GRIMM: Dreamcatcher
I should say that on canon WITCH details, I'm going by the graphic novels, not the cartoon. I didn't know there was a cartoon until the last couple of episodes were reruns. As far as I can tell, the biggest differences are descriptions of things. Some things will be AU (in both the cartoon- and graphic novel-verses,) for instance; Will and Irma's relationship will be romantic. (Yes, I ship it, they're adorable, and I am not ashamed of that.) Expect lesbians! (Well, a lesbian and a bisexual, but, spoilers.) I'm still working on characters so anything can happen.
Prologue: Dreams
It was the dream again. She could always tell somehow. It wasn't that anything was amiss; no, the waves crashing around her, soaking her shorts and t-shirt, the ocean air chilling her skin, even the scent of saltwater filling her nose were all eerily real. Even the moon that sat on the horizon, round and bright, its light bouncing off of the water, made her squint. She ran her hands through her short hair, slicking it back, as she admired the majestic view of the ocean.
Some dream instinct made her turn to the shore. A fire flickered there in the midst of four figures silhouetted in its light. She headed over, wet sand pulling at her bare feet. As she drew nearer, one of them jumped up and waved at her.
"Hey!"
Chapter One
Ran woke abruptly. She sat up with a huff and ran a hand through her buzzed blonde hair. Shooting a glance at the modest battery-powered clock, she noted that the time was 8:16 AM. "Ugh, Sundays," she chuckled mirthlessly, untangling herself from her threadbare blanket. Her feet thumped on the floor and she pulled her scuffed boots on, lacing them up with nimble fingers.
"Weird dream, though," she muttered, grabbing her jacket off the floor and pulling it on. She'd read a book on dreams and their meanings. It had been pretty silly and almost all the meanings had something to do with sex. Ran pursed her lips as she gazed around the small room. The window had two boards nailed across it, four teetering stacks of books sat on the floor under it, and there was a bowling ball-size hole in the plaster above to the mattress she called her bed. She picked up a small picture frame from the floor, narrowing her light grey eyes at it. A man sitting in a chair and cradling a baby beamed at her from it while a woman crouched next to him to smile gently down at the infant. Ran's jaw tightened and she put it down next to the bed.
She left, closing the door behind her and setting a rotten, flat piece of wood in front of it to hide it. Ran wiped her hands on her clumsily patched jeans on her way out of the narrow alley, stepping over the litter on the ground. Shoulders hunched, hands shoved in pockets, Ran navigated the busy streets. Her breath misted in the air and the solid grey skies threatened snow. The very thought made her shiver and push her hands deeper in her pockets. The sidewalks started to clear and she broke into a jog. Her baggy leather jacket flapped around her thighs but protected her from the wind. Too quickly, she found herself standing in front of a small Chinese restaurant, cheeks red and lips chapped from the cold. The whole place had a quiet dignity around it, but Ran's focus was on the 'help wanted' sign inside the window. She took a deep breath, hoping against hope, and with a tremulous exhale, she went inside.
"Hello, I'm Hay Lin, I'll be your server today, how many?" the dark-haired woman rattled off as the bell on top of the door jangled softly. She looked up and paused. "You look frozen, may I suggest our soup of the day?"
"Uh, no, er, thanks. I'm here for the job?" The question trailed off as the slender lady suddenly beamed and grabbed her hand, shaking it energetically.
"Oh, it's so nice to meet you, I'm Hay Lin, the owner, and we are still hiring, so don't worry, I am so happy to meet you," Hay Lin said, all in one breath. She took another deep breath and continued, albeit slightly calmer, "Sorry, but no one has worked out so far. In fact, the last one quit almost immediately, said the Silver Dragon was haunted, can you believe it?" There was an awkward silence as the teenager gaped at Hay Lin who was biting her lip. "Oh… I probably shouldn't've told you that." She looked hopefully at Ran and continued, "I hope you still want the job. I have a good feeling about you."
Ran blinked and nodded, slightly taken aback. Hay Lin grinned and led her to a booth in the back corner. "Fang! I'm doing an interview, seat the customers, please!"
"Yup," was the gruff reply.
Hay Lin sat across from Ran and smiled. "So, what's your name, young man?"
Ran gave the friendly woman an awkward half-smile. "I-um, I'm actually a girl. I'm Ran. Jackson. Ran Jackson."
"Sorry about that. Ran, huh?" Hay Lin pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper and handed it to her with a pen. "Interesting name."
The teenager nodded. "I was named after my great-aunt."
"Fill that out, please." Roughly five minutes later, Ran returned the application to Hay Lin who beamed. "Now, we get to the important stuff." Ran furrowed her brow slightly and Hay Lin chuckled. "The grand tour of the Silver Dragon, Ms. Ran!" she declared with a grand gesture. She stood and Ran hastily got up to follow her as she strode over to the bar. "This is the bar. Non-alcoholic, just to seat people who are alone or waiting for others and get them drinks and appetizers. This," pointing at a bearded, bald man behind the counter who nodded at Ran, "is Fang. Head chef and the guy who pretty much runs the Silver Dragon with or without me. Is the soup ready?"
"Yup," he said, filling a bowl with steaming soup, the sight and smell of which made Ran lick her lips. Her stomach growled quietly.
"Here you go. One order of egg drop soup," Hay Lin said, pushing the bowl slowly towards Ran. Her eyes flicked from the chef to the potential future boss. "All yours. On the house, of course."
"O-kay…" Ran picked the bowl up, foregoing any utensils; although she hadn't seen any but she couldn't care less at that moment. She took a small sip, and both of the adults raised their eyebrows at her. She gave them a small, unsure grin, and drank the rest as quickly as she could without burning her tongue.
"Soooo…?" Hay Lin asked, face still and serious.
"'S good, really good," Ran murmured, licking the remnants from her lips. She set the bowl onto the counter.
"All righty, on with the rest of the tour. Also, you'll have to talk to Fang on your way out to get an apron."
"What?"
"You start tomorrow at three thirty, plenty of time to get here from school, right?" Ran nodded, still baffled by the turn of events, and the petite woman continued, "I'll train you now but it isn't too difficult. Also, you report to Fang. He is essentially your boss, so listen to what he says."
"Wait-"
"Yep, you're hired. Congratulations! Now, don't lag behind, the Silver Dragon may seem like a small restaurant but it's bigger on the inside, so we have quite a bit more to see." She started to walk off, but, on seeing Ran's mouth agape, paused and cocked an eyebrow impatiently. "Come on."
Ran trailed after the somewhat eccentric lady, still blinking away the daze.
After Hay Lin had shown her the restaurant, and the ropes, the bemused teenager walked out of the restaurant, pondering her luck. It had been a strangely good day. Maybe that dream had been a good omen or something. She shrugged it off and continued home, a small smile on her face.
