Creatures Have Feelings Too!, =Tatiana=

[Professor James Butler]

Every afternoon, James would finish up at his desk in the staffroom and go for his usual run, which was around the compound the through the Grounds and then he'll end up at the Southern Cross Tower where he'll spend his evenings looking at the stars. But for today, the events that planned to happen didn't happen for it was interrupted.

It started with the kiss that Tatiana gave James, and all he could think about for the past weekend was the Kiss and Tatiana having feelings for someone else - and since James is a male he couldn't possibly put the equation together so from his jog halfway around the compound all he could think about was Tatiana until he reached the Grounds and saw the the Care of Magical Creatures classroom - that's when his train of activity stopped because he decided to change his route towards the classroom instead of around it.

He lifted his hand and scrunched it into a ball and rattle the door with a knock. He practice in his mind what he was going to say - once he was set he waited for the recipient to answer.

[Professor Tatiana Verdante]

Tati was in the barn usually during the late afternoon, clad in worn out jeans and a teeshirt that were fit for cleaning up the barn.She stood up a little straighter once she was finished hand feeding some of the Crup babies while their mother lay nearby. They were growing fast and she watched as they rolled around waiting for more food. She was distracted for a short while as she watched them give up on chasing after her pant legs and then went after their mother to curl up for the night.
She turned her head then, hearing someone knocking on her old classroom door. It was around the front of the barn and Tati couldn't be seen where she was from there, so it was only natural that they went for the classroom door first. There was more knocking and she could hear the door rattle and she winced. "Its old enough as it is, why do people insist on knocking it down?" she said to herself as she left the Crup family that she was taking care of.
"You know, I'm right over here, you don't need to break the dor down..." she was avoiding a little line of baby ducks that raced out in front of her when she looked up to see James and her cheeks turned red and her stomach instantly filled with butterflies. "Oh! Hello, well this was a little unexpected." Her pants and shirt was covered in little muddy paw prints she noticed and she blushed even more.

[Professor James Butler]

When no one answered, he knocked once more when the sound of duck 'quacks' disrupt his direction to an approaching figure from the back followed by a voice that James was expecting. Once turning around to see Tatiana clad in a muddy ranch ensemble, James perked up his eyes - he always found women who got their hands dirty deserves extra cool points (in his books at least).

He wasn't expecting Tatiana to be working at the barn this evening, he even half-expected her to be in. But after much information from the receptionist, who was sure she was around James never thought that Tatiana would be wearing something that would make all his fantasies fade with shame.

He took him awhile to stop staring at Tatiana and realize he had interrupted something, "Oh, I'm sorry... Was I interrupting?" James asked "I didn't mean to, I was just on my way and well I thought I'd stop by and chat but seeing that you're probably busy..." he trailed the sentence

[Professor Tatiana Verdante]

She wiped her hands on her jeans when she got closer to him, smiling as she remembered their last meeting. "No, not interrupting anything at all. I just finished feeding the baby Crups." She looked away from James for a moment to pick off some of the larger clumps of dirt on her shirt. It was rather embarrassing. Usually she was all clean an tidy, but she did what she had to do.
"Its fine though, i was finished anyways. Well a while ago actually, just haven't spent some time with the newer residents of the barn." She stood there awkwardly for a moment before she realized that there were standing outside. "Oh! Sorry, Um come in, come in!" She opened the door and walked through the classroom. "Just give me a minute, I want to clean up... mud, well you know..." she pulled at her teeshirt and disappeared into her office. There was the sound of someone trying to rush around, knocking into a couple of things followed by not so hushed angry words in Portuguese
She finally emerged in a pair of straight legged jeans that looked more like trousers and a lacy tank top.
"So you just wanted to talk," she motioned towards one of the students chairs and took one herself, opting to sit on top of the desk rather than in it. "So James," she said with one of her flirty smiles. "What shall we talk about?"

[Professor James Butler]

James nodded and tilted his body to see the barn behind Tatiana not noticing that Tatiana was picking dirt off her shirt, but realize later what she has done when his eyes settled back on her - he furrowed his eyebrows and smiled that she cared about her appearances when with someone else then he galnced over at his ensemble, an oxford Tee and his favorite track pants. "Baby Crups? James eyes glimmered excitedly - he remembered when he always played with his grandfather's crup only his crup didn't have a pitchfork sticking out

James was about to reply that he comprehended completely, when he was hastily invited to the classroom. "Oh don't worry, I didn't mind the outdoors" he said but realize that it was probably -2degrees outside which didn't occur to him because someone had occupied most of his brain function. James grabbed the nearest table to lean on when Tatiana pulled off her shirt - he quickly brush off any informal thoughts and settled on leaning.

