The Lotus Flower it's not what I expected, well, a little. I thought that Yalitza would've decorated it with vibrant colours, Indian fabrics, dark furniture, crystal lanterns... And I was right but it's even more gorgeous than anything I could've dreamed. The area behind the counters is decorated with blue walls, beautiful tiles and leather stools, there's another area where white flowers and delicate birds are painted on the blue walls, there're some benches covered with pillows embroidered with flowers and small tables where people can sit down and talk or have a drink. The dancefloor is in a bigger area with the walls covered with golden and red silk, the burgundy velvet couches are covered with colourful pillows and dozens of small lanterns light up the corners creating an intimate atmosphere.
But the plants stand out, everywhere, tall palm trees in pots around the tables, deep green ferns hang from the ceiling, red geraniums grow in clay pots near an opaque window that allows the entry of natural light, more plants decorate a table under a skylight, fragrant jasmines climb up the walls... It feels like we're inside a greenhouse full of people laughing, dancing and drinking. Ivy was involved in the creation of this fairy tale forest judging by her proud smile.
"It's beautiful," I whisper reverently and her grin grows wider.
"And it's very well-protected..." Ruby explains frowning while her arm around my waist holds me tighter against her side. "There're spells everywhere, in the building and on the street, I helped other witches that joined forces to make sure this was a safe place against hunters. Are you all right?"
"Yes. To be honest, my hunter seems to be calmed lately despite sometimes my head hurts and I feel sick, but it's not like those first days. Do you think he's getting weaker finally?" The tattoo artist shrugs, hesitating.
"Maybe your druid is getting stronger instead. Anyway, this place is full of magic and you need to tell me if you feel sick. Vinnia and our sisters are over there..." Ruby and Ivy make their way through the crowd, most of them are women but there're some boys too who step back respectfully when they realize that my girl is trying to reach the table that's closer to the bar counter.
"Oh my God," I whisper in shock. "Have you done that?" I ask while pointing at Vinnia, the deep V-neck on the back of her black dress allows me to see a big area of tattooed skin. "It's amazing, babe, a work of art. Is this God Cernunnos?"
"Yes, of course," the druid answers smiling and looking back at me over her shoulder while I take a closer look. The gorgeous deer seems to be drawn with brush and ink instead of tattooed with needles and the pink flowers embellishing the antler seem to be a watercolour. "He's the God of Fertility and Rebirth... To be honest, witches tend to focus on the Great Mother, the Goddess of Nature, the feminine principle... I guess we feel connected to her energy, confident and safe under her protection, and it's easier to resort to her to cast a spell. But we need the masculine principle to keep the balance of the Universe and I asked Ruby to tattoo this deer to remember it always. Or if you prefer to avoid the genre concept, let's say that we need two opposed energies that complement each other and we shouldn't exploit only one of them."
"And she asked me to design a dress for everybody to see it," Aletta hands me a glass of wine. "Last year I designed a small collection with clothes that allow us to show the tattoos your girlfriend has been done on our skins for years... if they're in a visible spot, of course." Lester chuckles next to me pointing at his right buttock and shaking his head.
"Hey, girls, I bring you some samosas and pakora to eat while drinking. I can stay here to talk, a big group of witches has come from Massachusetts to visit the city and my pub is packed with people tonight..." Yalitza disappears behind the counter even before we can say thank you and Elvira pours more wine while my girl and Savannah talk about our trip to New Orleans.
