The past beats inside me like a second heart

LOCATION | First at the streets in the center of Grounds of Lily
DATE | 27th of March 2022
TIME | Late afternoon, the sun is setting
WEATHER | Clear sky, its not warm but not cold either
TOPIC FOR |  @Juniper Avalon  x
FOLLOW UP FROM | Ignite the fire
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[...] leaving Francis to stand there in awe and witness it. But then it hit him, making him fall to his knees as memories started to flicker from his eyes. Remembering something, but the memory didn't make sense.  He then got up took another step yet the same thing happened again. Once again he fell to his knees in pure agony, feeling like he wanted to scream his head out, but didn't. The thing is we are all here in this new world, not because its new. These lands are as old as any. Its only new because there is hope. And hope is at the very heart of love, he remembered holding Hope in his arms for the first time, the warm sensation of love he had never imagined being able to contain  that had washed over him, hit him again. Stabbing him right in the heart and tore it apart for a second, leaving him breathless. Then picking up his phone, shaking hands. First thought was to call his brother, because he for this moment was feeling fear too close to his core. But he got up on his feet, taking a few steps ahead pushing someone aside that was in his way. Cursing and yelling at them, making people walk away from him. Then he got another flash, Ayah - he hadn't met her... but he knew her... Francis took a few steps forward, collided with the first wall, hitting his head for real, then Faith he remembered the fire connection the fire he had just ignited minutes ago. Feeling the sense of guilt washing over him, a rare sensation. His eyes looked towards the sky, just hoping somewhere she would land a place where she felt safe.

Once again he exhaled. Then closing his eyes for a second, remembered he had typed Juniper's number in. The person he had been married to, had these three girls with he just started to remember. He needed to know more, because this burning inside his heart was starting to tear him apart. So, he dialed her number and almost didn't even let her pick up the phone nor say anything once she had done so, "I need you to meet me by the edge of the forest in Grounds of Lily as soon as possible, it's urgent," well he believed it was urgent also, maybe it was also rather urgent now that he just had lighted and burned up his youngest daughter to trigger her transformation. No one should really be alone after their first transformation, no matter the species. Yet it was still a wonder to him that a fairy could have the shape of a phoenix.

Sunday. It wasn’t because Juniper had a lot of things she did, other than walking around in her garden making sure that everything was alive and well. A little ritual of hers, to decompress from the week and the stress that there followed. Especially now that she was about to take over the headmaster role on the academy, which was something she was looking forward too. Not that the university hadn’t brought her a lot of joy. But there was just something about the fact that the academy helped young people, or old for that matter. To figure out what they wanted to be. At the university you usually already had a goal in mind, or else you wouldn’t be there. Even though some changed lanes. Even if it rarely happened. But other than that, she hadn’t given the events of the month much thought, as she tried not to, if she was being honest with herself. Feeling there were other matters more present than her missing memories. Even if she could see how it hurt especially her oldest daughter.

Her pocket started vibrating, and she pulled off her gloves and picked it up. Pressing her brows together as she didn’t know the number. But she picked up either way. “Hello, Juniper speaking?” but without explaining who it was, he just told her that he needed to meet now. At first, she had no idea who it was. “Excuse me? Why, why would I meet up with you, who is this?” she asked looking over her shoulder towards the house before looking back at the flower that was by her hand.

Francis took a long and exhausted breath in, not knowing if he was tired or just annoyed by Juniper not knowing it was him. Even if it was actually rather clear why she didn't know who was talking, she didn't have his number. So how would she know, not that he thought about it in this moment. "Francis speaking -" he tried not to groan by the fact he had to use his name over the phone. "It's about Faith - the --- uhm the fire fairy," now he had never heard Mariella being called Mariella, so it was his own instincts that knew his daughters by name now, his mind that had triggered them. "Can you come down here or not?" He said a bit more harshly, not really wanting to waste his time, he was sure he could find some answers himself but he also didn't really want to. A part of his heart wanted her to join him on this quest and he was a bit scared of why. What would happen if he learned the truth? It wasn't like fatherhood had changed Linus much, and Scorpio thrived alongside them. So, perhaps Francis for that reason wasn't too scared about accepting being a father - it was the whole part of someone having played with his mind that freaked him out and pissed him off at the same time. Because who had the nerves to be playing with his mind like this?

