@halofcrged sent, [GROUND]: during a moment of intense emotional stress, the sender gently takes the receiver's face in their hands to ground them until they're calmer again.
the apothecary was closed to the public while corbin was off taking care of something super secretive. since halston had no musical obligations for the next week until her next scheduled show, she was taking care of the counter for those few select clients who'd be let in regardless of whether the door was locked or not. that meant it was the perfect time to go through all the older books to see if she could find anything that would help with her idea on fae portals.
a tome written in the unseelie language was hidden in corbin's personal collection. since she'd been given permission to use whatever was in the store, the witch didn't think twice before pulling it off the shelf and setting it at the table generally used for tarot readings.
the book opened with an audible pop as something in the energy shifted. every finger tingled at the tip, crawling up her arm like an army of ants. rather than try to shake it off, though, halston tried to ride the wave of energy.
maybe she should've waited for kerrin. or, maybe she should've had corbin unlock the contents. darkness swallowed her whole and she was a five year old sitting in the middle of a ring of mushrooms again.
helloooOOooOoooo little one.....
a hiss that still haunted her nightmares was accompanied by a pair of yellow eyes in the fog. there'd bee a smile and the shine of sharp teeth beneath the moonlight. when it jumped, though, it was a hooded figure that pushed her back onto the hardwood floor of a bar she frequented. the voice was mumbled, deep, and had her heart racing. in the depths of her dream, though, she could hear the repetition of the words found in the last letter. those same yellow eyes peered out from beneath the black cotton hood, holding her down.
she jerked awake with enough force to make her stumble out of her chair. the book, candle holders, incense bowl, and several crystals all went flying when the witch accidentally grabbed onto the altar cloth to try and stop the fall she didn't even realize was happening.
if it weren't for large, warm hands engulfing both her cheeks, she probably would've started screaming.
" i'm okay, " halston whispers with a grip on both john's wrists that clearly said otherwise. her eyes flutter closed so she can try to calm her breathing. without thinking about it, her head tilts to the side as if trying to absorb more of his touch. " i'm okay. i don't know what happened. i wasn't expecting a magical lock on the stupid book, " the witch chuckle sounded as hollow as she felt just then. " but, that also tells me there could really be something in there. just need to figure out what that is. "