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Post by Elijah on Jul 20, 2011 22:11:00 GMT -5
Times had been a little rough. The pack that used to be in the forest was now gone, which eased up a little tension Elijah had. His hunting could be wider now. He mostly hunted deer or rabbits. He didn't mind cooking deer meat every so often. The deer skin was used to help make blankets if he needed them. Seeing that he was relying on himself, that was really the best he could do at the moment.
Elijah still did not have a shelter of his own in the woods. He usually carried a bag with him that had a few items in it. There was one cave that he stayed in that he would hide his items in, but now he was getting tired of staying in a cave. He needed to build his own shelter, like Dylan. Although the two did have their moments, Elijah looked at him as sort of a friend, or the closet thing to a friend he had.
Now was a time when Elijah looked for more work. He mended his jeans and his shirts. Granted they were not the best mended clothes, but they would hold up for a day or two. Walking into Hogsmeade, he noticed people gathered together and talking with each other. For a moment, Elijah watched them. While he watched them, he felt that familiar pang of wishing he had someone else to talk to. Shaking his head, Elijah started to make his rounds around Hogsmeade, keeping an ear out for any need of work. He didn't care what type of work it was, he would take care of it.
Not paying attention, which was highly unusual for him, he bumped into someone. Quickly Elijah apologized and continued on his way into one of the stores to ask if help was needed.
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Post by Dawn Meade on Jul 21, 2011 21:41:03 GMT -5
Dawn had continued to improve from her treatments, so that now she seemed an entirely different person from the fragile, broken girl she had once been. She was still quiet and shy, and she still had the same delicate appearance and pale complexion. But she was able to function in society, and she rarely had headaches anymore. She even had a job now. Back when she had been with Gretchen's pack, Dawn's one useful contribution had been cooking for the pack. Since her recovery, her cooking techniques had improved, and the kindly Mr. Wang had taught her how to cook his wonderful China food. She was now his main chef.
She had to work in a few hours, but first she needed to pick up some more supplies for the restaurant. They were almost out of snow peas, rice, and water chestnuts.
At that moment, she was walking out of the little grocery store, carrying a bag full of rice and vegetables. The bag was large, and it blocked some of her vision, so she couldn't really see where she was going. And that was when she ran into the man walking into the store, causing her to drop the bag.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she gasped, torn between turning to see who she had run into and bending down to pick up her bag.
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Post by Elijah on Jul 21, 2011 22:04:14 GMT -5
Elijah was usually more aware of people around him but at that very moment, he didn't even see it coming. He knew he ran into something, and he heard items hit the ground. Usually he would grumble at the situation, but knowing that he was out in public and something telling him that he shouldn't, Elijah quickly bent down and started to pick up a few of the items that had fallen to the ground.
"It's quite alright," he said using a friendly tone of voice that was still a little rough. Elijah was still working on that. "Those bags aren't the most reliable things." He remembered that he was supposed to be conversational and friendly to the people he ran into, unless they were not friendly themselves.
He finally brought his eyes up to the person he ran into and he froze for a moment. The vegetables he picked up were still in his hands and he stared at the girl for a moment longer that seemed to last an hour. "I should have paid a little more attention," he said with a light smile growing on his face. "I, I can help you carry this to wherever you're going."
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Post by Dawn Meade on Jul 23, 2011 16:22:34 GMT -5
Dawn had picked up the bag, noticing to her dismay that the bad was torn beyond repair. The old Dawn might have started to cry about this, or had one of her blinding headaches. Even now, she could feel a ghost of a headache tapping behind her eyes, but she was able to relax with a few deep breaths, as Madam Pomfrey had taught her. Then she looked up at the man she had run into, who was now holding two small bags; one of snow peas and one of water chestnuts.
"Thank you," she said, smiling involuntarily. For a moment, looking at him, she felt dazed. It wasn't like the old headaches or attacks she used to get; this was different. She felt... giddy. She almost wanted to giggle. This man was handsome... and maybe a little wild.
Without even realizing what she was doing, Dawn smiled sweetly at him, fluttering her eyes and tilting her head slightly. "Y-yes, thank you. That would be so kind."
She picked up the box of rice herself and slowly got to her feet, noticing at once how much taller than her she was. "It's not far from here."