Francis speaking.
Time stopped for a moment. Even though she had been the one that had told him to call her. She hadn’t really thought much about it after she had given him her card. Maybe it had been her own mind trying to process the whole ordeal while leading her life as if nothing was about to change. Even though she still wasn’t sure if she wanted to get her memories back or not. It seemed almost inevitable that it shouldn’t happen one day. Especially since things start resurfacing.
Faith? “Mariella?” she asked, then he added the part about if she would come or not. “Fine, fine I’ll come” she hissed back, not really happy about it. Maybe some of the things that Hope had explained was starting to get to her. Who knew? But she wasn’t stupid either, which also made her a little skeptical about the whole situation. She hung up, and walked inside, Reginald had gone to visit Nigel. But she still sent him off a text that she needed to meet up with someone, and if he didn’t hear from her this would be the place to look for her. Then she grabbed her jacket and the keys to her bike and went along the trail towards the edge of the forest. Not that it took her long, as she could place the bike up against a tree and walked towards where she could feel his aura. “What has happened?” she asked rather straight forward, keeping her distance somewhat.

Mariella so that was her name too? Francis slightly confused and didn't say more than mumbling a little bit confused to himself. He walked closer to where he had said he wanted her to meet up with her, and crossed his arms a little, because there was still something in him that cared about this person that looked like a stranger, yet knowing she was anything but. "We talked, she caught fire and transformed into her true form, flew off -" he explained a little bit gesturing to the night sky. "She will be fine though, I hope - most likely fly to where she feels most safe, I assume you might know who to contact to make sure she is alright," Francis added looking at the fairy in front of him, knowing it wasn't the complete truth of the matter he had told, and Mariella would most likely tell just how she had caught fire. Well, he could handle the rounds of slaps if it came down to it. "And, I remembered something when it happened. I remember the first time I held Hope, when I held Ayah and Faith - Mariella or what ever... and I want to remember again," he took a longer and deeper breath in and didn't move his eyes from Juniper. "If our memories got taken away there has to be a reason to, so, I'm asking you to join me on the quest - because I need to know more."

Juniper could feel it, as soon as their eyes locked. Not that she had any memories that could explain why she felt the pull. Which only made it so much more, nerve wracking. Because she started to question everything. Which she hated, because Reginald was the love of her life. But when she stood here with a man that she barely knew, that explained what had happened. It was hard to even focus on what he was trying to tell her.
Clearing her throat, she had to rip away her eyes from him, her thumb gliding over her lip as she tried to put the pieces together. He wanted to remember, because there was already something stirring. How he could remember holding their children. Children she had no memory of, even if she knew that they were hers. But only because her heart told her so.
“Why, what do you wish to accomplish; why do you want to know?” she asked, pressing her brows together as she stepped towards him. “Because you can feel an aching in your heart, because you want to be a father for children that are all grown up? Because you want to relieve something that will never be able to be, and then have to carry that on our shoulders for the rest of your lives. Or for some selfish reason, that you want to prove to yourself that you for a brief moment was capable of something that you didn’t feel like you could ever be?” she had no idea where those words came from, but as she spoke them she knew them to be true. Letting out a shaking breath she closed her eyes letting her right hand find her forehead. This was starting to become rather complicated.

