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“I’m flattered.” Joked Juniper. “I’m glad you want me to come back.” A soft laugh left her throat but she was actually extremely happy to be wanted back somewhere.
She was wanted somewhere. That was even better. “I’ll come back, don’t worry too much.” She said to both of them, a small, true smile playing on her lips. “I’m good in that ruthless shit.”
Jesse, though tense at the beginning of the conversation, slowly relaxed as Juniper spoke, the awkwardness and almost shyness suddenly comforted by Juniper's words.
"Juniper said she can take us to where she thinks Roger might be!!" Astrid exclaimed, breaking the silence like a bulldozer. Jesse's comforted eyes widen and he grows back to tensity.
"What?" Jesse's eyes locked with Juniper's, confusion and bewilderment filling his face.
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June slowly slid the bag over towards her, curious as to what was inside. She paused for a moment, watching him. Did Relax when she spoke?
Her eyes flickered over his face before locking back onto his eyes. “I can recall a few people who fit the description of Roger.” She said softly, folding her arms. Little did she know that if she had been tested, one would find she had a photographic memory. She could remember faces extremely well, and places much better.
“I remember the place they were too…”
"Are you sure he's even alive?"
Jesse inquired, a little nervous at the idea of seeing his brother after all these years. What could have possibly happened to him? It's not like there were many people that looked like Roger; did Astrid describe him well enough?
Astrid nodded vigorously, excitement bubbling over in her face as she squeezed her hands tight.
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The female shrugged, running her fingers through her hair. “Beats me. There really is only one way to find out.” She replied simply. “But if he is alive, I could help you. I remember faces like you know Astrid’s.” A small smile danced on her lips. “I’m also very experienced out there.”
As Juniper waited for an answer, she took a look into the bag, humming happily. “Did you put this together for me?” She asked softly, glancing up at him. Maybe he was starting to warm up to her.
Jesse resisted a smile as he looked down, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Yeah, just some supplies and food to last you a week or two, as long as you ration it. Found a full box of matches, too, it's in there."
Astrid grinned at Jesse, who couldn't seem to stand still as he talked.
"Well, we'd best get ready to set out for Roger, right?" Astrid announced, placing her hands on her hips triumphantly.
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Juniper was more than glad to receive the items. Two weeks was a long time and she was good at rationing. But one thing she could not figure out for the life of her was why? Why did he decide to put this together for her?
“Thank you… but I do think we should listen to your sister and start getting ready. We can leave today or tomorrow if you’d like.” She replied kindly, finding herself happy and bubbly now.
Jesse's eyes wandered through the room, a slight sigh escaping his lungs as he shrugged his shoulders, grabbing a can of soup and turning on the stove.
"Probably tomorrow. It's already mid-day today and I'd rather if we left in the morning."
Astrid grinned, tilting forward towards Jesse as she pointed at him.
"Are you sure you can wake up that early?" She teases, earning a scoff from Jesse.
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Juniper hummed happily, looking around the home and biting her lip. “I agree. Mornings are easier to travel. Until we get to the Venlands, then we travel at night and night only. The sun is too hot there to even be outside.” She said softly, sitting down in her makeshift bed and pulling the blankets around her. Juniper unraveled her bandages to check the wound, frowning slightly. She didn’t want it to get infected…
At the tease Juniper laughed, looking at Astrid. “Can he not get up on time?” She asked with a giggle.
Astrid shook her head with stifled laughter as she hopped onto the counter, kicking her legs.
"His idea of waking up early is 11am."
Jesse rolled his eyes as he heated up the soup.
"It's not like we have a schedule, do we?"
"I have a schedule," Astrid defended, chuckling slightly. "Plus, you wake me up at my time anyway. You can handle staying awake, right?"
Jesse sighed and shrugged his shoulders, preparing the soup into three bowls.
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She laughed, moving to stand next to Astrid after she had rewrapped her bandages. “That’s late. My getting up early is 3 AM so prepare yourself.” She told Jesse, smiling softly as she played with the edge of her hoodie. It still smelled slightly of fire and smoke and it was driving her crazy. The only issue was she had nothing else.