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Post by Elijah on Jul 24, 2011 11:24:54 GMT -5
For a moment, Elijah wished he had better clothes and wished he would have ran something through his hair rather than just his hands. His hair just did whatever it wanted to do, but for once he wished that it was brushed. This girl didn't seem like other humans, and the more he looked at her, the more he thought he had seen her before but he couldn't place where. He might have passed her before, but he couldn't remember.
Holding the majority of the items to make it easier for her, Elijah rose to his feet. He watched her to make sure she stood up okay. "It's no problem," he said with a smile. Elijah had the ability to be nice and attempt to blend in. Of course he never really stayed around people all that often because it was just nicer to be alone.
He nodded as she said it wasn't far. "I'm following you." Elijah noticed how petite and small she was. She looked almost fragile. "What do people call you," he said but then he caught himself and shook his head, "I mean, what's your name?"
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Post by Dawn Meade on Jul 24, 2011 22:59:49 GMT -5
Dawn also wished she was a little better dressed. After all, she was preparing to spend a day in a hot kitchen cooking, so she was dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of what Rochelle called "jeans." Her long dark hair was pulled into a loose, messy ponytail. She had never really cared how she looked and had never really believed anyone when they told her she was pretty. Now, in this moment, she quite hoped they were right.
His smile made her feel a funny sort of weakness in her knees--but surely that couldn't be the reason for it. It was probably just that ghost of a headache again.
She returned his smile, then began to lead the way to the restaurant. "Thank you again," she said as she walked, blushing slightly. "You can call me Dawn."
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Post by Elijah on Jul 25, 2011 11:35:52 GMT -5
"Dawn," he repeated. The name seemed to fit her. For a moment Elijah let her name sit on his tongue, but then he remembered that it was polite to tell her his name. "It's nice to meet you Dawn. I'm Elijah." He looked at her face again. Remembering faces was one thing that he was good at. "You have really bright blue eyes, especially when there is pink in your cheeks," he said without much thought. So much for being the smart comeback witty responses that he could usually give. For a moment, Elijah was glad that Dylan wasn't there. He knew that he would probably finally have something to tease him about. For once in his life, Elijah was somewhat tongue tied.
Although Elijah plainly stated what he thought, there was no embarrassment on his face. "Um," he said clearing his throat, "where do you work?" He imagined that all of the items wouldn't be for a home.
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Post by Dawn Meade on Jul 25, 2011 18:26:22 GMT -5
As she walked toward the Royal Dragon, Dawn had to force herself not to constantly turn around to look at the man behind her. On the one hand, it seemed rude not to look a someone when he was talking to her. Since he insisted on walking just behind her, she would have to turn her head at least to see him. But whenever she did, she nearly tripped, because there was just such an intensity about him that seemed to rob her of her reflexes. She had the sense that he was trying to be on his best behavior; that he was somehow "reined in" right now, and she wondered silently what he was really like.
"Thank you," she said to his compliment, which caused the pink in her cheeks to increase. It was odd how he said it; it wasn't exactly a compliment, but more of a statement of fact. Just an incredibly flattering one. "It's nice to meet you, Elijah."
She wanted to ask about him; where he was from and what he did for work or fun, but something told her that he probably wouldn't be comfortable with such questions. There was something about him, sort of familiar in his scent. He smelled of pine needles and cedar.
"I work at the Royal Dragon... it's a Chinese restaurant. The owner was so kind as to give me a job and show me how to cook like Chinese people. Have you ever tried it before? It's very good."
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Post by Elijah on Jul 26, 2011 11:01:12 GMT -5
Elijah tried to study Dawn as they walked. She was pretty, that was certain. Her scent smelled familiar as well, but he couldn't place her scent. Of course Elijah was pretty sure if he mentioned that she smelled nice, it might not be the right thing to do. He really was trying his best to be on his best behavior. He was a little wild, but that came naturally since he was never really around that many people.
Smiling as she mentioned that it was nice to meet him, he looked at the pink in her cheeks again. Dawn was fair skinned, so the pink stood out. Hearing her speak again, Elijah made sure to listen to what she was saying. Chinese food? He rarely ate out at all. For a moment, he became somewhat embarrassed about the fact that he didn't. Pushing those thoughts away, Elijah shook his head 'no'.
"I don't usually eat out," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. Whatever money he had he usually used for supplies and food that he could cook himself. "I've never had Chinese food at all. What all do you cook?"