For a man like Francis, there was always something to accomplish. A goal he was set on or a vision the was striving towards. But he knew that her question was set on the girls, their girls. Which was still something so weird to even put into his mind. He narrowed his eyes a little bit taking a few slow steps closer to her while she was speaking. "I don't know what I will accomplish regarding this, but everything is better than having this sort of feeling spread out in my chest and ache in my head that I cannot make sense off. Besides if we have three beautiful girls, I don't see why there is much to argue in the matter? What are you so afraid off?" He wondered narrowing his eyes a little bit. He had lived a long life, a good long life where his dreams came true every single day. Now he knew he could have made a lot of enemies on the fact that he had just basically lighted his youngest child on fire, and he knew he would hear for it - yet he still believed he was doing the youngest fairy a favor. "Take it from me darlin', sometimes the best things comes from taking a risk or two," it was like a small echo moved through his head as he had said it, sure that he had said those words to her before. Another thing he couldn't remember. He needed to remember. "I'm going to find a way to remember, with or without you. I just wanted you to have the chance of it too."

What wasn’t there to be afraid off? Their whole life could be turned upside down. She pulled her lips back; it wasn’t just that. She had lived for far longer than he had, couldn’t he feel it? How ancient she was. Folding her lips, she had to hold herself back from snarling at him when he told her that sometimes things came from taking risks. She knew that, oh how she knew that.
As he went on, telling her that he was going to find a way to remember, with or without her. She grabbed his wrist taking that step closer lifting her head letting her eyes connect with his again. “Take it from me, darlin’ that sometimes you can ruin more with risk than you can gain, are you willing to do that, just because of your selfish notion?” she said in a low voice “I want to remember too, but I’m starting to believe that you want to remember for all the wrong reasons, our children are still our children, whether we remember the time that we raised them – Mariella was but a baby when she was ripped away from us, Hope barely in her teens and Ayah a young child, they are women know, their own people that just wants to know if their family is there for them when needed” licking her lips letting go of his wrist again. “I’ve lived so long that I’ve seen civilisation bloom, believe you me, I know how it is to take risks”

She grabbed his wrist, making his eyes spark for a second and if one looked closely enough the small just small pull on his lips was to be seen. He listened to her, then taking the final step closer to her keeping his eyes locked with hers. "Then why aren't you taking this one?" He then asked. If she had lived so long, seen so much. "Afraid that you will disappoint them, or that the memories will tear your soul apart because its a version of you that you wished would have been there with them throughout their lives, and then realizing that we have failed them, that they have raised themselves without us, that others have had the job?" He spoke from somewhere in his heart where he knew that they had failed them by not remembering them, by not being there - he just didn't remember the entire story, most of it really.  "The two of you already having a lovers quarrel?" Acacia laughed a little, as she leaned against a tree not far from them, having used the forest as a disguise for so long, it became so easy to even hide from her younger sister's abilities. "Of course I shouldn't laugh, this is way more sad than its funny really," she shook her head a little bit pushing herself away from the tree, letting her arm cross while looking at her sister and Francis. "And who the fuck are you?" Francis stepped a little bit away from Juniper, and maybe it was a pure instinct in him to take a small step in front of Juniper while looking at the dark fairy. Oh that's right. You don't remember, I did do a good job there, huh?" Acacia giggled a little bit taking one more step further.

Her eyes narrowed as he spoke about being afraid. Of course, she was afraid, and it concerned her that he wasn’t. In a way Hope had been right about that, memories forgotten for so long, what could be destroyed in the pursuit to get them back? But she didn’t get to answer him, when she felt an energy so strong that her focus was pulled away from the man standing in front of her. Swallowing she let go of his wrist as her tongue glide over her lips, feeling how dry they had suddenly become. Now, she had no idea about who the woman was, and yet, her body moved on its own accord either way. Pushing Francis behind her as she looked the woman straight into her eyes. Now, just like Francis she could have asked who the hell this woman was, and what she wanted with them. But even if her memories were fogged and didn’t really spark anything, she didn’t need them to know that it was her sister.
“What do you want?” she asked, almost as if she knew how it was. Feeling how the ground around them started to shake and the forest around her started to listen to the distress that her body was feeling. The darkness in this woman’s soul, it made it run down cold of back.

