The Paddock Gate

[Simon Hedwig]

He grinned at her apparent surprise, pleased that she was impressed.
"I learnt it when I was young. I've always been around dragons and I think the elemnts just kind of found me. It's definitely useful at the Colony. They know who's boss." he said with a smirk.
He groaned when she talked about Krys talking about him.
"Oh please tell me she isn't dong that?" he asked rubbing the back of his neck again. He always did that when he was nervous, embarrased or felt awkward. "That's so embarrasing, I better shut her up before she makes a fool of me...and herself." he added with a chuckle.

He studied her thoughtfully for a few seconds, tapping his finger against his chin.
"Well...if you really think you're up to it...you better meet me here at 8o'clock tonight, then." he said with a huge smile. "But I'm not going to tell you what we're doing, it's a surprise." he said firmly.

[jemz]

"I thought it would be useful around dragons," Elizabeth said, happy that she had been right in her thoughts. She laughed at his smirk. "That works, until you find one that thinks it's the boss as well and is better with fire than you are." She didnt really know if there were any dragons like that, but it was meant teasingly anyways.
"Hey I'm only repeating rumours. Which means, yes she probably is," Liz laughed. It was sweet watching him get embarrassed from his little sister's antics. "Just leave her to it, because unless you plan on having a really bad lesson planned, I'm sure you'll live up to standards." He certainly stood up to a few personal standards, and she made a note to go and speak to Kit or Magesta or both!

Staying in her animagus form she watched him carefully out of her amber eyes. When he said that she could come she changed back shaking her hair out. "I'll be here don't worry," she told him grinning. Surprises were good, but she wanted to know! "Please can't you just tell me?" she begged.

[Simon Hedwig]

He laughed haughtily and nodded.
"Yes there are some very stubborn dragons out there, believe me." he agreed.
He shook her head when she talked about Krys again. He'd said for years that that girl would be the death of him.

He grinned when she turned back into her human form, but shook his head with fake seriousness.
"I'm sorry Professor Peterson I can't do that. If I told you I'd have to kiss you." he told her and then realised what he'd said. "I mean kill you! Kill you is what I meant to...oh god." he groaned in embarrasment, covering his whole face with his hands and half turning away from her.

[jemz]

Liz looked at him open mouthed for a moment as he said he'd have to kiss her. She stood still for a few moments watching him in his embarrassment. That wasn't a saying that most people normally would mess up, and inputting kiss instead of kill could mean that he liked her. Well you never know until you try
Slowly she walked up to him and moved his hands away from his face. Closing her eyes she kissed him softly and then moved back. "Well Professor Hedwig I think you now owe me an explanation on what we're doing tonight at 8."

[Simon Hedwig]

Simon just stared at her, not moving, not saying a word. For a moment he actually thought he'd imagined that she'd kissed him. It happened so fast and was over so quickly that he hoestly wasn't 100% sure it had happened at all. But the tingling in his lips told him it had.
"I didn't...I never...I wasn't trying....That wasn't what...." He couldn't get the words out. He wanted to explain that he hadn't been fishing for a kiss, it had just slipped out.
He closed his eyes briefly and swallowed, regaining his composure. A smile crept across his lips.
"We're going to go and check on the Unicorn herd." he explained in a low, calm voice.

[jemz]

Elizabeth couldn't believe she had just done that. She never took things that fast, then again it had been really good. Normally she'd take things slow, but that had just come out of the blue and then... she took a deep breath and waited for his reaction.
She had to stop herself from laughing at his attempts to talk. It was obvious he hadn't expected it, but she couldn't change the past now. It wasn't like she wanted to anyways. "The kiss was free, I know you weren't expecting one."
Hearing what they were going to do, Liz looked at him with a huge smile on her face and wide eyes. "Really? You want my help to check on the Unicorns?" She loved being around them and remembered her own time in school when she had learnt about them.

