[PRP] With a Little Bit Of Luck [Juniper/???]

[Kolina]

As luck would have it, or, as Other Ashdown would, Juniper turned a corner and found herself staring at a muted and rainy world. It was not what she had been expecting on her way home from the park. In fact, she had been looking forward to a night curled up under a blanket, a mug of tea within reach, Star on her lap and a good book in her hands. Instead, it seemed, she was going to be navigating herself through Other Ashdown for however long she ended up being trapped there. She sighed in resignation.

Remembering that Jeremiah had said he had been stuck there for a week once made her even more uneasy considering she had nothing on her. God, I hope I don’t get stuck here that long. She thought as she trudged along the street she had found herself on.

Maybe she'd get a little bit of luck. Again.

“Welp. If I am going to be here, I might as well make the best of it I suppose.” She pulled up the hood of the hoodie she wore, blonde hair peeked out the sides, before thrusting her hands in the large front pocket as she began trudging down the street she was on.

Blue eyes scanned the buildings she passed. She was hoping to find something of interest to explore. After all, she might as well start to get to know the place better if she was going to be randomly pulled in. The more knowledge she had about the place, the better off she’d be.

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

There's a scent on the breeze.

Something sweet and long forgotten, the smells of childhood.

It carries her to a gate, wrought iron and covered in ivy. It cracks open with a creak, inviting her in.

Kolina

 

[Kolina]

It was soft, the scent, and it tugged at memories long forgotten. A gentle prod followed by a more insistent want, brought forth a faint memory of times past. She had been a mere child the last time she had scented anything like it. She barely remembered her mother coming in from the garden with the soft aroma clinging to her and it made her smile.

What was going on?

Curious the young woman followed the sweet scented trail. It wasn't hard to do seeing as the moment she turned the wrong way it would quickly fade away. Turning back around and returning to where she had come would put her back on the trail.

Juniper couldn't help but liken herself to that of a bloodhound at that precise moment. It was an amusing thought that made her chuckle to herself as she navigated Other Ashdown to what would be her destination.

She stood before the gate as it opened for her with a pronounced creak in its hinges. The ornate deal of the wrought iron was lost amongst the thick ivy that grew all over it. Despite the overgrown foliage, Juniper found the scene quite lovely and relaxing despite being in Other Ashdown. She still wasn't terribly comfortable in the rainy, dreary world. It was getting better though with each passing visit.

Taking the opened gate as invitation, Juniper walked through. She paused for a few moments to inspect the ivy. Finger glided over the greenery, and she smiled despite herself as she shifted from one leaf to another. There was an attempt at moving the ivy to try and look at the wrought iron more thoroughly but it proved useless. Ivy was always one of the most stubborn of the plant world when it came to holding onto what it claimed as it's own.

Eventually, Juniper pulled herself away from the plants and turned her attention to what laid before her as she strolled further away from the gate.

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

The gate slammed closed behind her, almost as if it was in a huff. The ivy she had so carelessly tugged at twined together and held the wrought iron gate tightly closed.

As she continued to walk into the garden it became clear that the weather that was part of other ashdown had no part here. Not where she was at least.

Her path would eventually take her to a pavilion where a young woman stood holding a parasol. She spun on her feet, dancing with no one, to music only she seemingly could hear.

5olina

 

[Kolina]

Juniper jumped when the gate slammed closed and the vines worked their way around the gate to keep it shuttered from anymore use. "Welp. Guess I am not suppose to leave." She said as she turned back towards the direction she had been heading. Her heart pounding in her chest, unsure what to expect.

As she walked, Juniper noted the change in weather. Ok. That's weird. No matter where I went the weather always is nasty, but not here? What could be going on? Was this just magic or was there something more occurring?

She continued to follow the path and really, it didn't take long for her to find a pavilion and someone she had never seen before along with it. Blue eyes watched as the young woman danced around under the shelter of the structure. Juniper couldn't hear any sort of music and she assumed the girl was just dancing to something she was imagining in her head. It would be an outright lie if Juniper said she had never done such a thing before.

Carefully, she approached the pavilion and the parasol carrying woman. She worried at her bottom lip for a moment before clearing her throat. "Um, hello there." She said, sounding cheerful but a bit hesitant. "I sort of stumbled upon your garden here. I hope you don't mind." With a tentative smile, Juniper leaned against one of the support beams that framed the entrance to the pavilion, her hands pressed against the pole, as she gazed in. "It was like I was invited, and something smelt so lovely and...familiar."

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

The woman jumped, her lace parasol dropped to the ground and spinning. She was pale-eyed with blonde hair that was kept up in a loose braided bun. Something was familiar about her but Juniper would not be able to place it.

"This isn't my garden," she replied, a hand pressed to her chest. "I'm just waiting for my lover here." She seemed to gather herself, the moment of being startled passing, and picked up her parasol to close.

"It does smell quite lovely this time of year."

Kolina

 

[Kolina]

"Oh no. I am sorry! I didn't mean to scare you." She said as she pushed away from the beam and stepped up and into the pavilion to try and help the woman but she recovered quick enough and picked up her own parasol.

"Are you alright?" She questioned watching the girl gather herself after the obvious startle that Juniper had caused. "Again, I am really sorry. I should have realized you hadn't noticed me. You seemed quite involved with your dancing. Which was lovely may I add." She offered the woman a smile as she casually clasped her hands behind her back.

Juniper watched the woman for a moment. There was something about her. Something that was familiar in some way but...it just wasn't coming to her. How frustrating.

"You're waiting for your lover? Is he suppose to be here soon?" Juniper hadn't noticed it until the word came out of her own mouth, but lover was a peculiar word to use. Most people referred to their significant other as boyfriend or girlfriend. Or husband or wife if that situation fit. She couldn't remember when she had actually heard someone use that term until now.

