Another three days saw Violet’s train pulling back into Leiden on a sunny morning. Three days filled with restless nights and thinking, lots of thinking. After disembarking, she left the station and automatically started walking towards C.H. Postal. Of course, she could’ve gone to her room first and dropped off her things but it didn’t feel…right. Which was silly, it was her home, after all.

Home.

The word felt different somehow and provoked yet more memories of her time with Amy. She’d referred to their shared room that way at one point, hadn’t she? And, by the end of Violet’s time there, it really was beginning to feel like one. The school’s accommodations were nicer than the ones here in Leiden, sure. But that wasn’t why. Honestly, Violet didn’t care much for such things one way or the other. Those weren’t what made it special. It was Amy. It was the stories at night, it was sitting at their table, or their baths in the evening. Whatever they were doing, even if they were silent, as long as they were together. Now though, when she went home, it would just be her.

Well, Violet didn’t need to worry about that at this second. President Hodgins probably had some worries of his own considering she purposefully missed her train and was now getting back later than originally planned. Better to go and clear things up first. It was a short walk to the big building and Violet was at least a little happy to see familiar sights around the city. When she arrived, the first face she saw when stepping through the front door was Cattleya coming down the stairs.

The woman’s eyes immediately picked out Violet and a warm smile kicked up on her lips in response. “Violet! There you are.” Cattleya continued taking the stairs one at a time and made a beeline for Violet where she stood at the entrance.

“It’s so good to see you…” She looked as though she might offer Violet a hug but Cattleya’s eyes dropped to the luggage in her hand instead. “Oh, have you not gone back to your room? Did you come here straight from the station?”

Violet nodded and let her eyes drop to the bags briefly before bringing them back up. “Yes…I wasn’t ready to go back yet and figured President would like to see me.”

“Ah, you know him very well. Alright, let’s go set that down in our workspace at least. Then we’ll go see Claudia, okay? As you surmised, he was a little worried about you but I’m sure he’ll feel better seeing you safe and sound. Just like I told him you would be.”

Violet nodded before stepping off toward the stairs. Cattleya soon joined her and the two silently made their way up to the space set aside for the dolls to work in. On some level, both women knew that whatever they talked about now would only have to be repeated once they were in front of President Hodgins. So, they may as well save it.

It was quiet inside their workspace and before she had a chance to wonder why, Cattleya chimed in. “Iris is already out on assignment this morning so it’s just me.” Violet nodded and took a moment to look around before setting her bag down. Three months and it looked like barely anything had changed. Here, at least. Subsequently, she returned to where Cattleya had stopped by the door and then followed her to the President’s office. When they arrived, she proceeded in without knocking while beckoning for Violet to follow.

“What? You just left. Did you for– ” President Hodgins sat behind his desk and his words abruptly cut off when he noticed Violet come in following Cattleya. “Violet!” He stood and walked around the side of his desk but didn’t come any closer. He also appeared almost unsure? Fidgety, even. “You’re back. I…we, were worried.”

Cattleya rolled her eyes at his choice of words and simply continued in to claim a seat in her customary chair. “Righttt, we,” she quipped. “Only because you were doing enough fretting for the both of us, Claudia.” After she sat, she gestured for Violet to come and join her before indicating the seat on the other side of the small table. “But no need for that anymore. Violet is home now and that’s what matters.”

There was that word again. Home. Violet pushed the thought aside and began walking toward the chair, her eyes shifting between both of them. “I’m sorry if I caused you any concern, that was not my intention.”

Seeing the two women were comfortable, President Hodgins opted to lean back against the desk before he waived one hand as if to brush the concern away. “Of course not. As Cattleya said, you’re here now…” The last word hung in the air for a moment and it was clear that he wasn’t quite finished. “I am curious though, what happened?”

Now that Violet was seated, she folded her hands in her lap, faced President Hodgins, and prepared to answer honestly. “I changed my route to deliver a letter from Miss York to her little sister. I thought about mailing it from here once I got back but I felt it was something I should do myself.”

