May 27th, 1893 - Bartonburg
Penelope Fawcett

when you know what you should do
but you do the other thing instead
you put your hand on a flame
when your heart's in your head

It had taken a week for Daffy to scrounge up enough courage to try Elias' workshop again. Despite being a Ravenclaw, she apparently was a slow learner when it came to relationships. Still, the last thing she wanted was for him to think that this was a repeat of last summer. Daffy wasn't going to drift away because of a disagreement or because she got spooked. Now she knew better, was willing to own up to her mistakes and try to fix what she had damaged. If she were braver she would reach out to Irene and apologize, but she had to take it one step at a time. That would require a better handle of where she and Elias stood before she could tackle that.

It felt wrong to show up empty-handed, but today she brought nothing she could break, just a half dozen daffodils tied with a ribbon. Daff had always assigned people in her life specific flowers, her father was water lilies, Jack was daisies, Elias had been carnations, Noble had been daffodils. Carnations littered her apartment, filling five vases now and undoubtedly wouldn't stop until she got to explain herself. The charm she had placed on the vases was the visual reminded she needed to keep her resolve. Carnations were her favorite, but she thought it might be time to reassign other flowers. Daffodils stood for rebirth and new beginnings; they desperately needed a new beginning. Not to mention she had always associated them with somebody she loved, that should be no different now.

The walk from her family home to the workshop was a painfully slow, Daff giving herself time to recollect her thoughts, to organize everything she wanted to say, wanted to explain, to apologize, but she felt it wouldn't be long enough. Hovering by the gate for a moment, she saw the door open and steeled herself for however this may go. She had to try though, couldn't live with herself if she didn't. This was too important to waiver on now.

Finally she pushed forward, making herself take a deep breath with each step, pausing at the threshold to the workshop to knock on the doorframe. She had never knocked, had never been afraid to enter this space, but she wasn't sure she was welcome anymore and she needed to give him the opportunity to refuse to see her. Only it wasn't Elias inside, it was Miss Fawcett and Daff felt her stomach drop. All that work up for nothing. She wasn't even relieved, just miserable, though tried to keep it from her features. "I'm sorry to bother you Miss Fawcett, is Elias around?"

---

The following 2 users Like Daffodil Grimstone's post:2 users Like Daffodil Grimstone's post
   Elias Grimstone, Irene Crawley

---

The tension brewing in Elias' workshop was impossible to miss after working with him for as long as she had. She didn't know what — if anything — had happened with him, but she knew he hadn't ever been so flustered around her before. Part of her wondered if she ought to betray Irene's confidence and ask if he was distraught over her leaving for Italy. Friendships as deep as theirs were difficult to lose, even if the loss was only meant to be temporary. That same part of her was also too anxious to involve herself in the mess, lest she reveal Irene's inheritance when Irene herself hadn't yet been able to.

It was after the third broom shaft splintering that Penny had gently suggested he take the afternoon off. She could repair the damage done without too much effort and he could refocus himself for tomorrow's work. Miraculously, Elias had taken her suggestion and headed off to Merlin knew where, but as long as he wasn't handling tools that could sever his wrist from his arm then Penny didn't quite care.

The broken shaft was nearly repaired when she heard the door open. Penny nearly began scolding him, all sorts of reminders of how delicate their work was already poised on her tongue, when Miss Potts began speaking. Bloody hell. Penny really didn't want to be more involved in this than she already was.

How much to say? She couldn't inform Miss Potts of Elias' sour mood without leading into Irene's departure. And what if that caused some sort of jealousy? The last thing Penny needed was to create some sort of tension where there wasn't some already existing.

She wiped her hands on her apron and faced Miss Potts with a smile. It wasn't her place to get involved, Elias could explain his sour mood if he so chose. "Hello, I'm afraid he stepped out for the afternoon. Was there something you needed?"

---

The following 2 users Like Penelope Fawcett's post:2 users Like Penelope Fawcett's post
   Elias Grimstone, Irene Crawley

Frustration bubbled beneath the surface, only with herself. She had spent all morning working herself up into a tizzy, worry nearly making her physically ill, for it all to fall flat. Gone for the afternoon. Her stomach lurched once more and she worried her bottom lip, halting the steamrolling thoughts before they got too far. Daff tried not to let the emotions leech into her expression and so she arranged a smile on her lips, even if it was a little tired.