When settled, he heard rackets from Tatiana's office, and some gibberish he didn't quite understand. "Mon dieu!" he cried startled "Are you all right?" he questioned worriedly.

A large knot started to bond in James' tummy when Tatiana emerged from her office, and sat on top of the desk opposite the one he was leaning to. James tried his best to keep his composure but things weren't helping especially with the flirty smile Tatiana was giving him. He paused for awhile trying to remember the lines he has rehearsed on his way here, but somehow he can't seem to remember them "About last week..." he tried unsure on how to bring the topic up but then he remembers Dairine's words, "I'm not so sure about that. Maybe it depends on the person - because, at least theoretically speaking, I'd tell a person how I felt if I liked them." "...You kissed me?" he asked bluntly.

[Professor Tatiana Verdante]

"Yes, about a month old at the moment." She smiled though when he said that he didn't mind being outside. "Yes, well its a rather odd place to talk if you ask me."
While she was changing, she head him ask if she was alright. She nodded more ot herself but then there came a muffled "Yes! Just ran into my desk is all!"
Yes, great way to impress him. Let him know that you are clumsy when rushing around ad that you are blind as a bat, she thought.
Finally out of her office, she rejoined him and he asked her what seemed to be a silly question. "Yes, was I not supposed to?" She was worried now, was she really not supposed to have done that? She just wanted to let him know that she was interested.

[Professor James Butler]

James nodded admiringly at Tatiana's position as the Care of Magical Creature professor, he knew the job wasn't easy unlike Astronomy you didn't have to take care of the creatures. But he was also worry for Tatiana, since hearing the rumor from his class about the acromantula breaking loose and hurting one of the students. He just prayed that she would be careful of her job, "I don't suppose an acromantula is back there?" he joked but was made out in a way where it didn't sound like a joke but more of a question because he knew it was a sensitive area "I heard about the acromantula breaking loose, you're didn't hurt yourself did you?"

Tatiana was right when she mentioned about how the outdoors would be an odd place to talk, he was just too nervous to say anything else at that moment. Since he was expecting Tatiana to be at the barn afterall.

The quick excuse from Tatiana calmed James down a little and was even able to make little smile across his face of her clumsiness "A little clumsy now are we?" he comments "Be careful, I don't want you getting more bruises than me" he joked - he decided it was the only remedy to his rapidly beating heard and sweaty palms.

James was now on the hot seat, he never felt so nervous in his life or scared "Well, no... " he stuttered and ran his fingers through his hair nervously "...I just thought well.." he paused wondering maybe the kiss was something Portuguese people do to their friends - he wasn't really good with culture "...I thought you had your heart to someone else.. I'm just a little confused" he finished not expecting what Tatiana would reply or do at the moment.. his mind was juts going in a full 360.

[Professor Tatiana Verdante]

"Ah, well that incident was rather unfortunate. No, I didn't get hurt, but one of my students did." She said this a little sadly. Although she hated the darn thing, she never wanted it to die. She was too nice to wish that upon any creature.

"Only a little," she said as an answer to his clumsiness question. "I'm not usually, I just wasn't paying attention is all. I'm okay though." She looked down at her fingernails now, looking up at him occasionally as he explained himself. I wish he knew exactly what he was feeling, things would be so much easier. Finally, she sighed, it seemed that she would have explaining to do as well.

"Oh, good, I did hope that it was alright. But, My heart does belong to someone it seems. I cant get him off of my mind. You see, we met at this bar, it was early morning, he bought be a coffee when I dropped a pen into my first one. Things just kind of blossomed from there." She smiled, though not to be flirtatious or anything, it was just the happy memory. "I just didn't know any other way to show him what I was feeling is all."

[Professor James Butler]

James signed in relief that Tatiana wasn't at all hurt, but he sympathized for her and the student, it wasn't a pleasure to see your student getting hurt let alone in your classroom. He nodded at her answer to his clumsiness question - he didn't mind Clumsy girls, he actually found their clumsiness to be quite cute and at times entertaining. But girls that were too clumsy wasn't attractive because they seem to end up having more bruises that the males.

James was startled at Tatiana's explanation of him at the third person, he's never actually dreamed this would happen. He was expecting something entirely different and pretty much the opposite. Not that he disliked the outcome, he actually had a wide grin plastered on his face and his skin was tingling all over.

"Well, that's strange..." he said in an inquired tone "....I seem to have the same feelings to a certain girl I met at a bar too." he mocked "But I just never got the guts to tell her how I feel until now" he walked closer to Tatiana and held her hand with his "I like you..." he smiled as his face flushed red "I like you, alot.. but..." he trailed - 'I'm a werewolf, I hope you don't mind' - "...Where do we go from here?" he dodges to confess as he weighs the possibility of Tatiana accepting him. After all he likes her too much to let her go, and after the acromantula incident James wasn't so sure if Tatiana trusted creatures anymore.