“A letter? Well, it must’ve been important to deliver it by hand.” He crossed his arms then and further settled onto his perch. “She didn’t ask you to do it? Request that you do it, I mean.”

“No.” Violet shook her head for emphasis before continuing. “She doesn’t know I did.”

“Oh, I see. And how was Miss York? You were gone a long time; I hope that she wasn’t too troubling. Nobles and all.”

Mention of Amy had a bright smile forming on Violet’s lips. Well, bright for what would usually pass as one. However, it soon faded as the realization of their separation settled back in. It had been subtle, not lasting more than a second or two, but both Claudia and Cattleya picked up on it.

“Not trouble, no. She was very nice, actually. We became good friends and…” Violet paused for a moment and let her eyes drop towards the floor. “I miss her.”

“Well-” Claudia started and looked over at Cattleya for a moment. When he received nothing but a small shrug in return, his gaze returned to Violet. “I’m happy that you made a friend. A very good one, at that. It sounds like you may have had fun too? I’m assuming you attended the ball, how was the dress?”

Violet nodded at his question and looked up once more. “Yes, I did. It was a lovely dress, too.” She paused then, and her focus shifted to where Cattleya sat before continuing. “Thank you for picking it out for me.”

This got a chuckle from the other woman who ended up pointing back at President Hodgins. “Oh no, that was all him.” There was no mockery in her voice, only a desire to give credit where credit was due.

Violet’s eyes went back to his and the small smile quickly reappeared. “Thank you, President. It was very comfortable and I was told I looked very beautiful.”

“By Miss York?” Cattleya quickly interjected.

“Yes. She said I was the most beautiful one there that night but I’m not sure if that was true.” This caused a smile to kick up on both Claudia and Cattleya’s lips before they both shared a brief look.

“You’re welcome, Violet,” President Hodgins replied. “I’m sure you looked every bit as lovely as Miss York said. It’s a shame we weren’t able to see it.”

Perhaps there would be another opportunity for her to wear it but for now, she simply nodded and let a blanket of silence fall over the three as she thought back on that night. After nearly a minute, President Hodgins stood straight, unfolded his arms, and softly clapped his hands. “Well, you must be tired after so much travel so we won’t keep you any longer. Oh, and feel free to take the next few days off to rest up, too. There is no rush to jump back in if you don’t want to.”

Again, Violet nodded before she rose and straightened out her dress. “Yes, it was a long trip.” Not so much a physically taxing one, but more emotionally draining. Though, she didn’t say as much.

Cattleya stood too and stepped closer before bringing up a hand and resting it on Violet’s shoulder. “We’re really happy you’re back. If you want to talk about anything, you know where to find either of us.”

“Yes, of course, thank you. I’m happy to see you both as well.” The words weren’t forced because she was genuinely glad to see them both, it was just that she had a lot on her mind. After waving goodbye, she turned to depart and, since Cattleya appeared to want to stay, Violet left through the door on her own.

Afterward, she retrieved her belongings and finally resolved to return to her room. She greeted anyone else she saw in the building on her way out and then made her way down onto the street. It was a nice day with plenty of people out and about. However, even with the hustle and bustle of the bigger city, she felt surprisingly alone. Like she had after she lost the Major.

With her mind otherwise occupied, Violet made it to her building on autopilot and found that her room was exactly how she left it months ago, albeit with a little more dust and the smell of stale air. Well, at least she could distract herself by tidying up. Unfortunately for her, that didn’t really take much time. In under an hour she’d dusted, hung up her bedding, and opened the windows to get some fresh air circulating.

By the end, she found herself staring out over the city. It was a stark contrast to looking out Isabella’s window these past months. One of many that stuck out in her mind. Eventually, she sighed and straightened from where she leaned on the windowsill. Maybe a walk and some lunch would do what cleaning could not? Provide a nice distraction.

So, Violet quickly departed in search of just that. On the street, she offered polite waves to her neighbors and then set off to get some food first. She didn’t think too hard about where she was going, letting her feet carry her on instinct or habit. After a few blocks, she came to her favorite sandwich shop and figured that was as good a place as any. As Violet stood in line, she couldn’t help but wonder what Isabella would pick from the different options. They’d only ever eaten together in the school’s cafeteria, after all. What kinds of things would she choose to eat? Besides noodles, of course.