"No, I just needed to speak with him." More than that, but poor Miss Fawcett didn't need to be burdened with her problems too. Daff had, in her desperate need not to be needy, had cast an unfortunately wide network of drama and she needed to staunch the flow before it got worse. Subconsciously she ran her thumb along the scar on her finger and felt the defeat heavy on her shoulders.

"Do you think it would be alright if I went upstairs to leave these?" There were no flowers in the shop right now, it almost looked strange that way. She tucked them all over the place, hardly ever showing up without something. Mostly she didn't want Elias to think she'd been in here without permission and so perhaps leaving them somewhere else would be better.

---

  

---

Penny had been delightfully surprised to find that Elias had begun courting someone in her absence. She'd quickly gotten used to glancing in the window before entering the workshop to ensure he was alone, and rather liked all the flowers tucked around the shop. The flowers — carnations usually — were bright against the otherwise neutral blend of woods. Flowers and broomsticks, Penny ought to have guessed that was a great combination.

She wanted to like Miss Potts, too, but it was sometimes difficult when she was so intimately familiar with Irene's struggles. Irene had only needed a short while longer to discover her feelings, had only required some sort of push to get the affair in motion. Only, none ever came. Instead, Miss Potts did, and Penny couldn't help the slight grudge she held against the woman for it. Were it not for Elias' obvious joy in his choice Penny might have allowed for that grudge to become larger and truly taint her opinion of Miss Potts. But, Elias was happy and so it was Penny's duty to be happy for him.

Which meant she had to look after Miss Potts, too.

Which meant involving herself deeper in the mess than she ever wanted to.

Bloody hell.

She wiped her hands again on her apron to ensure there was no lingering varnish before gesturing towards the empty vase near the windowsill. "I'm sorry, it isn't my place to say. Why don't you leave them there? I'll make sure he sees them." It wasn't her home to say whether or not someone might go upstairs, but with how irritable Elias was Penny didn't want to take the chance. More than that, she didn't want to lose sight of Miss Potts when she was so obviously struggling with something.

---

The following 4 users Like Penelope Fawcett's post:4 users Like Penelope Fawcett's post
   Daffodil Grimstone, Elias Grimstone, Irene Crawley, Seneca Lestrange

That was... frustratingly fair. Everything was frustrating. She was crumbling and Miss Fawcett didn't need to deal with it. Daff blinked back the threatening tears, looking down a the blooms in her hand. Idly she toyed with the orange ribbon around them. "I would appreciate that very much." Daff managed finally after swallowing back the tears.

"There are, um, some bottles with a longer neck in the kitchen cupboard by the door that they would fit in nicely." She knew that because she had arranged them there, one afternoon while looking for something to put some other flowers in at the time. The cabinets had been such a hopeless cause that she'd wound up spending the better part of an hour putting things into some sort of order without even realizing.

Stepping forward, Daff put the flowers on the nearest section of the work bench and stepped back toward the door. She spied the droplet of blood she had gotten on the floor out of the corner of her eye and had to look away. The air itself felt different in here and she realized she was being weird and so she pulled together another smile.

At least it couldn't be said that she hadn't tried.

---

  

---

Were it not for her own short lived affair with her former best friend, Penny wouldn't have been able to recognize the look of heartache etched across Miss Potts' features. Her broken and irritable expression, her fingers lingering on the ribbon, the tone of her voice, even Elias' own frustrated demeanor — were all indicators of heartache at play. Up until now, Penny had believed Elias' attitude was in regards to Irene's soon departure, but perhaps something else had happened that she'd missed altogether. It wasn't as though she was privy to his every day life, after all, nor did she ever want to be.

Although, until this was all settled she would probably have to come work here more often.

She nodded her understanding and quickly scribbled the instructions for Elias to move the flowers on a spare piece of parchment. "I've never gone upstairs, but we can leave the note under the vase for him to see." Penny explained, handing the note to Miss Potts for her inspection. "In the meantime, I'm due for some tea if you would like to join me?"

---

  

Daff had been too distracted, crestfallen, to realize Miss Fawcett had a perfectly good vase right across the room. "That one is fine, no need to move them." No need for her to be a pest. Daff didn't like taking up space where she wasn't sure she was wanted. She certainly didn't want to rope Miss Fawcett into anything.

"Oh, I would hate to be an imposition," Daff managed, surprised by Miss Fawcett's invitation for some tea. It went against her better judgement. She worried about betraying confidences and adding another person into the mix, but she was lonely and maybe she could have tea without giving too much away. Miss Fawcett was obviously some kind of close with Elias, they worked together after all, and Elias always spoke fondly of her. Maybe, just maybe, if she hadn't sunk her entire relationship, it would be good for her to get to know the other broommaker.