Juniper listened to the other two talk for a bit, her eyes soft and warm. It felt like she home. Like everything around her would be perfectly fine if she could talk to these two all day. She found herself wishing she could stay with them. But they wouldn’t want another mouth to feed.
Jesse rolled his eyes at the two bragging about how early they wake up.
"You two are crazy."
He mutters, handing Juniper and Astrid a bowl of soup, taking one for himself. Astrid grinned and tilted her head, thanking Jesse for the soup.
"Either way, Jesse's helped me survive this world. I'm not nearly as capable, so he's gone above and beyond for me."
Jesse shrugged nonchalantly, as if Astrid was exaggerating.
"I'm your brother, I'll always be there for you."
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“It sounds nice. I would love a brother or two in this world.” She laughed softly, leaning back and taking the bowl of soup happily. The first sip she took warmed her soul. “Mm thanks Jesse. This is good.”
Juniper ate in silence for a bit longer after that, happy sighs leaving her throat. “Thank you again.” She murmured when she had finished, moving to wash her dish.
Astrid perked up at Juniper's wishing aloud.
"Jesse is your brother now. And once we find Roger, he'll be your brother too!" She chimed, sipping the last of the soup carefully as Jesse collected her empty bowl, tossing it into the sink. Jesse glanced awkwardly at Juniper for a moment, but as he maintained his eye contact, it slowly grew into a warm gaze.
"It's easier to work with a team, that's for sure." Jesse added, shrugging his shoulders.
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Juniper smiled sweetly. Her eyes glistening in a slight happiness. She felt at home here. She felt like these two were a sister and a brother. And she loved every second of it.
“It really is. Especially out there, where you won’t survive on your own. Even I’ve had to rely on groups to help me.” She lamented, leaning against the sink once she had finished washing.
Astrid's lips turned upwards into a warm smile as she nodded, listening to Juniper, but Jesse looked down to the floor, studying his shoes which, for some reason, seemed much more interesting to Jesse now.
"That never turns out well, does it?" Jesse's words are quiet and cold, calm but unfortunately knowing. The tone of his voice revealed more than what he said as his eyes glance upwards at Juniper, but don't stay there for long.
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Juniper frowned deeply, staring at Jesse. His words were true. It never worked out. “No… it doesn’t. Not once. No one wants a scrappy girl to take care of in their group.” She said rather bitterly.
No one wanted to keep her in a group because she had nothing to offer. She was just trying to survive. “Who wants to take care of someone who has nothing to offer?”
"None of us have anything to offer." Jesse snapped, causing Astrid's eyes to flicker towards him. She remained still, almost as if she's waiting for him to finish.
"Quit thinking that's how this world runs. No one wants to offer each other anything. They just want to survive."
Astrid blinked slowly and calmly, as if she agreed. She believed and respected every word that Jesse spoke. She added to Jesse's words in order to soften them.
"The same people that expect things from you are the ones that offer nothing as well. If they do offer you things, they expect something in return. It's a cruel reality, but once you're aware of it, things become easier."
Jesse crossed his arms and huffed.
"You shouldn't have anything to offer anybody. They don't deserve to take from you constantly."
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Juniper shrank away from his scorn, looking awkwardly at her feet. She had never been told off like this and now she was confused. People had told her the only way she could live was if she had something to give. That she was a rat and everyone except she deserved to get whatever she earned. But here was Astrid and Jesse telling her the opposite of that. Who was right? Who should she listen to?
The confused female blinked, biting her lip. “Who do I listen to…?” She asked, looking up. “I’m confused. You two tell me they don’t deserve it…. but they say otherwise. Who’s right?” She asked quietly.
Jesse shrugged his shoulders, almost unfazed by the question as he holds his arms out. His demeanor shifted, he made himself look taller as he almost towered above the two girls.
"I deserve to be praised. I deserve to be worshiped like a god. You deserve to give me your entire life and everything in it."
Astrid failed to resist a giggle as Jesse's body language slumped back into a shrug, leaning on one foot and crossing his arms, back to the smaller kid he was.
"Should you believe me, just because I said that?"
