Thistle and Stone [Chaennie]

Chapter 10

ALLOW

The inn was quaint. Well-furnished, taken care of, but the slight smell of grease permeated the air from a much-loved fish and chip fryer that stood in the small attached café. The rooms, thankfully, were better. Four in the row with shared bathrooms. Jennie dropped her bag onto the stiff double bed and picked at the fraying blanket. It was bright white, a hem of soft cream threading along its edge.

"Alright, Jennie?" Chanyeol knocked quietly as he pushed her door open. Jennie smiled and motioned for him to join her.

"Nice place, hey?" He sat heavily beside her and the mattress protested under his weight. Jennie made a non-committal noise, knowing Chanyeol didn't need much encouragement to fill the silence.

"I think Jisoo might have been on to something about that holiday. Would be nice to have a break."

Jennie turned her head slightly to nod her agreement.

"I'm glad you're here, Chanyeol. Just wanted to say. It's nice to have you with me." Jennie squeezed the top of his knee gently. She was glad, after all. While Baekhyun had been courteous and polite, he was mostly a stranger to her, and Roseanne's presence still felt like a dark cloud.

"Happy to be here, Jen. You know I'd be here regardless." He patted her hand on top of his. "Plus, I'd say after the mess we've been through, you deserve some peace and quiet. This curse business isn't fair."

Jennie nodded, trying to brush away the tears that swelled at her friend's soft hand over hers.

"Thanks, Chanyeol. It's been—it's been weird." Jennie laughed as she wiped at her cheeks, embarrassed at her display of emotion and inability to really articulate how the past few weeks had felt.

Chanyeol laid his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "We'll sort this out."

"Yeah," she exhaled and pushed her hair from her face, "we will. It'll be fine. Walk me down?"

Chanyeol stood and offered his hand as he pulled Jennie to her feet. They made their way down the wooden stairs to where Baekhyun and Roseanne were waiting. After ensuring a side room in the inn was empty, the group apparated to a clearing near where the stones had been first purchased.

"Doesn't look like much, does it?" Chanyeol asked aloud to the group, eyeing the shop in the distance.

As they approached, Jennie took in its squat roofline, like a giant had sat on it ages ago and spread it in each directly but crushed the ceiling in the process. Trellises framed almost every side of the building and vines wrapped heavily around protruding stones.

"It's got charm, Chanyeol, come on." Jennie nudged him as they walked to front. Baekhyun tugged at the heavy wooden doors and they creaked under his weight, opening to reveal a maze of shelving that spread before them in seemingly unending directions. As they filed in, their eyes adjusted to the low lighting and heavy smoke and dust that filtered through the air. Jennie took in the mass of goods that dominated every corner, not a single space empty of antiques.

"Afternoon, folks." An older woman, her back bent with age, grinned at them from a table pushed off to the side. They murmured their greetings and the woman narrowed her eyes.

"Londoners, eh? Come to see Malcolm then, have you?"

"Erm, yes, we have." Jennie shifted where she stood but did her best to maintain a smile at the woman. After all, if this is where the stones had been purchased, this was their best bet in moving forward.

"Good, good. To the back with you, then. Off you go." The woman waved them towards the back of the shop and returned to the shapeless brown cloth in front of her that she was pushing an old needle through.