[Professor Tatiana Verdante]

She nodded a little as the conversation strayed away from the acromantula. That was one thing she didn't want to talk about. There was that grin though, on his face as she let him know what was going on in that mind of hers. He stood up now, taking her hands and her cheeks turned nearly as red as her hair. She stood up with him, her legs a little shaky so she leaned against him.
"I like you too James, and I would like it if we could be more than friends." She looked up at him, smiling, her cheeks still read and the strong urge to kiss him was being fought back for now. "Maybe in time, I could do even more than like you," she added.

[Professor James Butler]

He smiled as Tatiana's blush turned as red as her hair, because of the latter he found it cute and rather interesting, coincidentally James' cheeks were just as red. When, Tatiana leaned against James, he took in the smell of the lovely aroma that has been making him crazy since he first met her at the bar. Only if he could kiss her, he would, but he knew he couldn't

James couldn't tell what his was feeling, infatuated, in-love or just simply happy. But yet a thrust of guilt filled a slight void in his heart. But instead of dealing with it, he just brushed it off and replied the freckled headed professor "I hope so..." He smiled at her last comment as he swept a strand of hair that was covering her face behind her ears "and in the mean time, why don't we get to know more about each other" he offered hoping to know more about Tatiana.

James stood back a little from the red-head when he caught sight of a picture frame peeking from the doorway which lead to Tatiana'a office - he guessed the frame must have slided across the floor when she bumped into whatever she bumped into earlier - he went over to the picture and picked it up, it was a landscape of what James thought to be Tatiana's hometown, Lisbon "You took these?" he asked as he admired the picture in awe.

[Professor Tatiana Verdante]

Tati had looked up at him, the smile faded slightly though not because she had seen something that upset her, but because she was focused on one thing, his lips. She watched them as he talked to her, barely registering what he said and at the same time, wondering what it would be like to kiss him.
She shook her head slightly ad focused again. "What, oh, of course! I wouldn't want to get too serious and not know you at all."
She wanted to pull him back to her when he stepped back slightly, but he was gone now to her office and she blushed a little, all of her pictures were in there. When he stooped down to pick something up, she realized what made him go over there. She joined him, gently taking the picture from his hands. She looked at the picture and smiled.
"Yes, this is my home, Lisbon." She set the picture back down on her desk, a few others had fallen over and she set them back up. One though, she picked up and showed it to James. This one was a wizard picture of her mother and father, two dark haired people siting at a breakfast table. Her father was reading the paper, a mug of what must have been coffee in his hands, and her mother looking like she was discussing something very serious with her husband. "My parents..." she said simply. Shortly after I came home from university with my arm in a sling."

[Professor James Butler]

James took the picture from Tatiana's hand and took a long look at it - to him it was a picture of a happy family. "You have beautiful parents" he told her, the phrase suddenly made James' demeanor change, he was all of a sudden sullen and quiet as his thoughts were thinking of his deceased parents. He thought of how much he missed them and how they would react to Tatiana - he wondered if they would like her.

His thoughts were quickly interrupted by Tatiana mentioning something about her arm being in a sling, this made James chuckle a little "You're always getting yourself hurt..." he comments "...Now I'm going to worry you'll be hurting yourself all the time" he smiled at the red-head as he placed the frame down on her desk "How'd you a sling around your arm anyways?" he asked obviously curious.

[Professor Tatiana Verdante]

"Thank you, but I couldn't imagine myself with that black hair though... my birth parents were Irish," she said taking the picture from him and setting it back down, then notice that he looked a little upset. "Hey," she cupped his cheek smiling "Whats the matter?"
She would answer th sling question later. it wasn't a thrilling take anyways. She just got knocked down by one of the universities winged horses and fell on her arm funny.

[Professor James Butler]

James was surprise to know that the couple in the picture wasn't Tatiana's birth parents, It never occur to him since genetics are always getting mixed around and inherited by the wrong generations - but he himself couldn't imagine Tatiana without her red-hair, it was the first thing that drawn him to her then her freckles and then her smile and after that her laugh and so on...

He felt as Tatiana's palm cupped his cheek, and he turned to look into her eyes - was he to tell? But they did agree on knowing each other... - he put both hands atop of hers and gently squeezed them "I lost my parents when I was 18..." he mumbled softly, his emotions in-tact, and kept his next comment subtle "...they, were uh...." he started slowly "...killed" he finished not elaborating further.