The Hostess
Peppermint · Spearmint · Coconut · Patchouli
You are so glad you were invited.
Everyone is. She throws the most beautiful parties. The decorations are perfect, the cocktails are perfectly pink, the whole room smells like peppermint and spearmint. Crisp and festive and exactly what a holiday party should smell like. Underneath it all, something warmer. Coconut and the slow, grounding depth of patchouli, like a hug you didn't ask for but somehow can't get out of.
She invited everyone. She always does.
And then she picked you.
You don't know it yet. You will. It starts small. A comment about your dress, delivered with the warmest smile you've ever seen. A redirect every time you try to join a conversation. Your coat somehow ended up in the wrong room. The plant by the door was definitely not knocked over when you got here.
She never stops smiling.
Not once.
The rest of the party is having a wonderful time and nobody notices the woman in the corner who came in full of confidence and hasn't moved in forty five minutes.
The Hostess notices.
That's the point.
Shake well. Disturb the peace.