ABOUT: 12:00 pm; june 5th; the library.
STATUS: closed for @phoenixannestuff
Never in her life had Juniper been lacking. Not in academics, and certainly not in benevolence. She thrived in situations where others expected her to falter. At Hudson, she more hoped than expected that this would remain the same. For the most part, it did. She found herself eager to wake up early, gathering her textbooks within her hands and later spread them across a table in the library. It had basically become a ritual, something she was content with..and yet, she was lacking. In an academy where she naively anticipated she could get by based on her brain alone, she’d all but failed any sort of physical test she received. For the first time in her life, Juniper hadn’t received an A. Well, at least I got to try something new, right?
Juniper never had a reason to fight. In fact, she couldn’t imagine herself ever physically hurting someone. It may have been due to her petite frame, her sole interest in academics, or her discomfort with causing others pain. Either way, the thought made her uncomfortable, but apparently her delicate hands swiftly making their way to someone’s face was necessary. Necessary, the word they repeated when they noticed the way her eyes widened when it was her turn. Like with anything else, Juniper was determined to prove them wrong. She’d never be Onyx, or Inferno, or anyone else who almost made the act of violence appear beautiful, but she’d endure as Juniper — just a version of herself that didn’t wince whenever she threw a punch.
She knew just who to go to. The woman she’d often speak to from across the table whilst simultaneously studying. Annie, or rather Phoenix. Though a part of her curiosity had been piqued as to how she received that particular code-name, even Juniper knew not to ask about someone’s history. Their conversations were awkward at worst; she found herself ashamed to admit she was slightly suspicious of Annie. Now, she yearned for her aid. If it helped her figure out just what Annie’s objective was with her, that’d just be an added bonus.
As per usual, with her math textbooks — this time, it was Combinatorics — in hand, she strolled towards what she could classify as her table. Well, their table, seeing as Annie was across from her more often than not. As expected, she spotted the familiar head of dark hair almost immediately, which evoked a grin of enthusiasm and not an arched eyebrow as she’d reluctantly become accustomed to.
“Annie.” She spoke gently, as she always did. Though usually their conversations would begin with a hello, Juniper needed to get right to the point so as to avoid stringing her along. She didn’t want to use Annie ( the woman deserved better ), but if a certain arrangement could be made, it’d be ideal. “You’re an exquisite fighter.” She said this more so as a fact than a compliment. “Ah…would you — would you mind teaching me?”
In another life, Annie could’ve been Eileen Fisher. Twenty-two, with a degree in economics, peering above oaken desks through a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles. Her favorite color? Forest green, like her father’s. The man was an English professor at Portland State University. Eileen was an investment banker to be, paying her way through grad school with weekend shifts at the library. She liked cats, even though they gave her hives, and listened to French music while eating takeout with her fiancé. Her mom couldn’t cook to save a newborn baby from burning, and Eileen was just as hopeless. It was endearing-- in a tragic way. But she laughed easily, smiled freely, and was really, genuinely happy. And for a person like Eileen, that was more than enough.
Annie sighed, tucking away the memo she’d made around her potential identity. Stealing bits and pieces of people came as easy as a summer breeze, something she’d started as a kid, appropriating the mindsets of book characters into her everyday life. How to smirk, carve a punch… she’d camped out near the bar on Lombard Street long enough to get the gist down from street teens. And Uncle Dougie’d taught her how to twist a man’s arm until he screamed. But the easiness of Eileen, her romantic, tender heart, wasn’t something Annie knew well. How she yearned to see the world, to visit Paris... Annie’s dreams had been much simpler. To have a mattress without wires that poked holes in her back. Clean water from the tap. A father that didn’t choke her throat up with terror. But those were dreams, not reality, and urban Jesus had given her a gun. To lie and cheat and steal from her friends… The assignment was something akin to that. Another mask to cover the bruises.
Bludgeoned nails drummed their way over the desk, far off spot in the library safe from any distractions. It wasn’t her spot, really, it was Juniper’s, but the other hadn’t found it in her to evict Annie yet. The mere thought sent a hole to the pit of her chest, despite knowing her days here were numbered. She’d have to pack up her things, avert her eyes from the girl, duck away when they ran into each other at some point. But she was here now, and if there was anything Annie was good at, it was pretending-- holding on. For as long as a pipe dream could last.
“Oh, uh-- hey,” Annie replied, surprised by the girl who’d just been walking her mind. Pop punk wafted unobtrusively through tilted headphones, finger thumbing the killswitch on her computer. Juniper. The softest person she’d ever known. Why her stomach kicked a storm around her, she’d never know. “I, uh-- fighting-- yeah-- sure, anything fi-- ” Annie stumbled, cheekbones dappling a faint shade of pink. She turned away, knocking over a textbook before recovering and haphazardly stowing her things. “I, uh, exqui-- fighting, yeah, sure, that’s what-- fighting, uh-huh.”
Doe eyes froze, settling themselves on the other, mouth raising to form a puppyish grin. She’d been almost coherent this time, which was somewhat of an improvement, given that Juniper’s gaze set her into a stroke-like state. So what if the girl unbalanced her a little? It didn’t mean anything. Nothing. Nothing at all. “What, uh, brought this on, Junebug?” Annie asked, eyebrow quirking as she held the door open for the other. Ratty gloves offered to carry Juniper’s textbooks, eyes fixed downward with a chewed inner lip. An awkward silence passed before she found the courage in her to look up. “I, uh, did okay on that tech practical today. And by that, I mean not abysmally. So... thanks for taking the time to help me out. I know I can be kind of... difficult, sometimes.”