There was a knock at Tara's door, and she answered immediately. As she had hoped, there was a beautiful red-head who had briefly been a part of the University of Sunnydale's Wicca group.
"Tara, hi! I'm so glad you agreed to do this with me. You know, I wouldn't have asked if, you know, I could do it myself or-"
"Oh, it's fine. I-I like doing these with you. It-it's nice." Willow smiled a bit at Tara's accidental confession, and was glad that she had kept looking for the version of this spell which required two people instead of the solo version she had discovered first.
"So, what exactly are we doing, Willow? Your message wasn't really specific."
"Well, I'm wondering if you could help me conjure up the Thriae nymphs. They're seers, so I was hoping, if we could get an idea of what to do to stop Adam. Is that ok? Coz if it's not, I think I-"
"Willow, please. It's fine. So wha-what to do we need to conjure them?"
"Umm… those scented candles you showed me last week…?" Tara beamed- Willow had remembered those candles. And Tara had only briefly mentioned them. Willow paid attention.
"And, umm, see the Thriae were honey nymphs, we need honey from Linguirian bees." Tara loved the little roll Willow put on 'Linguirian', but her face fell at the ingredient name.
"I, umm, don't have-" Tara's apology was cut short by Willow procuring a small pot from her bag.
"This is creamed, but it should work fine." Tara smiled at Willow. Always prepared. And so nice, and- Tara stopped herself. She couldn't think about Willow like that. She had had a boyfriend. This was a purely platonic arrangement, seen they were both witches. She had to stop thinking of Willow like…
"Tara? Are you okay? You just zoned out for a second."
"I-I'm fine. So, what do we need to do to conjure these nymphs?"
About ten minutes later, there were scented candles placed at the cardinal points, and Tara and Willow were sitting cross-legged, facing each other with the pot of creamed honey between them.
"Okay, Tara. You ready?" Tara nodded. Why was she so excited about this? She could do these spells herself, but know she was making excuses to do spells and rituals that required two people. She needed to stop thinking of Willow like "that." She was straight. Tara had no right to think of her like that.
"Alright. I'll say the first part, okay Tara?" Tara nodded again, and forced herself to pay attention to the task at hand.
"Thriae," Willow intoned. "Sisters, seers. Nurses and teachers of Apollo, we implored you. Let us breach the barriers of human minds and be opened up to the future." Willow nodded for Tara to say her part.
"O, High ones we beg for you to impart some of your wisdom to us. Teach us. Nurse us. Protect us. Guide us to the information we seek."
In unison, both girls dipped their thumbs into the honey and smeared it onto the other's lips. Tara shivered at the accidental intimacy of it. Willow inwardly congratulated herself on finding a ritual so intimate.
"Open us up to the future," the witches said together. A cool wind blew around them, cocooning them. Willow grabbed Tara's hand. Tara blinked, shocked, and then tightened her grip on Willow's hand, earning her a small smile. The wind cleared suddenly.
Without warning, Willow dipped her head in so her lips met Tara's. Tara stiffened, then slowly kissed back, tasting the honey from both Willow's and her own lips. The duo broke apart after about five seconds, leaving a pregnant pause in the air.
"Umm... sorry Tara. It was- ah- part of the ritual." Tara's heart sunk as it soared. Just part of the ritual. Then why was she feeling like this?
"So… umm… what did the Thriae say?"
"I… umm… don't know. Maybe something went wrong?" Willow knew exactly what went wrong. The spell didn't call for any kiss. She just couldn't resist. If she thought Tara was even slightly interested, she would have gone for it, but Tara was only interested in friendship. And Willow couldn't lose her completely. So she stayed in the friends category, no matter how much she wanted more.
"We could do the spell again, if you want?" Tara's voice pulled Willow from her reverie. "I know Buffy-" Willow cut Tara's suggestions short.
"It's okay. It was a long shot, and I don't think Giles would have approved anyway."
"Oh. Okay, then. See you later?"
"Definitely." Willow grabbed her bag off Tara's bed and walked out of the dorm, closing the door behind her. Then paused. On both sides of the door, a girl fondly remembered the other's lips on theirs. If only they felt the same way.