Even if Francis would love to once again put Juniper behind him, he stayed behind her, seemly because it seemed like Juniper was the one that had a connection to the other fairy - also he could smell it. The red flame like hair reminded him of Faith that he had just set free to the sky what an hour or so by now? How long was it even. Didn't matter now.

Acacia couldn't help but keep that smug smile on her lips, clearly enjoying herself. "Making you suffer, I thought that was obvious by now my dear sister," she sighed a little bit shaking her head, "of course, you wouldn't remember. Damn I did that spell so good, but dark magic is some of the best I ever gained access to," she looked around them noticing how the ground beneath them began to shake by Juniper's powers, making Acacia shortly letting a small giggle out, "always so dramatic Juni, calm down will ya - you are letting your powers get to your head," she shook her head a little bit. "But I always keep my eye out for you, then it did take me a good effort to keep Ayah and Hope from running into each other, because damn that was a close one - I never managed to find Faith though, but thank you for that one both of you. It's always so fun staying around family," she crossed her arms a little bit and breathed out with a bright smile on her lips. "Of course you wouldn't know much about staying around family, or you might - you just don't remember."

For every word that came out of Acacia’s mouth, the angrier Juniper became. Now, the old forest fairy wasn’t someone that got easily mad, mostly because she had tried everything that could have been possible been done to her. That was the curse of a long life, where you outlived your loved ones, and to that also had countless of lives that you had lived behind you. Almost as if you changed personalities when there was need too. It was either that or succumb to the darkness as her sister clearly had. A small tug at her nose put her expression in disgusted folds. For someone she had no idea who was, it was very clear what she thought about the red-haired woman. But then again, it was clear that you didn’t need your memories to know what you needed to know about people long forgotten. You might be able to lock away the memories in the brain, but the body still remembered and so did the heart.
“You didn’t answer my question” Juniper reminded her, because making her suffer was a very broad question and didn’t answer why now or what her intentions were at this very moment. “But if making me suffer is your only goal, I suggest that you walk away now, before I might do something I’ll regret” Juniper lifted her chin as her eyes narrowed clearly not afraid of the woman standing in front of her.

Acacia chuckled again, "well I couldn't really help but overhear your guys little struggle, that's why I'm here," she replied. The other thing made Acacia laugh a little and nodded, "right - the only thing you will regret is me being the best way to get your memories back." It wasn't because Acacia underestimated her sister, far from, but she also didn't just back down from anything thrown away - least of all her sister telling her what to do. "Which you seem to be arguing about, what do you say Francis hon'? Wasn't it you who so much wanted it back?" She took out a little box. See that caught Francis' sharp eyes within seconds, as Acacia took one green crystal up and looked at it. "In here is all your memories, stored away just waiting to be broken free, and," Acacia picked up another one a red one, "and here is yours, so close and yet so far," she chuckled a little. Now, she knew that the shapeshifter couldn't resist it. Putting a treasure such as this right in front of his eyes. And well Francis did take a few steps closer because like he had said, he would get his memories with or without Juniper. And if anything he could get those crystals from the fairy without even getting a sweat. But for now he just walked closer to see them a bit closer at distance.

It was still a very odd feeling. The feeling of looking at someone that you knew that you were supposed to know. But there were no memories to tell you whether it was a good or bad thing to know this person. It wasn’t like a déjà vu, as if your brain had picked up on something that led you to believe that you had seen the person somewhere before. Or this thing had happened once already. There simple, wasn’t anything there. And yet, her whole body tensed up as she saw that smile forming over her sister’s lips. The way she pulled things out of her pocket at simply happened to be there, just as Francis wanted to get his memories back? Now she understood that if this was true, powers wouldn’t be able to unlock the memories in their brain because they had been taken out. She still, however, didn’t trust it.
Her eyes flickered towards Francis as he stepped closer, clearly both fascinated with the crystal in her hand, but he had also been saying that he wanted to get his memories back whether she helped or not. “Francis” she mumbled, grabbing his wrist stopping him from going in to far, where he wouldn’t be able to get back out. “Careful” she whispered, licking her lips as her eyes roamed over the redhaired woman. She didn’t like it, not one bit.

