She cut herself off, not even sure what else to say. Surely, there was something to say. Something she could...do... to get off of this topic.
“Yes, tell us what you did while you were gone. I mean, did you live with other witches, or try to live a human life, or what?”
“I actually worked as a tattoo artist and I own my own shop now,” Violet said, trying to be polite. Good. This was good. She was getting off of the subject of her mate and witches and problems, and instead talking about something that wassafe.
“Wait, you’re a tattoo artist?” Ariana asked, her eyes wide. “Oh my God, I just realized, I’ve never actually seen any bare skin on you. Do you have tattoos?”
Did she have... of course she did. Her body was covered in them. She was covered in ink from the neck down, only...
Only, she had been bundled up from neck to fingertip to toe every second while in Garoureve. Shit. Right back onto things she didn’t want to talk about.
Violet cleared her throat as she stood up, mentally preparing herself for what to say. She didn’t want to lie, but she also didn’t want to make these women scared of her. She hoped, expected really, that one day they would all be friends. After all, Scarlett’s mate and her mate were best friends, and Ariana was mated to the pack Alpha. They would have to be friends, or at least, not hate each other.
“Remember how we talked about the fact that you both feel really comfortable around me because I’m a witch? The aura thing?”
“I still say we’re comfortable around everyone,” Ariana insisted, and rolled her eyes. “I mean, Scarlett will tell anyone who will listen that she calls MardocDaddy.”
“Only because most of the town can hear me...” Scarlett muttered under her breath.
“So, there’s another aspect to being a witch as well. Touching. Bare skin contact. It can have... interesting responses. So, no touching, alright? I don’t normally dress this covered up, but it seems like I’m hugging every person I run into, so it’s easiest, but—“
“No touching. Got it,” Scarlett answered with a shrug. “Magic or not, personal boundaries are something to respect.”
Well then.
Violet pulled the long sleeved shirt she was wearing off over her head, revealing the ink painted across her skin. Most were flowers, or herbs, or something of a witchy touch. She had always enjoyed her ink, showing her art on her body, and she had somewhat regretted having to be covered the past few days.
Would there ever be a time that she wouldn’t fear touching another person? Would she ever be able to hug another without leaning away slightly?
“That... is amazing,” Ariana said, and twirled her finger slightly. “And really beautiful. I’ve always wanted a tattoo, but I’ve never been sure what to get. What about you, Scarlett?”
“I think I have enough marks on my skin,” Scarlett said, and rolled up her sleeve slightly to reveal some of the scarred skin Violet had seen previously. “Although, I do think it would be cool to have something.”
“You could always tattoo over the scars, if you wanted to,” Violet offered. It wasn’t really her place to speak up, because everyone felt differently about their own bodies and their own scars, but she had done it before. “A good artist can even take the direction of your scars and incorporate it into the art. Not saying you should, but don’t discount the idea.”
Scarlett stared at her for a moment, then looked down at her wrist. Violet could see her processing the words, and pulled her shirt back on while waiting for the answer.
“Thank you... I’ll think about it. I never really thought it was possible, but... Oh! Tristan!”
“Oh my God, Tristan!” Ariana agreed, and shifted excitedly in her seat. “Tell me shifters can get tattoos.”
“Uhh, shifters can get tattoos,” Violet confirmed as she sat back down. “It just has to be done with the right kind of ink. A human can’t really do it. I learned how to do it from a panther I met in Canada. It has to do with the metals in the ink.”
“Do you think Tristan is going to get a tattoo while he’s out there?” Ariana asked Scarlett, a grin on her lips.
“Definitely. You should tell Cole to tell Tristan when he calls.”
“Oh, I will...”
“Wait, so, tell me more about Tristan and Gina,” Violet asked as she picked up her cup. “You keep mentioning them, but I want the full story...”
Chapter 20
Wasshemakingamistake? Maybe. Possibly. She could be about to destroy everything. Destroy the boundary line altogether.
But she had to fix this. Had to fix... everything.
After her late night discussion with Scarlett and Ariana, Violet had gone to bed with a much better understanding of both the town line and the magic keeping everyone trapped within. Like everything else magically related, it all had to do with intention.