ever need someone to talk to you can always get a hold of me. I'd feel better knowing you had another friend to branch out to if you needed it. I can't say I am free a lot, but I will do what I can for you." She smiled warmly at the teen before turning and grabbing her bag that she had brought along with her. It was very well loved with the faded material and frays, but from it, Juniper pulled out a pen and post-its. She quickly jotted down her numbers before tossing the items back into her bag, and standing to hand off the green post-it she had wrote her number down on.

"Whenever you pop that into your phone, just toss me a text so I can add you to mine."

Ephebe

 

[Ephebe]

Tibbie went stiff for half a second, full scale panic settling in - someone was hugging her! - before she slumped and relaxed fully into the hug, resting her forehead on Juniper's shoulder and taking a deep breath before it was over. It was one of the most comforting hugs she'd ever had and one she hadn't realised she needed before now; she took in Juniper's words, nodding awkwardly and blinking quickly, eyes slightly misty.

"Okay," one hand went to her eyes, dabbing a bit although no actual tears had escaped - the other went to Nibbs' back for comfort. A watery smile and then she gratefully took the note. "You can, um, call me too? W-when I've texted you so you know my number obviously - and, and only if you want! And..." A little pause to gather courage, then with great sentiment: "thank you. I'll text you right away!"

And she would, because she really liked Juniper - she was cool and collected, but still warm and encouraging and confident in her own skin in a way that Isobel hoped she could be too one day. And Juniper was very, very nice, which was always a plus in her book; even Nibbs liked her and if that wasn't the best stamp of approval, she didn't know what was.

So hopefully the older woman wouldn't get tired of her and they could be friends and she could teach Isobel her cool ways. The thought cheered her up a bit, took her mind away from darker matters and that was just what she needed - a walk well spent.

Kolina