And thethingsthat happened when they touched, the pain, the disasters, the flare ups... Intent was what mattered most.
She gathered everything else she needed, dried chamomile flowers for herself and dried hawthorn for him, and stood at her counter, near the sink. Intent might be key here, but she was a smart woman... fire and a witch who struggled to control it? She needed a fire extinguisher on hand.
Crumbling each of the flowers to either side of the main candle, she then lit a match and lit each. Letting them burn a little, she dripped wax onto the crumbled petals, then moved the candles to the large one, to light it together with each one.
Intent. Intent was what mattered most. She wanted her and Henrik to be joined together, for everything separating them to fall apart, so they could once again be together, and join together properly. They needed to burn down a little, for the passing of time, to recognize their separation...
Only for both flames to go out, simultaneously.
Well, that was anticlimactic. Better for them to go out than burst upward and outward, but—
Her fire alarm suddenly went off, and Violet dropped the candles onto the counter, startled. Why would—
Her bed was up in flames. Correction; her comforter was up in flames.
Grabbing the fire extinguisher under the sink, Violet rushed forward to put the fire out. It only took a few minutes, but by the time the fire was out, her room was filled with smoke, her mattress was ruined, and she wanted to cry. There was pounding at her door as well, likely one of the boys from downstairs, who probably heard the fire alarm.
It was no longer going off, but that didn’t mean their concern for her would stop as well.
“Vi, open the door!” Berk yelled. “Don’t make me try to break it down! I’ll probably break my hand trying!”
Sniffling, Violet went to the door and opened it, smoke billowing out as she did so. Berk was on the other side, concern written on his face, but his attention went straight to her bed.
“Uhh...”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she snapped. Shit, why was she being mean to him? Berkley was her friend! A fire alarm was going off! Of course he would have questions. “Shit, Berk, I—“
“Are you alive?” Teddy called from downstairs. “If you are, your hottie is here to see you.”
The look on Berk’s face told her he had a joke to tell, and it was going to be gross and sexual. Taking in a deep breath, she marched past him, handing over the fire extinguisher as she went. She wasn’t going to explain why there was a fire, nor was she going to explain why her bed had gone up in flames. She couldn’t do it.
“Shut up,” she muttered as she headed down the steps.
“But it’s a good joke!”
“Don’t care.”
The walk from the back stairwell through the back room to the lobby was somehow the longest it had ever been, and yet, it flew by without giving her any time to think. Obviously, the hottie Teddy had mentioned was Henrik, but she didn’t know what to say or do. Was he there for an update on her mother? Was he there because of the full moon? Too many ideas were running through her head, all of them giant possibilities.
None of the possible reasons included flowers and a cup of tea.
“Hi,” he said awkwardly, and she watched as his cheeks went red. “You’re so pretty.”
Violet stopped in her tracks and glanced down at herself. She hadn’t even really dressed for the day, as she wasn’t generally in the shop on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but she was obviously dressed in some form or another. She was wearing nothing more than a band tee and shorts, and no makeup save for a little eyeliner, but Henrik was staring at her like she was dressed in some fancy ball gown... or perhaps lingerie.
She didn’t really know what to say.
“Wait, why do you smell like a mix between a fire and weird chemicals?”
“Small fire,” she squeaked, hating the way her voice cracked. She didn’t want or need him to worry, particularly when it came to something like—
“What happened?” he asked in a rush, stepping towards her quickly. The flowers were tossed aside on the counter, and he reached towards her, his hand extended—
She jerked away, not knowing what would happen. She didn’t want to risk it, just in case.
“It was nothing,” she insisted.
“Violet—“