See, the problem with Acacia's way of dealing with Francis was actually pretty simple. She didn't know this version of him, she had never dealt with him, only the person of him desperate of a kick of excitement. And that version of him had been less calculated, because once you reached a point of desperation, your vision became more greedy and you became just cross the line reckless. Juniper grabbed him by the wrist and he turned his head towards her. "Don't worry love, this is my area," he reminded her with a small wink and low voice, keeping his eyes on her till he removed her hand from his wrist. Then he turned to walk towards Acacia once again. Because all it really took from him was looking at her to let his mind playout all the different ways he could get the crystals and actually get away with it. It was far from everyone if anyone besides Linus that actually understood or knew the range of Francis' abilities. So, his movement remained still to at least everyone's eyes while he had reached Acacia, just looking really. "See, nothing to worry about - scared of remembering  the life you had?" Acacia looked towards Juniper, first mistake really, at least according to Francis because in that moment it took him within seconds to unnoticed actually get the crystals, then looking towards Juniper shortly. "See, that was what I told her," he shook his head and crossed his arms afterwards, stepping towards her. "Very disappointing," he lifted a brow that they needed to get out of here, hoping she at least could catch his hint. Because it would take Acacia one look down in the little box to realize the crystals wasn't there anymore.

Somewhere in those words that he spoke to her, she found something she didn’t really couldn’t explain. They sounded so familiar to her, just like taking a risk every once in a while.
So, Juniper let go of his hand and took a step back as he walked towards Acadia. Trusting him that he knew what he was doing, that this wasn’t something she would end up regretting. Which she already did if she was being honest. But sometimes the best thing came when you took a leap of faith, and right now she put her trust in Francis, because if she was being honest, it was the only thing she could do right now.
Scanning the interaction between the two strangers, that weren’t strangers at all. She waited for something, anything, that would tell her that it was time to get them out of there. Juniper locked eyes with her sister, feeling how a cold feeling ran down her back. Her whole being was not only chaotic, but it was also twisted and dark. In a way she hadn’t really met in other dark fairies before. Then she turned her attention to Francis as he told her it was disappointing that she was scared of remembering. For a moment she was about to say something but as he lifted his brow, it was as if she understood without even understanding. Moving as fast as she could, she conjured her magic and branches caught her and Francis as she put her arms around him, and they were pulled into the tree before they were teleported into her garden.
“Please tell me you got them” she said out of breath as she let go and took a couple of steps away from him. Her heart beating like crazy inside of her chest.

It happened rather fast. Getting pulled through the tree and teleported to another location. He assumed it was her home. He could smell that. It reminded him of something unknown, maybe it was how it smelled. So magical, it almost made him believe that everything had to be completely true. He realized how he had placed his right arm around her just as she had around him. To keep her secure, even if he hadn't been needing to. "If I got them, of course I got them -" he replied opening his other hand, still not removing his arm from around her. Then he closed the palm again before he secured them. "But I reckon I will hold onto them for now," he kept his eyes on his hand before looking towards her then taking a step away, looking around them. "So, your crazy ass sister being the one in the lead of all of this?" He shook his head a little bit, before he clicked his tongue. Now, it wasn't because Francis was uncaring and only cared about himself. His brother would know, as well as Scorpio and the people they aligned with over the years. Love like romantic love was different, it happened rarely, very much, but it did sneak up on him one time to another. Now he could make a way out of here. It was simple, burning up a way for him to escape, leaving the beautiful garden in chaos and flames  - but he didn't. At least not yet.

