Chapter 4 - Our Love

                                    

                                          
"Hey, Junie. I got a little something for you~" Juniper looked up from coloring one of Powder's bombs, the pinkette hiding something behind her back with a grin on her face. 
"You didn't have to-"
"But I insist." Vi cut the girl off, "it's your birthday and I wanted to give you something. It may not be much but... It's better than nothing." Vi gave a sheepish smile. Jun sighed, "okay, okay, what is it?" She allowed herself to smile with the prospect of something from her best friend. 
Vi brought her hand around, it looked like something hand carved, there were crude chips in places but, Vi had clearly made it herself. "A.. Bow?" She looked up at Vi, the girl looking away slightly. "Yeah, you've been obsessing over these things lately and I don't exactly know how to make one. Powder helped with the string part. She knows how to make things better than I do."
Juniper took the makeshift bow, looking at it. On the handle she saw crude carved letters of her name with a little heart. She blushed slightly, "thank you. I love it."
"You do?- I mean of course you do." Vi scoffed to herself a bit nervously rubbing her arm. 
Silence followed as Juniper simply watched her friend with amusement. 
"You..... You really like it? You're not just pitying me or anything, right?" Vi's voice came vulnerable and soft. "Pfft, I'd never pity you. I really do love it. Now I just need arrows."
"Yeah about that-"
"Now where's my little archer, hm?" Vander's voice came from my the stairs, a grin on his face and little arrows in his hands, "I believe you're gonna need these." He waved them at the girl. Jun's smile couldn't have gotten brighter. She rushed over and hugged Vander tight. "You guys planned this?"
"Yeah.." Vi came over, Juniper hugging her after. 
Vi burying her face into the girl's long hair. Vander giving them a knowing look. Yet he ultimately chalked it up to their history together. 
"Now now, you're not gonna be a master right out the gate, Juniper. You have to practice. Lots and lots of practice." Juniper almost groans at the man's words. 
"And no, you cannot carry them on missions."
"Over my dead body." Juniper held the bow to her chest and narrowed her eyes, a serious expression on her face. Vander chuckled. 
"I'm serious, the only way you're taking this from me is from my cold, bloody hands." Vi gave her friend's shoulder a squeeze. 
"And I'm also serious. You're not carrying that with you. If it's already so precious to you. It'll hurt to lose it."
He had a point. The girl grumbled. "Fine."
"And it'll safeguard your amount of arrows." Vander gave her the set of arrows small enough for the little girl. 
Vi grinned, "come on, let's go try them out!" The preteen basically dragging the girl behind her out of the basement. 
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Vi, Mylo, Claggor, Powder, Ekko and Juniper were lounging in the basement. Vi and Juniper sitting in the same chair and whispering to each other about a few cool ideas Juniper had of her own. Stuff like Powder did. 
"I never took you for the inventive type. What's with the sudden change?" Vi asked the girl sitting on her lap. Jun scoffed, "there's no change. I just... I wanna see if I'm good at that. I don't know if I'll ever get the boxing down."
"You will, you just need a little discipline and practice." Jun smiled at her soft words of encouragement. Mylo gagging behind them. Powder smiling. "Can I ask you something?" Juniper spoke up, her voice vulnerable and small. She had something on her mind but, didn't even get the chance to express it as the sound of the monkey alarm went off.