"But I suppose I wouldn't mind a cuppa, if you're having some."" She added, forgoing her hesitations in lieu of hopefully taking a step to fix this.

---

  

---

Penny kept the note in hand, determined to place it under the vase despite Miss Potts' assurances. The flowers she had noticed over the past few months had all been meticulously arranged and thoughtfully placed, Penny wasn't about to break that trend simply due to her own discomforts. For all Penny knew, Elias had Miss Potts' over frequently and would've had no qualms about her going upstairs. No. Elias could at the very least change the vase over to the one intended.

"It's no imposition, I have to brew some either way." Penny promised after retrieving the vase and handing it to the distraught woman. It was, perhaps, a bit strange to be having tea with Miss Potts without Elias, especially since Penny was essentially his employee and this had to be breaking all sorts of boundaries. Still, she set about making the pot just the same and was determined to be, at the very least, a friendly face for Miss Potts.

With the kettle set on the flame, she turned to lean against the nearest bench. "I'm sorry we haven't gotten the opportunity to meet until now. I was delighted to hear that Elias had begun courting while I was away." Penny then said with a friendly smile despite feeling a tad awkward about it all.

---

The following 1 user Likes Penelope Fawcett's post:1 user Likes Penelope Fawcett's post
   Daffodil Grimstone

Daff was trying to find the comfort she once had in the workshop for this, and so she moved further in, picking the flowers up once more to put them in the vase Miss Fawcett gave her. She used her wand to fill the vase and then took the ribbon from the flowers, tucking them inside neatly so that all of the blooms were facing outward. Gently she tied the ribbon around the vase itself and fluffed out the bow.

Miss Fawcett's admission had her smiling sadly. Daff just hoped she could still say they were courting after this. She desperately wanted to fix it, hoped she hadn't waited too long. But that would have to wait a little while longer. Daff pulled at the bow one last time before setting it near the window between them. "Yes, I heard you were traveling?" Daff had tried to do as much reading as she could about broommaking in her time with Elias, watched him carefully as he worked when she spent time in the workshop—

Speaking of, Daff crossed the room to her corner and pulled her sketchbook and supplies from their nook. She should take it with her just in case. She left them by the door, and turned her attention back to Miss Fawcett. "It must have been so very exciting. I admit I'm still learning about brooms, but it is fascinating."

---

  

---

Penny watched Miss Potts skeptically, first as she took great care with the vase and then with the sketchbook. It almost felt as though the younger woman was approaching the workshop with a sense of finality. If she was comfortable enough to store supplies here, then surely Elias wouldn't have cared if she went upstairs for a vase? And if Elias wouldn't have cared, then why was Miss Potts looking as though the universe was about to collapse at her feet?

It felt familar, was Penny's issue. The sense of finality, the end of world expression on Miss Potts' face. It felt familiar in a way Penny wished she hadn't — and that no one else would have — ever experienced. Heartbreak was one of the worst forms of loss, after all.

Deciding to ignore all comments about travel, Penny instead removed her apron before asking, "Forgive my asking, but are you alright, Miss Potts? I know it isn't my place and I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable by any means. It's just - I can't help but notice how distressed you seem. Would you like me to summon Elias?"

---

The following 1 user Likes Penelope Fawcett's post:1 user Likes Penelope Fawcett's post
   Daffodil Grimstone

Daff had once been good at hiding everything; the exhaustion of not sleeping, the terror of staying alone in her flat, now it was hard to keep the ache in her chest from her expression and it was no wonder Miss Fawcett must have thought her some sort of lunatic. What was happening to her? She hated feeling like this, hated acting like she had.

"No," She responded almost too quickly to the offer to get Elias. Daff had worked herself up so much to get here that now she couldn't figure out how best to even go about explaining everything. "I'm not even sure he wants to see me." She added truthfully. Daff didn't want to unload any of this ordeal on Miss Fawcett, but it was hard to explain her current emotional state otherwise.

She hesitated, wondering how best to give the bare minimum. "I made a huge mistake" A wild understatement. She had screwed everything up and it was eating her alive. "And we... haven't spoken in a week. I was stopping by to see if I could explain myself, but," She trailed off, gesturing around.

---

  

---

Well, that certainly explained a lot.

