* CAPTIVE(ated)

dawn hartman, twenty four elemental witch, hostage && it's hard to h a t e someone once you understand them ...

[dongwookss]

                                           HIGH GLOSS QUEEN

[hypnctics]

“Damn.” Nate said, letting out a low whistle. “I could’ve sworn it was somewhere near the poptarts.” He teased, glad to see the ghost of a smile rising on her features. “Oh, I don’t really have that problem. Human vacuum right here. I do a grocery shop and it’s gone by the time I get it back to my apartment.”

[dawn-hartman]

A soft laugh left her lips for the first time in a week, a hand coming up to cover her mouth quickly. “I’m sorry, you must have us confused with Walmart. They have everything.” Shaking her head, the blonde allowed her hands to fall back to her sides as she slid them into the pockets of her smock. “Well then I feel sorry for your wallet and constantly empty refrigerator.”

[satinelacour-blog]

“Six,” She repeats, nodding as the other woman steps aside. “Thanks,” Satine knows she sounds a little crazy, but she feels like she’s going crazy without the hint of salt in her food. 

[dawn-hartman]

“Of course.” She forced a light smile, “Just let me know if you need anything else.”

[laceydenny]

      “I miss you.”

      Do not, he thought. Do not go back to her to tell her off. But what did he do? He marched over to her, towering over in his height and Lacey just stared. All of his anger dissipated to petty frustration and the looming male tore away from her to try to collect his thoughts, but for once words were coming out faster than he could stop them and Lacey hated the honesty of every single one of them.

     “You don’t get to miss me. You don’t get to look at me and say that you’re sorry or that you tried, because you didn’t try hard enough. If you did, I wouldn’t have spent a week thinking you’d died and there was nothing I could do to protect you or stop it.” Was his voice shaking or was that just his body? He didn’t want to figure out which was the fact and which was in his mind.

[dawn-hartman]

As he stomped back over to her, Dawn felt her body tense up - both scared and exhilarated to be that close to him again. She really did miss him, the week they have been apart was hard on her, harder than she’d ever admit to him or herself, but as he began to speak the young witch held her breath.

“Lacey...” Shakily, she rose to her feet and turned to face him. “I did try, please know that. And I did miss you, every day. And I know you missed me too, so please come back. Please. I won’t do it again, I promise. I’m here, I’m not dead. Please just... please.” She took another step towards him, even more unsteady than the last, and stopped about a foot away. Waiting. She knew he cared, despite his best efforts not to, and that gave her the tiniest bit of hope.

[brysonrhys]

      Holding in a scoff, Bryson wasn’t sure how to take that comment. A parent? They weren’t even sure they knew what one of those was anymore. “Being skinny is being skinny. It can mean you’re malnourished, underfed, or wanting for food. It can mean you have a fast metabolism and eat a lot. It can mean it’s just your body type. It’s just being skinny. Being healthy is good, Dawn. Fuck skinny.” The teen sighed as they were practically a twig themselves.  Nodding along with the information and Dawn’s display, the blond quirked a small smile. “That’s why we’re friends. Water and Earth go best together.”

      Maybe they were just desperate for friends or at least to make Dawn feel better, but the statement was true according to their mother. “He’ll live. Trust me. He has more shit than he knows what to do with. One bottle won’t be missed. You really have to stop thanking me though. It’s what friends do.”

[dawn-hartman]

“Do I really look that bad?” Dawn’s eyebrows furrowed as a sigh left her lips, she knew that not eating had been making her more tired but she didn’t think she’d begun to look unhealthy. Maybe living on her own, fending for herself, wasn’t going to be as easy as Lacey had always made it seem. Working all the hours she had been made money not as big of an issue as she’d initially thought it’d be, but it was still a stretch since she was only making minimum wage, but it was sleep that had been the most difficult for her. She knew the bags under her eyes gave her away, but she was still hopeful that everyone would continue to choose to be oblivious.

“Friends.” The blonde repeated back to Bryson, a faint smile breaking her otherwise previously stoic features. “I’m glad we’re friends.” She nodded before taking another sip from the bottle and handing it back to the other blonde. “Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll try... but I make no promises.”

