[Center][h2][Color=tan] Juniper Lee Andrews[/color][/h2][/center]


[Color=gray]She tilted her chin up, trying to dislodge the current of bleeding energy that pulsated through her limbs. Nerves, they sparked and clamored beneath her skin while her heart quickened with every step. 

Meeting new people was never her strong suit. Even with the years of experience with the constant ebb and flow of new faces that the sea brought to her home. The only thing Juniper had learned was how to school her face to hide the quivering mass that was her core. She could smile, relax her shoulders, and breeze through a conversation. Or even haggle down a trader with a fierceness. But it was the quaking that happened in the comfort of a dark closest or an empty room afterwards that she never let anyone see. 

 But this was a different feeling. One that lingered over from the day before. That cold and vulnerable presence that had saturated her core as she made her way towards the where the map marked her new home. It lent the friendly faces that milled around in the crowds a darker tone. As if they judged her for being here. The same way she judged herself. [/color]

[I]No, I’m doing this [b]for[/b] them,[/i] [color=gray]Juniper thought to herself,  brushing away the niggling guilt that lay like a stone in the pit of her belly. Her parents needed the extra flow of income. It just so happened that she found a way to solve their problems and indulge in her coveted desires. 

Juniper tightened the grip around the worn handle that contained all that was left of her old life. They had sent the new recruits to their rooms fairly quickly, with the promise of a proper day to be given to them in the morning. She welcomed the quick orientation, as they walked them down the series of halls in her half dazed state. She was worn from her journey, the seas sucking what life she had left before she stepped back on solid ground. She may be from a storm weathered town but that didn't make her an expert when dealing with the tossing and turning of undulating waves. Juniper had crawled quickly into her provided bed, not bothering to u pack or even shed her clothes as she sought rest. 

But rest barely came and fled while she tossed and turned in the night. Dreams of thunderous storms that shattered the night sky and the faces filled with fear and condemnation that seemed to burn into her kept her woke in fine sheets of sweat. So when the morning rose Juniper had already risen well before that first light of day. She lingered in the bed, homesick for the gentle roar of the waves crashing against the Cliffside. And the raucous cawing of the sea birds that greeted her in the morning. 

Instead an unfamiliar silence pressed at her. 

With shaky fingers she quickly snapped open the buckle on her pack. The familiar smell of her father—of old spices and ale—wafted up to greet her, they lingered in the threads of the stolen jackets that lay neatly packed away. Warm memories enveloped her and settled a calm over her wavering heart. This is why she was here, the thread of sanity that reminded her of the home she needed to help provide for. 

She quickly shed yesterday’s old traveling suit and slid into a fresh wash of tanned leather. It pressed nicely against the plain white shirt she wore beneath. And for a moment she felt safe and secure once more. This might not feel like home yet, but she would make it be soon. 

As she headed out of her bedroom door she tripped lightly. Her nerves betraying her in a series of graceless footwork that almost sent her sprawling onto the ground below. With a sheepish look that burned her cheeks Juniper glanced around. The halls blissful empty as she let out a heady sigh of relief. 

Thankfully it was too early for the guild and no one was there to witness her blunder. She pressed her lips into a firm line, eyes narrowing before straightening the hem of her jacket.[/color] [I]This is it,[/i][color=gray] she thought with a silent farewell given in the back of her mind to her old life.
 And with a sense of belonging she padded softly down the maze of hallways. 

The inside of the guild smelled of stone and soot. Long gone were the flames that warmed the hearths that roared last night. Only the fresh scent of new wood and the gentle clamor of servants scattering to start the day. She paused, listening to the faint chatter that echoed down a pathway, trying to remember the way that brought her here from the guild’s marvelous hall. She didn't want to ask, a sense of pride and embarrassment dwelling within her. But the map of the guild that she had thought he memorized had vanished like thief in the night. Her brain sluggish as she took another corner only to find herself at a dead end. [/color] “Where am I supposed to go," [color=gray] she asked out loud with a sigh. [/color]