She let out a breathy laugh when he, with an almost boyish and offended tone, told her that; of course he had gotten them. It was then she realized just how they were standing, and for a moment she was taken aback with how much she felt by that small gesture. Mentally hitting herself for even thinking those thoughts, she loved Reginald, they were getting married. End of story. She narrowed her eyes as he spoke about holding onto them for now. “Hey now, wait a minute” she huffed, not really liking the idea of this man having something to hold over her. Maybe she didn’t want her memories back, but they were still hers, so she should at least get her crystal. Lifting her hand she pointed towards him, still with her eyes pressed gently together. “Don’t you dare change the subject, you can’t just keep my crystal” she argued, even if she was at this point still keeping her voice rather calm and collected. Not showing of the storm of emotions that was unfolding in her. It was almost as she could sense his thoughts about harming her garden. Now, there were few things that could make the ancient fairy angry, but harming nature was one of them. Her eyes took a golden green shine to it, as she could feel the power of her place calmly embrace her and started fueling her, in the need for protecting her home.

His lips pulled a bit further up into a little smirk, when she told him to wait a minute, raising his brow a little bit testing. "Can I not?" Francis clicked his tongue a little bit taking a step further back to make sure there would be some distance between them. "I'm a thief darlin', I get to take and keep what ever I want," he spoke as he watched how her eyes had begun to shine. The smile once again played brighter on his lips. "I reckon I should leave, don't you?" He pretended to look at the watch he wasn't wearing. "Besides, you have daughter on fire somewhere, who just transformed into something rather magnificent, however so - in a region filled with hunters, that does sound concerning. So, maybe -" he lifted a finger in the air as if he had thought this out thoughtfully, "maybe you should think about what is most important. A crystal that I will keep so ever protected, or your - our daughter, that I might have helped a little along finding her inner fire. So, what's it gonna be?" Francis asked, because well, he had no idea where Faith had ended up at. It could be anywhere really and he had no idea about the people she knew or their ressources on finding her if needed. His eyes started to glow in a firey orange color. "Just let me walk away," he almost warned. Not that he actually ever said that to anyone, or gave them a chance, with most people he would just have started the fire to get ahead.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, as he remembered her that he was a thief, and he could take and keep whatever he wanted. That wasn’t true, he had to know that. Even the best criminal would have to face the fact, that you couldn’t keep everything. One might create the illusion of that, because so many things were able to be obtained and then kept lock away safely by your own accord. But not everything, some things needed to be given to have the full effect.
She didn’t budge, when he told her that he should leave. Feeling how her heart plumped to her stomach, as he told her that one of her daughters were on fire somewhere. Transformed. What on earth did that even mean? But she didn’t say anything, and she didn’t move an inch. Her eyes locked with his in a steady battle between who would be the first to flinch.
As his eyes changed color so did hers, the gold floating into an emerald green. “You got some nerve” she said in a low and steady voice, just as her voice reached him, roots shot up from the ground quickly making a cocoon around them in record speed, some of the branches tried to grab around his wrist to keep it in place so she could at least get to her own crystal. She would find her daughter afterwards, but right now she wasn’t about to let him just walk away like that.

"That I do," he replied back. Because he knew that. How many people hadn't been telling him that over the years? Now, there was a fine line between the words Francis spoke to just speak them and their meaning he meant by them. His aim always aiming to anger people. Francis liked that, seeing the fire in their eyes as they flared up in anger or frustration. Much like Juniper was right now. He watched how the roots bursted through the ground to restrain his wrist, making him crack up with a small laugh. Not that he was ever to underestimate her, he knew deep in his bones that he shouldn't. "You really think I would hand you the crystal not knowing if she spoke the truth about them?" He narrowed his eyes a little bit. Because who were they to trust the other fairy's words? It could simply be the other way around and he would end up having his thoughts and memories in her hands - no that was not going to happen. They could also be fake, cursed or all of the above. Sceptic when it came to magic? Just a little bit. "Now you want to do this the easy way or the hard way? Because I'm losing my patience," he pointed out not yet letting his fire come out to play, but it was on the edge of the seat - even so under other circumstances he would be let it out moments ago if it was the only way he could escape a situation like this. But there also was no situations like this. If she didn't however let the roots let go of his wrist, his arm would flame up with enough fire power to force them off. Tugging the crystals away so they wouldn't be in sight.