[laceydenny]

      Lacey had every intention of leaving. He’d done it once and it shouldn’t have been hard to do it once more, but he wasn’t sure what was stopping him now. Pausing in his steps, he wasn’t sure how to go about this. Things with Dawn always ended with her crying and he wasn’t sure if today was a day where he’d lose his steam at her tears or just grow angrier at the sight of them. 

      The thing that got to him was her last sentence. 

      “Don’t lie to me.” He grit out. “You lied to me once all ready, don’t do it again.”

[dawn-hartman]

Pulling her knees up to her chest, Dawn wrapped her arms around them and kept her gaze out at the lake, afraid to look at him because if she did she knew she would start crying, and she knew that if she cried in front of him all it would do was make him angry again. It was a vicious circle, one that she missed being caught up in - because it was with him.

“I never --” She began, her voice raised for only a moment before she closed her mouth and let out another sad sigh. “I’m not lying,” Her head hung as her voice came out in barely a whisper. “I miss you.”

[laceydenny]

      Seeing Dawn did nothing to make the situation any less tense. Lacey wanted her out of his sight, out of his presence, but most of all the male wanted her out of his head. He hated the way she’d looked when he left a week ago, opting to sleep in his car and spend time deep in the woods rather than socialise because it felt better and more like home. How was he supposed to trust her on her own when she didn’t give him a reason to? “Well, now you know.” He groused out, pushing out of the water and going for his clothes.

      If anything, he didn’t know how to accurately tell her why he was upset and that was more frustrating than anything else. “Do whatever you were going to do. I’m leaving.”

[dawn-hartman]

“I’m sorry.” Her eyes cast down to the ground as she backed up further onto the bank, shying away from the hunter as he climbed out of the water. She could feel the tension in the air and it only caused a sadness to fill the pit of the blonde’s stomach. She’d hated being on her own the past week, but more than that, she missed Lacey; and seeing him again only made it worse. Especially when he was still so mad at her for doing something that she’d had to do, even if he didn’t understand it.

Softly sighing at his admission that he was leaving, Dawn moved back to the shoreline while being careful to steer clear of the man she cared so much about, and sat back down with her feet in the water. “Okay.” She said meekly, “It was good to see you.” She dared a glance at him before looking back out at the lake and waiting for him to leave, something she would hate to have to get used to but was looking more and more like she was going to have to.

[laceydenny]

      Night swimming had always been part of his life. From a younger age, he could remember dipping into cold water on summer nights thick with heat and the song of cicadas in the background as his sisters kept their laughs quiet so as not to let their parents know they were out. He could remember his father taking him down to the lake in order to teach him how to swim, how to manoeuvre that water, but know that he’d never get away from a mermaid or siren without a concealed weapon.

      Relaxation took hold of him until there was a noise that had the male turning and swimming closer to the shore of the lake. “Who’s out there?” He called, eyes narrowing as he struggled to see in the dark. His weapons were next to his clothes, too far away to reach in time if it was a threat, but he felt his hand to hand combat was good enough to stall until he could reach his gun.

[dawn-hartman]

Dawn had found herself out at the lake more times than she could count within the last week, using the time alone to work on her magic as she sat at the edge of the water with her feet fully submerged. She’d had her hands hovering over the top of the smooth surface, causing small jets of water to jut up out of the stillness, hitting her hands and then falling back. It was a small piece of magic, but one that she’d begun to find comforting as she sat alone in the dark.

But as she heard some splashing and noticed a figure move closer to shore, the blonde froze, instantly recognizing the voice. Standing up rather quickly and almost tripping over own feet before backing up away from the shoreline, Dawn debated on simply running into the darkness and away from him. It’d been a week since she’d seen Lacey and while her bruises had almost completely faded, their last encounter had been anything but pleasant and the memories were still fresh in her mind. “I’m sorry,” She spoke timidly as she grabbed her shoes, “I didn’t know anyone else was here.”