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Post by Dawn Meade on Jul 26, 2011 22:11:47 GMT -5
The idea of restaurants was actually somewhat new to Dawn, as well. Gretchen's pack, when she had been with them, had mostly kept her locked away for her own protection. The one time she did go out with the others, Quinn had ended up getting arrested for trying to defend Dawn against a creepy guy who had taken too much interest in her.
"I never tried it before, either, before I met Mr. Wang. He showed it to me, and taught me how to cook it. It's very good... just pieces of meat and fresh vegetables tossed together with different sauces. There's usually rice on the side, and sometimes they add noodles."
She glanced behind her again and blushed lightly at the intent way he was looking at her. "It's just around the corner from here," she said.
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Post by Elijah on Jul 26, 2011 23:08:06 GMT -5
Everyone had their calling, and Elijah supposed Dawn's was cooking. Her face lit up when she spoke about it. He wasn't exactly sure how he would like Chinese food, but Dawn seemed so excited about it, it wouldn't hurt to try it. He could always find a way to make money in order to make up for what he spent today.
This was the first time in a long time that Elijah just took the time to speak to someone. Of course the last person he spoke to was Dylan, but he had a feeling that he didn't really care to much for him. Being out in the woods did get a bit lonely sometimes, so Elijah was enjoying his moment of interaction. Naturally, Elijah wouldn't just approach a woman or anything like that at first because he knew he might scare them off, especially with his appearance. However, Dawn wasn't taken aback by his appearance. His not so well mended clothes didn't seem to phase her at all. He was clean, seeing as he took a bath in the river before he headed into town.
"Do you have a favorite thing to eat there?" In a way, Elijah was trying to get her to continue to talk to him. He knew that she would answer him in some way and that was all he wanted. He liked hearing her soft voice.
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Post by Dawn Meade on Jul 28, 2011 21:54:05 GMT -5
Dawn was kind of a purist. She mostly liked the simpler dishes, although she had tried most of them by now. But she didn't particularly care for the heavy breaded and fried dishes or the spicy dishes. She liked the ones that were just meat and vegetables with a light sauce., or the soups. These were the kinds of things she cooked when she was with Gretchen's pack.
Looking back at Elijah once again, she smiled lightly. "I mostly like the plainer dishes. Like chicken with broccoli, or beef pepper steak. I like the lo mein, too... it's meat and vegetables with noodles. Oh, and there's this wonderful soup... won ton soup. It has these dumplings filled with meat. Would you like to try something? I'm sure Mr. Wang wouldn't mind if I gave you a free sample."
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Post by Elijah on Jul 28, 2011 22:27:50 GMT -5
Elijah wasn't as experienced in the 'people' world as most others. He felt like he should be running wild through the trees at the moment, but Dawn was holding him there. He wasn't complaining at all. In fact, he would stick around all the people for as long as she kept talking to him.
"What are dumplings," he asked curiously. The question slipped out before he had a chance to think about it. Elijah reached up and scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. He cleared his throat. "I, I couldn't ask that of you. I can pay, it ain't a problem." For some reason, he didn't like getting things for free. He much rather work for what he wanted than it just be given to him.
"I can try the, the," Elijah paused for a moment to think about how she pronounced the words, "lo mein. I wouldn't mind that."
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Post by Dawn Meade on Jul 30, 2011 23:40:39 GMT -5
Dawn let out a tiny little giggle that sounded like bells jingling. She wasn't laughing at him; rather, she thought it was cute, because she had reacted much the same way when Mr. Wang was explaining about Chinese food. She had been just as curious and confused, and Elijah's reaction made her feel that they had something in common.
"I asked the same thing before I started working here," she said. "In this case, they're noodles filled with meat and things and rolled up into little pockets, then cooked into the soup. Isn't that amazing? I never would have thought to do something like that."
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Post by Elijah on Aug 3, 2011 0:06:24 GMT -5
Dawn's giggle filled Elijah's ears. He thought she had a pretty laugh, but then he became slightly embarrassed because she was laughing. At first, he thought she was laughing at him. Elijah's eyes looked to the ground as they walked, but once she said that she asked the same thing, his ears perked back up.
