Well this isn't going to be awkward at all.... {TAG: Belle and Dean}

"Thanks," He knew that if it came to it he probably wouldn't say anything. He didn't like depending on other people, not when it concerned his family.

"Well," he started, rising to his feet and brushing his hands against his jeans, "It's been grand, but I really should get my bike back up the castle since it isn't going to move itself." 'No matter how much I wish it would.'

Not that he hadn't considered magic, but the idea had been quickly squashed, he didn't want anything tainting the purity of his baby.

"Enjoy the rest of your girls' day," he said pushing his chair back towards the table, "And don't forget about that," he pointed to the locket. It was highly unlikely that Miranda would forget about the trinket but it was better not to leave it to chance.

Miranda gulped down some more of her butterbeer. She watched him prepare to leave dispassionately, once again trying to tuck her emotions behind her mask.

"Try using a bit of magic, won't you? Or you'll never get it up before nightfall," she said dryly but her eyes reflected a genuine care.
No matter how much they might loathe each other's presence, they were still linked by their past, joined by their experiences.

"And don't forget about that,"

She glanced down at the locket. No, she hadn't forgotten. She couldn't, but....a part of her wished she would. She wasn't sure she would be able to handle the emotion a piece of Tony would bring. Her hand reached out, seemingly of its own accord and wrapped around the cool metal of the locket. Fighting back tears, she glanced up at Dean.
In a voice choked with emotion, she said, "Thank you."
She didn't have to say what for, it wasn't just the locket. But he knew.

"Oh, see you later, Dean." Belle gave a cheerful smile and a little wave as her friend walked out the door. She chuckled a little at Miranda's suggestion. "Don't worry. If he gets stuck under the huge thing, we'll be sure to spot him on our way back," she joked, laughing. Of course, she hoped that Dean would be okay on his way back. That motorcycle did look rather heavy to be moved on foot. But as she was thinking about all this, she saw Miranda's eyes get a little watery as she picked up the locket. Belle instinctively put a hand on her friend's shoulder. She didn't say anything, but she hoped the gesture was enough to say that she would be there for Miranda when she needed her.

Miranda's hand stroked the cool metal, her fingers tracing her name, etched elegantly into the heart. Her eyes welled with tears.

"I don't know if I could bear to open it," she whispered.

She had run for so long, from the memories, from the pain. She had been strong for so long. Could she bear to be weak again?

"Well, you don't have to do it right this moment," Belle advised. "You can open it when you're ready. Who knows, maybe things will get a little better and the memories won't be as painful as they are now." Belle did have hope that things would get better for Miranda over time. Hogwarts had a knack for that: making things turn out right somehow.

Miranda sighed and clenched her fist around he heart shaped locket.

"It's been five long years. The pain hasn't dimmed in the slightest. Just seeing anything linked with that time kills me inside. Sitka's the only one I can bear to be around, and that was only after a long, hard road and many fights. I was just lucky to have such a friend."

She stared hard out the window, trying to pull her emotions under control. She suddenly smiled and wiped a stray tear from her cheek.
"I'm sorry," she said with a quick chuckle. "I'm sure this isn't what you had in mind when we headed down here."

Belle actually smiled a little. "Thank God for Sitka, then," she said. "Seems like he's been doing more doctoring then the usual potion and spell." Of course, Belle thought that Sitka would probably be a nice guy even if he wasn't a doctor. He just happened to find a job where he got to be kind to everyone. Belle gave a little shrug. "No, but who knows what's gonna happen to people when they walk out their front door and start a new day. We ran into Dean today, but we could have just as easily run into a herd of escaped thestrals or Mr. Filch. Well, maybe thestrals would be pretty out of the ordinary, but you get my point. Unexpected things just happen sometimes."

Miranda laughed out loud and turned back to her friend, smiling broadly.

"I cannot even tell you how much more I would have preferred to wrangle a herd of wild thestrals. THAT would be fun, exhilarating even."
She paused. "Sitka's always been a great people person. He knows how to make people laugh, no matter what."

She glanced around the Three Broomsticks, and finished off her butterbeer. She slipped the locket into her pocket. Another day.

"Hmm, now that you mention it, that would be a little amusing," Belle said, smiling. "Don't know how much help I would be since I can't see them, though. You'd probably have to come to my rescue or something." She gave a little laugh. "He's certainly helpful in sticky situations," she commented, remembering how quick he was when Evaine had gotten hurt.

Miranda smiled, and stared down into her empty glass. "That he is..."

She glanced up at her friend. "So did you ever...." she smiled awkwardly. "Have you ever been in love, Belle?"

Belle shook her head in response. "Probably not the way you're thinking. I've had crushes, like any other person. And I like my romance novels. But that's about as close to love as I can get, I'm afraid." She gave a little chuckle. "Although Jayden and Miss Moonblood seem confused as to how I can possibly still be single. It seems to baffle their minds a little." She laughed again.