[dawn-hartman]

aleksandriavann:

“Oh ground ginger,the recipe did call for that rather than fresh ginger. Oh thank you very much,I’m terrible at grocery shopping,I still get lost at the best of times”

“Yeah, then aisle 9 is where you should go.” She nodded her head, “Well luckily this isn’t one of those big chain stores, you shouldn’t have a problem with getting lost or anything.”

[brysonrhys]

      “If you want to complain, do it. But do it while you eat. You’re looking too skinny lately.” The younger witch shrugged. The only part of Dawn’s story that really stuck was the kidnapping part, but Bryson was taught not to ask questions. Unsure of if they should try to pat Dawn’s back or offer her some sort of comfort, physical or emotional, the teen stood there wringing the hem of their shirt before finding the excuse to turn and start raiding the cabinets for a bottle of liquor. Crying never sat well with them. “Yeah, okay.” They didn’t do well with gratitude especially when they didn’t feel like they were doing anything. “Let’s go outside. I can’t be in for this long.”

      Once in the small garden, the teen let their bare toes dig into the earth and felt more at home as the leaves and vines reacted like a greeting. “What’s your element, Dawn? I mean, obviously mine is Earth. I just feel better when I’m out here.” Stretching out, the blond laid back in the slightly damp grass and held the bottle out to the elder witch. “I don’t think Dimitri will mind if you have some. If he does, I’ll deal with it.”

[dawn-hartman]

“You sound like a parent,” Dawn chuckled lightly, the first real glint of a positive emotion she’d felt in a week, “I thought being skinny was a good thing? Isn’t that what Hollywood says?” She shrugged her shoulders and continued to eat until she was full, her stomach feeling bloated with the unusual amount of food that was filling her stomach. “Okay, sure. Fresh air sounds nice.” Rising from her seat, she followed Bryson out into the small garden, breathing in deeply and allowing the fresh air to fill her lungs, the ghost of a smile forming on her lips. “Water,” She said as she held out her hand and a small orb of water formed just above her palm. She was a little rusty when it came to magic, but it felt really good to be able to do it out in the open and without ridicule. 

Taking a seat down on the grass next to them, Dawn took the bottle and opened it up, taking a rather eager swig from it and cringing as she swallowed the harsh liquid. “Thank you. I can always buy him more if I need to. But really, thank you again for inviting me over and just... being wonderful. I can’t thank you enough.”

[satinelacour-blog]

“—If they have salt in them, then yes.” it’s just the salt she’s after, but maybe this place doesn’t stock just plain bags of it. Which Satine supposes she should expect - it’s not something a lot of people request, she’s sure. 

[dawn-hartman]

“Well, yes... since they’re salt grinders.” Dawn looked at the woman curiously, but began backing away so she could stand at the end of the aisle and pointed to her right. “Aisle six.”

[poppybeckett]

Taking the powder from her she smiled, “thank you, yeah it’s hard to find it.” Looking down at her list, and at her basket she shrugged, “no I think I might have everything, but uh- are you okay?” Even though Poppy wasn’t always the best at picking up on others feelings, normally only focusing on herself. She was able to see the look on the others face though, it felt like she should ask.

[dawn-hartman]

“Of course, it’s what I’m here for.” She force another smile, smaller than the last, and simply shrugged her shoulders. She’d been out of it for the last couple of days, always tired and having to force herself to go to work, but she didn’t realize how much it was showing until Poppy asked if she was okay. “Oh, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” She forced a wider smile, hoping it was more convincing. 

[satinelacour-blog]

“Yes, please.” Her head is all over the place, and she’s dying for a drink. She feels like she’s been walking in this supermarket for hours - when in reality, it’s probably been nothing more than a minute or two. “Do you have that sea salt? The one that comes in big rocks, not the ground up powder stuff.” Satine knows she must sound a bit strange, but she adds salt to a lot of her food, always keeping a small packet in her bag when she goes to classes and the like. 

[dawn-hartman]

“Like the sea salt grinders?” Dawn asked, her head tilting to the side slightly as she tried to remember what kind of salt the quaint grocery store supplied. It wasn’t a big chain, so a lot of the foods they supplied to the small town were simple things rather than health foods. 