As he laughed she could feel how the frustration was building in her stomach. Like a lump of hot lead it burned, and they were getting close to see the Juniper that had brought death and destruction to many villages in China after freeing slaves. The woman that had fought in the ring where it had been a matter of life and death. A woman that not many thought she could turn into, and even less had ever had the ‘pleasure’ of meeting.
“I am one of the strongest fairies you’ll find on this earth” she growled in a low and warning voice “I might not look like much too you, because I walk around like nothing bothers me, but believe you me” she felt how the growing roots around them were starting to get out of hand “I’ve put far stronger creatures than you in their place, and you would have had a bigger chance of figuring out what there is going on with these crystals if you had kept me on your good side, but harming our children, flaunting it in my face, laughing as if I’m a joke to you – Francis, you might feel like you’re superior, but you’re forgetting that you are right now in my domain” she was done playing little miss nice and easy going. The pushover many thought her to be, but with all the pain and chaos she had caused, she felt that it had been in its right to retreat and fall back. Bring some good into the world instead.

Francis listened to her, keeping himself rather calm in the situation. Not because he didn't take her words for it when she said them. Francis knew he wasn't the strongest and most powerful of creatures out there, and he also knew he didn't need to be. "Okay you are right," he took a sharper breath in, he lifted his hands up to show defeat of this fight. It would get him no where to try fly away, burn everything completely down. The only thing about Juniper that was different than how he dealt with other people was, he was emotional involved in a way he didn't understood or wanted to be, so he lashed out instead of using his brain. And it was about time he started to use it. "It's possible that I lash a bit out when involving you and our kids, because I don't know how to - how to be that person," he confessed which was true, it wasn't just empty words to get ahead, even if it just as well could be. "You fucking confuse me - and I'm so bloody tired of having your roam around in my mind every single hour of the day, not being able to understand why -" he shook his head a little in frustration then clicking his tongue.

Juniper calmed herself down with taking in a good amount of air through her nose and took a step back. The roots that had made sure to surround them so he wouldn’t be able to get away, slowly retreated into the ground and she titled her head while her eyes narrowed. It was clear to see for the old fairy that he was being provoked by feelings that he didn’t understand. The only thing about it was, that he wasn’t the only one being affected by this. She also had times where she was so confused by looking at her children and knowing just how much she loved them, but there was a very vital piece missing in the equation, the memories of why she loved them. Of course, they saw each other more now, went out for walks and had sat down and talked about things, things that ranged from heaven to earth. Through that she understood that feelings didn’t have to come from memories, but as long as you trusted your heart, then everything would be alright.
“I don’t know why that amounts to you wanting to take away my chance to understand this as well - you’re not the only one suffering, but you are behaving like you are!” she said back trying to relax her shoulders and stop flexing her fingers. “We can figure this out together, but you are running off is not going to solve anything, if anything it is only going to make things worse for when you finally get your memories back, if you decided to do that - that is” she added, licking her lips.
The roots were now halfway back into the earth, and they could see the blue sky over them again.

Francis exhaled a little bit, well he knew she had to be suffering too. But when you lived the life where you had your family closest to your chest, and a few good people who you were very commit to - it didn't fall him in first line to protect Juniper's feeling in the matter, because he had no memories that told him why he should, and yet he was far from as ruthless or rude as he could be towards her, as he perhaps would have had if she had been a common stranger in the matter. For a moment he remained quiet, not really know what to say or at least he knew his words on the matter could just make things go to the wrong side. "We will figure it out I guess," he clicked his tongue a little bit and shook his head. "But you are right, running away isn't going to solve anything," he took out the crystals once again from his pocket and looked at them, before exhaling. "You sure you want to be the one holding onto this?" He wondered looking at her crystal with a curious gaze, then looking up at her again. Francis wasn't going to stay here for longer than needed, he didn't like the feelings below the surface that wanted to appear.