Violet had to come from her mind to order and pay but soon became lost in her thoughts once she sat at a small table off in one corner. Today she’d chosen pastrami but spent more time pondering than eating. Isabella would be at lunch soon, too. Would she be alright on her own? She made a lot of progress talking with others but Violet had always been right behind her if she got herself into trouble. But no, she’d be fine on her own.

“Everything alright, Miss?”

Violet blinked and then looked up to find one of the servers standing by her table. “I’m sorry, is something wrong?”

The young woman smiled and then indicated the sandwich that sat nearly undisturbed on the table. “Oh, no, you’re fine. I was just asking if everything was to your liking. We’ve seen you in here before and usually your meal is gone before I can glance over twice.”

Following the question, Violet looked down and then hastily back up at the server. “Oh, it’s quite good, thank you. I’m just a little distracted, that’s all.”

“I’ve been there before,” the server said with a chuckle. “Please take all the time you need and have a pleasant day.” She smiled and nodded once more before turning and leaving Violet to her food, and her thoughts. Though, this time she actually focused on eating.

After lunch was done, Violet walked aimlessly down various streets. Every so often she would pause at a window and peer into a store but otherwise kept walking after a cursory glance. Each also came with the same set of questions. Would Amy like this or that? What would she buy if she were here now? Probably sweets, if Violet had to guess. However, when she arrived in front of a flower shop, she couldn’t help but go in and investigate further.

“Good afternoon, Miss.” Violet was greeted by a man who appeared to be at least half a foot taller with salt and pepper hair. As he smiled, a few wrinkles appeared around the edges of his eyes but they still retained a youthful energy. “What can I help you with today?”

Violet nodded by way of greeting and then took a second to look around. The little store had an impressive stock ranging from freshly cut flowers to small, potted plants. After one full sweep of the interior, she came to a stop and regarded him with her own small smile. “Good afternoon, I was wondering if you had any roses?”

“Ah, roses? Yes, we do. Many different colors, in fact. Red, pink, yellow, and white, to name a few. Any color in particular?” The shopkeeper moved to the counter as he spoke and then rested two hands atop it while waiting for her answer.

Violet took a moment to think but ultimately decided on one. “Do you have any lavender?

“We do. How many?”

Violet paused but ultimately went with the first number that popped into her head. “Half a dozen, please.” That would be enough, right?

He nodded his understanding before straightening and stepping off to go fulfill the request. “A half-dozen lavender roses, got it. I’ll be back in a minute.”

A moment later he disappeared behind a curtain into the back and Violet was left to stroll through the store undisturbed. There was such a lovely variety to choose from but her heart was already set on her decision.

True to his word, the man appeared not long after he disappeared. This time holding 6 freshly cut, lavender roses partially wrapped in paper and tied with a matching bow. “Here we are, as ordered.”

Violet smiled and stepped up from where she was observing some morning glories before reaching into her dress to retrieve her wallet.

“They must be very lucky,” the man offered as she paid.

“Who?” Violet asked before looking up at him with curiosity in her eyes.

At first, the older man chuckled to himself before calculating out and retrieving her change. “Whoever has captured your heart.” When it appeared she still didn’t understand, he indicated the roses where they lay. “The flowers.”

Realization flooded her mind at his meaning and Violet subsequently shook her head. “These are just for my room.”

“Ah. Well, should that happen, you come back here and I will set you up right.”

“Yes, thank you.”

He nodded as he handed over her money and then waved his goodbye before she did the same. Once she was outside, Violet stopped and brought the flowers up to her nose. The scent caused a wide smile to appear on her face and she turned to set off for home. She had to get these in water before too long. As she walked, her mind couldn’t help but go back to something the man had said.

“Whoever has captured your heart…”

Some she loved? Is that what he meant? But she was only buying them for herself. Well, and because they reminded her of Amy. Either way, these would make a nice addition to her room and picking them up made her feel a little better about everything.