Miss Potts' mistake couldn't have been too disastrous, otherwise the courtship would have been over by now. No one carried on like Elias had been this week with the intention of something ending, it wouldn't be worth the effort otherwise. Nemo had taught her that.

Without knowing any of the finer details, Penny remained unsure of how to approach Miss Potts. Although Elias and she had formed a friendship over the years of working together, they were still employer and employee at the end of it all, and he hadn't made her privvy to any of the details of his courtship purposely. That she knew of Irene's feelings was strictly due to her friendship with the artist and was something Penny ensured she never brought up with him. Which left her at a loss with Miss Potts. Would it be prying to ask for more details if only to form adequate advice? Should she insist on owling Elias back after having sent him away? Did Miss Potts even wish to share the details with her?

Penny was grateful for the moment's pause as the kettle began to whistle behind her. It wasn't prying if Miss Potts shared the information herself, she decided as she poured the two cups of tea. Penny wouldn't — couldn't — press for information that Miss Potts shared if it was to satisfy her own curiosity, but if it was to help everyone then there could be no harm done. Yes, that had to be the way through, for otherwise Penny was entirely lost.

"Mistakes are normal, though. Everyone makes them from time to time." Penny offered in an attempt to soothe Miss Potts. "Yours couldn't have been too disastrous. Might I ask what happened?"

---

  

Spared for a moment by the kettle, Daff too took a moment to collect her thoughts. She truthfully didn't know how much to divulge, but she supposed she could take a step back to everything before Irene. "I, well, I have a hard time accepting help." Daff had always been so fiercely independent, she tried to minimize any negative impact she could have on someone. She didn't want to drain energy, she wanted to help refill it, even if it cost her some of her own peace. She had once told Elias she would always put herself last, even if she was struggling, but she had gone too far.

"He's been very patient with me and I may have pushed it too far." That would have to do. Daffy couldn't go into the whole situation with Irene. That was too much information to share and she didn't know exactly how best to explain it without explaining all of it. "Several things just all seemed to hit at once and we didn't leave off in a good place." She had panicked and run which she knew was the wrong choice, but at the time she hadn't known how else to handle it. The one time she put her own discomfort first had all blown up in her face.

---

  

---

She both appreciated and hated Miss Potts' vague answers. On one hand, she was still far enough removed from the situation to be innocent of any of Elias' frustration. However, on the other Penny felt still at a loss on how to help. It sounded like a massive amount of miscommunication from what Miss Potts was saying, but what was it about accepting help? Why were people so bloody stubborn about reaching out when they were struggling?

"I doubt you did." Penny said firmly, offering the other cup of tea to Miss Potts. "I've never met anyone as patient as Elias, it's probably all the detail work he does." It was a halfhearted attempt at a joke, one Penny already felt she shouldn't have made. "Miscommunications can snowball into bigger issues sometimes, but they can also be easily solved. I'm sorry that I sent him out today, if either of us had known you were coming I'm sure he would've stayed." And I would have gone, was the obvious truth left unspoken.

---

  

Daff was trying to hold onto some of the optimism she had five or so days ago, when she had more hope in the situation. Now after a week of no communication she was starting to dwindle. Miss Fawcett's positive affirmations helped a little, but Daff still felt like she was drowning. She had never met anyone as patient as Elias either, but she had also seen the look on his face that afternoon.

"It snowballed alright." Daff huffed out an incredulous laugh as she accepted the tea. People showing up unannounced seemed to have begun to be a problem. "No, no, it's my fault. I tried to owl, but I just couldn't find the right words." Merlin she just hoped she could when she finally got to talk to him. "I appreciate your kindness though, it's been a long week." And even without Elias here, she was starting to feel somewhat more at ease in the workshop. Maybe Miss Fawcett was right, maybe it wasn't all lost.

---

  

---

Aside from vague reassurances, Penny didn't think she was providing much comfort for Miss Potts. The situation was obviously far more complicated than she had originally thought and Penny didn't think anything aside from a conversation with Elias would help the forlorn woman. Speaking about it only did so much, as Penny had learned from experience. Sometimes, the only resolution to be found was with the person themselves.

"I understand." Penny answered sincerely. Those first few months after falling out with Nemo had taken a toll on her mentally and physically. It wasn't until she left that Penny felt some of the sadness fall away. Hopefully, neither Miss Potts or Elias would experience the same. "Is there anything else I can do to help? It's an awful situation to be in when there are miscommunications."

---