Miranda laughed. "I'm sure there's many a man thinking the same thing! Though it is quite difficult when your in a place such as this, filled with students. I'm not sure there are any other professors even worth the time." She said thoughtfully.
Her mind flitted through the teachers she had met and known in previous years.

"True," Belle said in agreement. She was surrounded half the time by people much younger than her. "Romance isn't too big on my list anyway. I mean, sure, settling down eventually would be nice, but it's not my goal right now. Just being here and teaching the students is enough to keep me happy."

Miranda smiled. "Isn't that the truth." She crossed her arms and leaned on the table. "I don't think I'll ever truly fall in love again. We had such an easy relationship, but as friends then later as more. I don't know if I'll ever find that again. But," she sighed, straightening. "It's like you said, being able to work with these kids is satisfying enough."

"I think those are the best kind, really," Belle said. "If you can be friends with somebody, then falling in love with them may not be too far away." That was how her parents met, after all. They were friends for a long time before they finally started seeing each other in a romantic light. She nodded. "Mm-hmm. It feels good to know that you're helping them out, teaching them new things and stuff."

"Well," Miranda sighed stretching. "I suppose that's that." She smiled brightly, replacing the mask that had disappeared with Dean's arrival. Her eyes sparkled to life once more.
"After all of that, I think I'm ready to spend some time in the forest with some of my charges. Maybe there'll be a unicorn around willing for the company. They're always amazing at getting my mind out of the world."
She fingered the locket in her pocket distractedly.

"Oh, I always loved the unicorns when I was a student," Belle said, remembering how majestic the horned horses looked. "Is it true that their horns can detect poison in drinks? I heard that if people ever got their hands on one, that that was what they were used for. Or is that just a rumor?" The idea had always interested her a bit.

"Oh yes, the touch of a unicorn's horn can purify nearly anything. And while unicorn horns are used in potions, they do lose much of their magical property." Her eyes hardened slightly. "They're much more useful alive. But anyways...if someone does get their hands on one, it is absurdly difficult to get them to do anything on command. And they are quite dangerous when threatened or cornered. It takes a lot to gain their trust, and they only ever come near well....virgins. They're very difficult to care for, but when someone's patient enough it is more than rewarding. But I'm sure the same could be said of some of your plants."

Belle nodded. "Yeah, it did always seem a shame when people were desperate enough to kill one. I guess, despite the sharp horn that could impale you at any moment, they seem a little innocent." But, as Miranda said, unicorns could hold their own if they had to. Their horns were always sharpened to a point. She nodded again in agreement. "That's true. Some of them can be a little stubborn, despite not being as 'alive' as other beings, like animals or humans. More than once, I've just wanted to chuck a flower pot at the wall." She gave a small chuckle. "But, like you said, it's worth it if you have enough patience to see the end results."

"Well most of the time anyways, parts of a unicorn are only taken after he has died of old age or an accident." Miranda held back a snort. "Those guys are anything but innocent. The amount of bruises I've gotten from a bruised one....." She rubbed her arm as though feeling a long faded ache.
"Oh come now...I KNOW there are plants that have personalities! Mischievous little critters if I remember correctly."

"Ugh. I can imagine," Belle said. She had heard a few times on people who had underestimated a unicorn and had ended up getting badly hurt from it. She laughed at Miranda's statement. "Yes, they can be quite like toddlers at times. People always seem to doubt that they have real temperaments, that they're just as alive as any animal or person that walks around. Usually they have to get an arm chomped off by a giant Venus fly trap to see that they can think just as well as us."

Miranda laughed lightly. "Our jobs are always full of surprises aren't they?!" Her eyes twinkled with merriment.
"I only know healing herbology. Plants that are good for different injuries, both human and creature. Sitka taught me most of the human remedies. Just so I could be prepared."

Belle laughed with her. "Yes, they certainly are." But that was what made her job exciting, in her mind. Surprises kept things interesting. She nodded. "Yeah, that's about all I know when it comes to medicine. Plants I can deal with. Spells, no. God forbid I try to heal a broken arm with my wand and end up turning it into a fork or something." She laughed again.

Miranda laughed with her. "I heard of a professor who once took all the bones out of a boy's arm, instead of mending it! But it's always good to have some sort of healing skills, especially when we're working out doors all the time."
She leaned back against the cushioned booth and sighed.

Belle nodded in agreement. "That's true. Animals and plants alike can prove to be nasty if one doesn't take the right precautions. Seems like some students never learn that." It seemed like every so often, some kid ended up getting bitten by a plant or clawed by an animal because they simply weren't listening to instructions. Belle was just thankful for those who listened at all.