Page 29 of Sanctuary and Spices
“Improved the resonance frequencies! Watch!” They reached for a control panel.
“Wait—”
Too late. The cabinet hummed ominously, crystal formations flickering wildly. The delicate herbs inside began to wilt.
Jani moved faster than I’d expected, slipping past me to grab an armful of endangered plants. I caught the rest just before the cabinet’s resonance went critical.
We ended up pressed together in the narrow space, trying to rescue the herbs while avoiding Pix’s enthusiastic attempts to “fix” the malfunction. Her fingers brushed mine as we worked, sending sparks along my skin.
“Thank you,” she whispered when we’d gotten the last of the herbs to safety. She was close enough that I could feel her breath against my neck. All I had to do was lean down...
“Are you joining us for the festival setup?” A regular customer called from the dining room. “We heard the Wanderer’s Rest was going to have a special menu!”
I tried to step back, give us both space to breathe. But Jani’s hand caught my wrist, held me in place for just a moment longer.
“Soon,” she answered the customer, never taking her eyes from mine. “We’re still experimenting with some new techniques.”
My markings pulsed at the memory of our kiss. At how much I wanted to kiss her again.
I retreated to the garden before I could act on that desire. But I couldn’t escape awareness of her presence on the other side of the wall, or the way the plants stretched toward her energy.
Later, we cleared space in the garden workroom for our crystal resonance tests. I selected formations carefully, looking for frequencies that might match the partial recipe we’d found.
“These need to align precisely,” I explained, positioning a particularly temperamental crystal. “The resonance has to harmonize with both the ingredients and the surrounding energy patterns.”
Jani absorbed the information quickly, asking intelligent questions that made me forget my usual reserve. Her enthusiasm drew me out, had me sharing details I rarely discussed with outsiders.
“Can I help with anything?” Pix bounced excitedly nearby.
Before I could object, Jani smoothly redirected them. “Actually, could you check the kitchen’s power readings? We’ll need baseline data for comparison.”
“On it!” They zipped away, trailing cables.
“That was well handled,” I admitted.
She smiled. “Years of practice managing eager but accident-prone staff.”
I watched her organize ingredients with precise movements, fascinated by the efficiency in every gesture. She handled the delicate herbs like old friends, seemed to know instinctively which combinations might work best with different crystal frequencies.
“Ready to try?” she asked, measuring spices with careful hands.
I adjusted the final crystal formation. “Start with a small amount. The resonance can be unpredictable.”
She added a pinch of dried drelka root to the testing chamber. I showed her how to feel the crystal frequencies, while she explained the principles behind the spice blend.
The first attempt... didn’t go well. The spices reacted violently to the resonance, nearly overloading the containmentfield. But we moved together without discussion - her adjusting ingredients while I modified crystal alignment until...
“Look!” She pointed to the faintly glowing liquid in the chamber. “It’s working!”
The success made me reckless. I found myself sharing stories about different plants’ properties, drawn out by her genuine interest and quick understanding.
My markings flared brighter with each question, each shared discovery. The nearby plants leaned in, responding to our combined energy.
Then everything aligned perfectly. The test chamber filled with softly glowing liquid, crystals harmonizing beautifully with the enhanced ingredients.
We both leaned in to examine the results. Jani laughed in triumph, turned to me with shining eyes. Her hands fisted in my shirt front as she pulled me down.
This kiss was different from our first - no hesitation, no uncertainty. Just heat and want and need. I backed her against the workbench, deepening the kiss as her hands slid under my shirt to trace my markings.