Maybe they did have something small in common, but Elijah wasn't really thinking about that. "It sounds like it would be good." Almost anything sounded better than another sandwich. His cooking skills only pertained to cooking meat in a pan, and picking and cleaning vegetables or fruits. "Much better than anything I could make."
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Post by Dawn Meade on Aug 4, 2011 23:39:18 GMT -5
"I always loved cooking," Dawn said, smiling as she looked back at him. "I used to cook for my... uh, my friends. I don't know that it was anything very fancy, but it was good and they always seemed to like it. But I've learned so much about cooking working for Mr. Wang. I'm even thinking I might want to go to a cooking school."
It wasn't all that long ago that such a career move... or any career at all, would have been impossible for Dawn. But the future was opening up for her at last. Rochelle was always saying how proud she was of her and how far she had come in such a short time. Dawn still hoped that she'd get more of her memory back and would one day remember who her family was.
It occurred to her now that she had been doing all the talking, and she knew nothing at all about him, except that his name was Elijah. It seemed rather rude that she wouldn't even show any interest in him... especially since he seemed so very interesting.
"So, Elijah... where are you from? I don't think I've seen you around here before."
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Post by Elijah on Aug 5, 2011 13:02:31 GMT -5
Elijah didn't think he was interesting at all. He just lived in the woods and did what he could to get by. There wasn't anything highly interesting in that. Dawn, on the other hand, was highly interesting. Elijah thought that her blue eyes were telling a story but he couldn't look at them long enough to figure out what it was. He was usually decent at reading people.
"Cooking school? That would be good. You could maybe have your own place then or something." Elijah didn't know much about schooling or anything of that sort. He didn't even go to Hogwarts, or any type of school for that matter. He only picked up things from other people. The one thing he could not do was read. He never learned and so far he had gotten by pretty well. Elijah wasn't even sure if he could ever do magic with the sticks that wizards carried.
"I'm from around here," he responded. He didn't want to just outright tell her he lived in the woods. "I just don't come into town all that often. I make trips every once in awhile when I know I need supplies from town or if I need a few extra jobs."
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Post by Dawn Meade on Aug 5, 2011 22:30:45 GMT -5
Dawn was still investigating whether cooking school would be an option for her. There were problems with it, of course; the main one being the fact that she was a werewolf. Muggle cooking schools would be her only hope, because they didn't know that werewolves actually existed; to them they were just a legend. But even there, the full moon schedule could cause a problem with her class schedule. Besides, cooking schools were expensive, and Dawn didn't really have a lot of money. Sully had offered to help her pay for school, but she didn't feel right about taking his money.
Still, it was a goal to shoot for.
"Oh, OK," she said, glancing back at him again. "I know what you mean. I used to be afraid to go into town, too. Are you looking for work, then? We might have some work at the restaurant you could do... maybe washing dishes or something. It's not much, but I could talk to Mr. Wang for you, if you wanted."
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Post by Elijah on Aug 7, 2011 21:41:40 GMT -5
"Town is not exactly my place," he admitted. That's what he thought anyway, and maybe in a way he was right. Elijah wasn't exactly as tame as normal humans. He liked his freedom, but possibly with a little help he could become more accustom. "But there are times when I can make an exception." Elijah knew the game of survival and he was doing the best he could.
When Dawn mentioned they might have work at the restaurant, his ears perked up even more. Sure, he was more of the outside worker but if that meant he could spend a little bit more time... "That would be really nice of you," he said almost bashfully. Elijah could wash dishes or something, right? He didn't do many 'domestic' type of jobs, but there was always exceptions that could be made. "I've never worked in a restaurant before."
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Post by Dawn Meade on Aug 8, 2011 22:23:25 GMT -5
Dawn thought it was kind of cute the way he suddenly seemed shy. She could tell this wasn't his sort of thing, and without realizing it, she identified with that. For the longest time, her whole life had been the pack, and whatever they did or wanted her to do. She went where they went, lived as they lived. So she hadn't really gone to town, and hadn't felt comfortable around other people. She recognized a similarity in Elijah, but she didn't quite know why.
"I'm sure Mr. Wang will be able to give you a job," she said. "He was very kind to help me. I'm just glad he had room for me in the kitchen, because I could never wait on tables, like Kayri does. I'm sure I would drop something."
The restaurant was just up ahead, and she nodded her head toward it. "It's that one there. With the picture of the dragon on it."
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