"So, do you happen to know who owns this Garden? It's very lovely! I can't say I've seen anything quite like it before and I enjoy the fact that it's not raining here. That's an added bonus." A light chuckle escaped her

"Do you happen to live around here? In um....in Other Ashdown I mean?" Was this girl one of those natives that Jeremiah had mentioned? After all, why else would she be waiting for her lover to meet her here? She doubted that this was a great rendezvous point for couples.

Ashdown Wh11aler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

The young woman blinked at her, head tilting to the side and studying Juniper. It seemed like her questions, the barrage of them, was quite strange.

"I said my lover, not-" she started and then stopped, fingers clutching tightly to her parasol. "We always meet here. The garden is for everyone but I don't know this other ashdown that you speak of."

Kolina

 

[Kolina]

Brows furrowed slightly at the sudden halt in words. The tightened grip on the parasol would have been missed if it wasn't for the white knuckles. Did I say something I shouldn't have? She tried to thin over her words quickly in her mind. "Sorry, I assumed your lover was a he." She bit at her lowed her for a moment. "I am not one of those people who care which way you swing."

Welp, Juniper suppose that answered one of her questions. This parasol equipped woman must be a native and wouldn't refer to this Ashdown as the Other Ashdown. "Um. Sorry, I mean here, in Ashdown."

Am I just digging myself a deeper hole here?

"You know what, forget it." She said flippantly, a hand waving in front of her. "I am just a bit over excitable sometimes." With an outstretched hand in greeting, she took a step forward. "I am Juniper." She smiled warmly, hoping that maybe the young woman may relax some. "It's lovely to meet you."

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

She nodded jerkily at the apology but still did not seem to truly alright.

"I still don't know what you're talking about. This Ashdown and Other Ashdown. You're not making much sense ..."

Blinking a bit at Juniper's sudden turn around, she very tentatively took the young woman's hand into her own.

"Kess," she replied before she let go and gave her a graceful curtsy. "Are you ... unwell? You seem a little confused?"

Kolina

 

[Kolina]

Juniper smiled at Kess encouragingly when she stepped forward to shake her hand.

"Um, no, I am fine." She smiled at Kess's lovely little curtsy. That certainly wasn't something she saw other women do on a day to day basis. "Um. Let's see. Ashdown and Other Ashdown are sort of...I guess like parallel worlds in a sense? Maybe?" She scratched her head as she tried to form her words. "OK, I come from a place called Ashdown and somehow my place, or world, is attached to this one." A world attached to another world that was only accessible by certain people and even then they had no real control over when they stepped into the other world? Yep. She probably sounded completely crazy right now. "Um, you know, how about we just forget I mentioned it?" She was doing a poor job of trying to explain it, after all.

"Anyway." She said with a bit of emphasis as she placed her hands into the front pockets of her jeans. "Are you expecting your lover soon? If you think it might be a bit, I wouldn't mind just hanging out here and chatting." She smiled. "I mean, as long as it's not a problem? I very much would enjoy some pleasant company."

ashdown whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

Juniper was definitely being eyed like she was probably more than a little loony but the young woman with her oddly familiar features seemed not to be bothered by it for the most part.

"My lover will arrive when it's time," she told her, "but I would not mind company either. You can tell me what brought you to the garden."

Kolina

 

[Kolina]

Juniper noted the look she was getting and sighed. What could she do? There was no way to explain that any better and really, she was sure she deserved the side eye she was getting. But, whatever. She'd deal. It wouldn't be the first and probably not the last time she was given looks that said people thought she was a bit crazy.

"Ah, right. Well, I was just wandering around oth...I mean, I was just on a walk when something, I don't know exactly what it was, but a very familiar scent caught my attention. I followed it to the entrance to the Garden here. It was a bit odd, but the gate sort of...opened up for me? Like I was invited in. After I entered it closed back up and the vines made it very obvious I was not suppose to leave since they twined around the gate." Blue eyes watched the girl for a moment, before Juniper moved to perch herself on the banister that ran around the pavilion. She used one of the support beams as a steadying point and leaned against it, her long legs dangling as she kicked them slightly. "Like I said, it was like I was invited here. Or meant to come here."

"You know, Kess, you seem familiar. I am not sure why since I am pretty sure we've not met before..." Surely she'd remember the pale eyed young blonde if she had? "Could just be you resemble someone I've seen before and it's just not coming to me, who."

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

"The garden keeps secrets," Kess told her very primly, "so it must want to keep you if the gate sealed behind you or that you're meant to learn something."

She resumed spinning around, dancing as she spoke to Juniper.

"Perhaps? I've been told I have a very familiar face." ... and as she said it, the shape of her eyes changed to something not unlike Juniper's.

Kolina

 

[Kolina]

"Keep me?" Juniper didn't much like the sound of that at all. "I am not sure about that, but I am not opposed to learning something here." The real question was, would it be something she could actively pursue to learn about or would it just have to sort of...happen with time?

"Ah, well I know people who..." And she paused mid section as she watched Kess's eyes change right in front of her. For a moment, she had thought she was seeing things, but then it became oddly creepy that it felt like she was almost looking at herself in the mirror when it came to Kess's eyes. "Whoa. Ok, how did you do that?" She said, hopping from her perch on the banister to walk towards Kess. She made it a point to stop out of the girl's dancing area though, not wanting to trip her up.

"I mean, how did you change the shape of your eyes like that? It's not like...an illusion or something?" Because that would make more sense to her than a total rearranging of the muscles and structure of Kess's eyes.

Ashdown Whaler