[Simon Hedwig]

Simon smiled slightly bashfully.
"Yeah, I'd love for you to come along." he said, his lips still tingling. "One of the females is with foal and I want to keep an eye on her. And sadly a werewolf got one of the nursing Mothers so I'm having to feed her foal myself. Poor little guy. I'm hoping to take the class there sometime, so it'd be good if you could come and get them used to having people around." he explained, though his mind was still on her kiss, wondering if there would be more.
He looked at the ground for a moment.
"That kiss was free?" he asked questioningly. "What do your kisses usually cost?" he asked.

[jemz]

"Well I'd love to come along so I will definitely be here," Liz said firmly. "Aww new foals are so cute, although I never have understood why their coats are gold when their mothers are white." She frowned as she heard the word werewolf, there was only one that she knew of in the school and that was Emilia Pettigrew. "Of course I'll do that. It is nice for them to know other human scents, although they are wild majestic creatures."
"Yes it was free," she repeated wondering why he was looking at the ground. Hearing his questioned she smiled slightly, "Normally they cost a kiss in return, but like I said: that one was free." She couldn't expect him to want to kiss her back, that was just silly, but he kept asking her about it.

[Simon Hedwig]

Simon perked up a little when she talked abot the Unicorns.
"Oh well that's quite interesting, actually." he said, pleased that she knew a little about the wonderful beasts. "Their coats appear golden because they still have eiderdown, like a layer of fur beneath their coats. Like chicks I suppose. As they get older the eiderdown grows out and they start to look white again." he explained. "Like a swan." he added with a smile.

He smiled with a nod as she explained the cost of her kiss.
"That sounds like a fair price." he commented, smiling softly and looking into her eyes. "I'll bear that in mind." he added, his voice lowering and becoming gentle.

"So...I'll see you back here tonight?" he asked.

[jemz]

Elizabeth listened interested as he explained about the coats. Not even her old professor had explained it to her.
"Oh well that makes more sense," Liz said dismissing her silly theories about it. "Swans are pretty though they are a pain to get rid of if you've angered them. But Unicorns are just so... sweet." She knew she had used the word before, but it had to be used again.

She couldn't even believe she had explained the costs of her kisses. It was something she had made up with Magesta years ago, and she had just used it at 22 years old! "Will you?" she asked softly looking back into his eyes. She'd like that if there were more kisses, he seemed to be a really good kisser.

Nodding she smiled. "Of course I'll be here exactly at 8 o'clock," she promised.

[Simon Hedwig]

Simon nodded and smiled. God, he just couldn't stop smiling.
"I'll see you at 8 On the dot. And don't be late or it'll cost you." he threatened teasingly.

[jemz]

"You will indeed," Elizabeth said sweetly. She couldn't beleive that she had been asked to go check on the unicorns with him. There was no way she'd miss it. "Who knows, I may purposefully be late just to kiss you again," she teased, although the words were slightly true as well. "Talk to you later," she said before hurrying back up the hill. She needed to talk to Kit and fast.

[Simon Hedwig]

Simon had run all the way through the castle receiving some very disapproving looks from other teachers and many amused looks and laughs from students along the way. He finally made it to the Paddock at 8:09 and saw that Liz was already waiting for him. He stopped gasping for breath a few feet from her, walking the rest of the way with his sack swung over one shoulder.
"Hi." he said announcing his presence.

[jemz]

Liz turned hearing someone breathing heavily behind her. It sounded as if they were trying to catch their breath. She smiled as she realised who it was when they spoke. "You know for someone that lectures for a woman not to be late, it's not then polite for them to be late themselves," she joked. It was definitely nice to see him again, and she had begun to wonder whether he was actually turning up. "It's going to cost you later," she warned with a grin before noticing what he was carrying. "Need any help?" she asked.

[Simon Hedwig]

He laughed as he began to catch his breath.

"I know, I know, the irony doesn't escape me. I got held up in my office. I tried to get away as soon as I could but Caitlyn stopped by." He explained. He saw no need to lie about it. He didn't think he could lie to Liz anyway, and he didn't want to.
"No, no I'm fine." he assured her when she offered to help. "Well...shall we get going?" he asked brightly, taking a step towards the forest and offering her his free arm.