[dawn-hartman]

aleksandriavann:

Aleksandria wasn’t too keen on going grocery shopping,she only went once a week to get things that she really needed but she was making an exception. She was going to make one of her favourite cakes but had forgotten some of the ingredients. She went to the store and within moments had gotten herself lost. 

She turned to the female with a small smile on her face. “I’m looking for some ginger and icing sugar for a cake I’m making”

“Oh, well...” Dawn paused for a moment, looking around them as she had to think of which aisles to find the items the woman in front of her was requesting. “What kind of ginger? Fresh or the ground stuff? Because fresh is right at the front of the store with the produce but ground ginger is in the spices aisle which is... aisle 7. As for the icing sugar, that’s in aisle 9 with the baking supplies like flour and regular sugar.”

[poppybeckett]

Poppy had been putting off going to the grocery store for as long as she possible could. It was more out of pure laziness, she’d been so accustom to come home and food would be there. It wasn’t the case anymore. When she noticed that she had next to no food in her fridge, she caved and decided it was time. Writing up a few ingredients she wanted to get, trying to get better at the whole cooking thing, she headed out.

Now though, she stood in the middle of the aisle trying to find the garlic powder. Honestly, she’d been staring at the spices for five minutes it shouldn’t be this hard. “Oh, uh - yeah actually. Do you know where the garlic powder is? Because for the life of me I cannot see it, it’s likely right there but I just can’t find it.”

[dawn-hartman]

“Oh, yeah.” Dawn smiled faintly, coming up to stand next to her and look at the many shelves of spices line up ever so neatly but in absolutely no helpful order. “I’ve stood here plenty of times looking for what seems like a needle in a haystack. You’d think there was some sort of order to it but there isn’t unfortunately.” Crinkling her nose slightly, Dawn spotted the garlic powder and reached out to grab it before handing it over to Poppy. “Here you go. Can I help you find anything else?”

[hypnctics]

He didn’t recognize the blonde - a fact that was becoming less startling as more strangers seemed to flock to their freakish little town. Still there was something about her that instantly had him fretting…perhaps it was simply how tired she looked. “Just looking for my desire to adult - I think I lost it in here somewhere.” He said with a wry smile, making a poor attempt at humor. “Grocery shopping is probably one of my least favorite activities.”

[dawn-hartman]

Letting out a soft but sad laugh, Dawn kept a light grip on the mop she was rolling to the storage room when she’d stopped to ask the customer if they needed help. “Unfortunately,” She began softly, “I don’t think we sell that here.” Her smile grew slightly but still had a tinge of sadness to it. “But most people don’t like grocery shopping, it’s spending money that a lot of people don’t have on food that’ll go bad before you get a chance to eat it. At least that’s what usually happens to me.”

[brysonrhys]

      “Why’re you sorry? I’m fine, you’re the one with the issues.” Bryson shrugged before leaning over and picking a piece of chicken from the plate they’d given Dawn. It was rare that anyone called them nice. The feeling was good, they had to admit, but foreign. “Well, you needed it so whatever. Don’t get all sappy about it. If you want, we can go to the garden just to get out of this stuffy house.” Dimitri was such a priss, that was all Bryson had found out, but being so in touch with their element, the teen found themselves more at home in the small garden they were starting in his backyard.

[dawn-hartman]

“Because I shouldn’t complain, really. I mean there are people out there who have real problems, you know? My parents just suck and I have a thing for a guy who kidnapped me and pretty much hates my guts. At least I’m not starving.” She shrugged her shoulders and took another bite of food, finding herself a lot more hungry than she’d been willing to admit before. “I can’t help it,” She spoke as she felt some tears well up in her eyes, “I haven’t gotten a lot of kindness lately from anyone, so it’s really really nice of you. And I really do appreciate it, Bryson. Please know that.” She cast her gaze down at the plate, willing herself not to actually let any tears fall, before looking back up at the other witch. “The garden sounds really nice, yeah.” She forced a smile before continuing to eat. “Maybe a drink, too?”