Closed In Memoriam

[Violet Bellamy]

Violet couldn't live like this forever.

Her anger, her frustration, that wasn't going to go away. But she couldn't live in the shadow of it for the rest of her life. She had to try and be constructive with it. She didn't think she was going to stop being bitter and jaded, at least, but she had to hold her head high and try and move forward or else die alone, unloved, in obscurity.

She needed to do something, at least a token sort of gesture to prove to herself that she wanted to stop wallowing in self pity and self loathing. She'd cut back on drinking, maybe. Only buy a tub of ice-cream from Florean Fortescue's once a week, instead of once every 2 days. Apply for a new job. Give her proteges something to be proud of in the way she was proud of them. Like James, soothing his anger and finding his own way to connect to country while also helping out younger magical kids at Moi-Yo's. Cecilia, deciding firmly that she was happy living in a muggle society and teaching maths. Aine, who...well, she'd get there in time. But what did she have to show for herself? A room full of relics and she was the centrepiece.

At least an antique could be spruced up, she thought to herself, booking an appointment to get a tattoo. If she was going to cast aside the Violet who had spent the past 30 years in abject misery then the least she could do was give her a proper send-off. A funeral of sorts, with a flower on her shoulder to mark as a grave. A spider lily, to be precise. She'd never actually gotten a tattoo before, having been far too shy and scared as a teen to do such a thing and not having the motivation as an adult. But since she was approaching her 48th birthday, all she could think was well, why the hell not?

She stepped into Keystone Ink, looking around the place with a nervous smile. Maybe I should get a piercing too, she thought, amused at the idea. "Afternoon," she started, cheerfully, hiding the mild anxiety that bubbled up.

 

[Gabriel Blume]

Having an apprentice was certainly an adjustment, after having spent a couple of years getting accustomed to the luxuries of having his own studio. Still, Gabriel was enjoying the convenience of not having to run all of his own errands. There were certainly some perks to not working alone. Between appointments he had taken the time to reorganise the front desk, finishing up stacking a few books of flash designs when his next appointment walked in. "Afternoon!" Gabriel said cheerfully, switching out of 'break mode' and back into 'work mode'. "Violet, was it? What can I help you with today?" He smiled, ready to get started on a new project.

 

[Violet Bellamy]

Violet was far too old to be nervous, as she sternly reminded herself. It wasn't as though she hadn't done some riskier things in her time - like drinking herself stupid in her thirties, for instance. All things considered, getting a tattoo was quite reasonable. "Indeed," she said with a grin, nodding her head. "Gabriel Blume, I take it? A pleasure to meet you." She paused, thinking everything over one last time. She'd spent a few nights thinking about it, looking up some references online, and had come to a good decision. She hoped.

"I'm having one of those mid-life crisis things," she admitted, unable to suppress a smirk at that. "Not in a sob-story way, though. In a 'getting my s*** together' kind of way. So I was thinking of a red spider lily here," she explained, reaching her arm around to point to the back of her left shoulder. "As a sort of grand gesture of farewell to the past. And because regular lilies are far too cliché."

Violet rolled her shoulders in a sort of shrug, giving a rather self-conscious grin. "Of course, being named Violet and getting a flower tattoo is pretty cliché anyway, but what do you think? Doable? Horrible idea?"

 

[Gabriel Blume]

Gabriel nodded as Violet explained her reasoning, giving a soft sympathetic laugh. "There are much worse things you could do with a mid-life crisis." He smiled. "At least you're not running away to Bali with a man half your age. I hope." He added with a teasing smile. He listened as Violet discussed the design she wanted, reaching for a book of flowers he kept to hand. "Spider lily - a good choice. I've got a few pictures here, but are there any particular reference images you've got in mind?" He asked, flicking through the pages to find the right section. He chuckled softly at her comment, shaking his head. "I mean, I got a set of angel wings in my 20s. I think you're good." He smiled.

 

[Violet Bellamy]

Violet gave a light scoff at his comment about running away. "Believe me, if I could find a man half my age who could put up with me long enough to run away to Bali, I would." Wasn't a bad option, all things considered, but probably not exactly healthy. And she was trying to be healthier, kind of. Less unhealthy, perhaps. "A spider lily or a magnolia, perhaps." She pulled up a couple of different photos, suspecting he probably had some better ones. "A solemn farewell or dignity and pride, what do you think?" It was a pointless question, he didn't know the first thing about her, but she couldn't help but ask anyway. "I've seen much worse than angel wings," she admitted, having known some muggles with truly heinous tattoos in her time.

 

[Gabriel Blume]

Gabriel chuckled lightly at Violet's comment, nodding sympathetically. "Have to agree that it doesn't sound like a terrible plan." He teased, before looking to the pictures she had provided. "I can do either, or draw up a design that incorporates both together." He said, reaching for one of his books of flowers as his mind began to work. "What kind of style are you looking for? One of those is sort of black and white realism, the other one's a bit more of a modern stylised look, is there a particular art style you want?" He chuckled lightly at her comment about the wings as he looked up the right page in his reference book. "I mean, nothing against angel wing tattoos. But for a guy named Gabriel it's a bit on the nose." He joked lightly.