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Juniper smiled a bit, but didn’t laugh. She was seriously confused by it all. Until he made his point clear with his words. “Oh… n-no not at all… because I could probably kick your ass, excuse my language.” She replied, letting out a small giggle. Now she understood.
“Is it the same way with the others? I shouldn’t believe it just because they say it?”
"Actions speak louder than words, June."
Jesse hummed, resting his head in one hand, occasionally looking at Astrid, who only stared at the floor or people's shirts.
Astrid's eyes suddenly lit up and she jumped, speaking in an almost panicked voice.
"Wait, if Roger's alive and we find him, do I have to give him his jacket back?"
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Juniper nodded softly, shifting her weight back and forth. “I understand that now… it’ll take awhile for me to believe it, but I understand it.” She murmured in reply.
Juniper laughed at the girl’s sudden outburst, moving back to the pile of blankets she called her bed. “Tell him it’s yours now cuz he was gone for so long.”
Astrid grinned, the smile evolving into a laugh as she leaned forward, her head tilting back into the laughter.
"Yeah, if he wanted it back he should have come for it." She uttered in a playful tone as Jesse turned to the hallway.
"I'm going to go out for a bit, see if there's any available jobs I could take."
Astrid sighed and rolled her shoulders. The jobs weren't anything to be proud of. Usually something messy and laborious, but people would rather pay a random kid off the streets to do the dirty work than do it themselves, so Jesse took advantage of that.
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“Exactly!” She giggled in reply, nodding her head. She watched the male drift away, her eyes lingering on his face. “Mm don’t be out too long. Jobs may be good for money but you can’t trust the people.” She warned with a small smile. The words were meant to be more of a caring phrase. “Be careful.”
Juniper turned to Astrid and smiled happily. “I like it here. Thank you for being such a good friend.”
Astrid looked over at Juniper's shoulders with a smile, nodding vigorously.
"I'm glad I met you, Juniper." She uttered, her words a little hesitant, but genuine nonetheless, especially from her smiling in her words, unable to contain the joy. She sat down next to Juniper, getting comfortable before looking back at her.
"So; I've told you a lot about my life, you have to tell me about yours now."
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Juniper hummed happily, pulling the blankets around her and smiling brightly. She was overjoyed to be welcomed in so warmly.
“My life is uneventful. But I guess I’ll tell you.” She joked, laughing. “What do you want to know about it? I was born an only child here in this town, my parents raised me to be good and loving despite everything that was happening. And then they left me home alone one day and never came back. I learned a year later they had left me down here to live in the city above us. Since then I’ve been traveling from town to city to trading post trying to get a passport to go to that city. That’s about it.”
Astrid listened intently, scribbling in her sketchbook as Juniper spoke. At the end of the story, Astrid furrowed her brows in confusion, immediately hitting Juniper with questions.
"Why didn't they take you? How did you find out about where they went? How old were you when they left?"
She didn't give Juniper enough time to answer the first question before she went on to the next.
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Juniper bit her lip and waited for Astrid to finish. “Well, I was about.. nine? Ten? Old enough I could survive on my own out here. I have no idea why they didn’t take me, that’s what I’m trying to figure out and I found out from a neighbor who assumed I was with them and asked me why I was on the ground.” She replied, hoping she had answered all the questions.
“I was pretty devastated by it. But now I’m just mildly ticked. Why didn’t they just tell me I couldn’t go? I would have stayed down here and earned my own money for a passport. No, they left me.”
Astrid nodded with every few words Juniper said, as if listening closely, but she only looked at Juniper's jacket collar. Juniper may not realize it, but the fact that Jesse knowingly and willingly allows Juniper to stay at home with Astrid already demonstrates how much he trusts her. Astrid knew it, though. She knew she's tried to make friends before, but Jesse would nudge Astrid away. Astrid respected her brother, so she didn't question his lack of trust.
But she's glad he trusts Juniper.
"That's stupid. That they left you."
Astrid leaned backward as she tilted her head upwards, lost in thought.
"Hey, Juniper? When you get up to the floating cities, would you ever come back? At least for a visit?"
