I Know it Smells Great, but if You Drink it You Might Die... [Open!]

"The only reason I stay here is because it's safe," he said flicking trhough the songs trying to seem un-interested, there was also the point that he lived here everyday of the year. He didn't go home for Christmas or holidays, he didn't get an allowence from home or letters.

"What?" He looked up pausing the song to hear her better.

His mind wandered a bit looking at the chalk board, much better to the white boards he had at his old school, they were stupid.

Elizabeta turned to face him, "You mumbled something after 'I do', and all I heard was something like trees and something like smooches," She shrugged, "Oh, nevermind, I must be hearing things than."

She returned to the board and wrote down a few defining characteristics of the particular type of potion. "Safer in the school, hm?" She smiled a little, "Are you a fugitive or something else that maybe I should know about?" She added with a teasing tone.

Keith nodded leaving her to think she was hearing things, it would be better this way. He had already gotten to relaxed around her, he couldn't afford for anyone to know how he felt, teacher or not.

"Yeah," he replied. Fugitive? That was a laugh, he had a criminal record but nothing the police would chase him down for...no he was safer in the school for something much more strange, "It's nothing you need to know about..." He felt like telling her but it was the type of thing that isn't brought up in casual conversation, "Don't worry about me."

"Oh no, if there's any problems, don't hesitate to ask my help. Though, if it's getting you out of deep sh-" Elizabeta stopped abruptly. That was another thing she didn't like about being a teacher - not being allowed to swear. She coughed, "I mean, trouble, than I might not be able to help you."

She finished writing a point and moved on to the next, blinking rapidly as the chalk dust was getting in her eyes. "And don't worry about me worrying. I'm kinda paid to do that."

"I'd rather people didn't worry about me," he grumbled in irritation, he hated people worrying about him it got annoying. It was always like this, police, doctors and teachers all fussing over about him. That was another thing he hated, hospitals. Those stupid people kept trying to cure him, he could deal just fine with his own injuries. He wasn't going to let any doctor bandage him.

"It's not that I don't want your help I jsut don't trust anyone here," he looked up at her, "you get that way, mistrusting people...when you have no one" He smiled.

Elizabeta paused to glance at him over her shoulder. She didn't believe that anybody could be truly alone, but she didn't say anything. Instead she decided that a different attitude might be more suitable with the boy. Let him be, if he needed any help, he would come to by himself. She shrugged at him indifferently, "Whatever suits you. I'm just putting the offer out there, like what I'm supposed to do. Whether you take it or no is not up to me."

Finishing another point, she took a few steps back to make sure her sentences were written in a straight line before moving on to the final point. "So, what do you usually do while you're skipping? I imagine its not visiting random teachers, is it?"

Keith flopped his head on the desk, something about the way she spoke reminded him of Sir but at the same time it was a calm nuturing voice as apposed to Sir's ordering voice. He would definitly take her up on her offer eventually, once he felt he could trust her and she wouldn't end up hurting him or forgetting him like his old friends.

"I usually sit in a tree and talk to birds," he brought his head up smiling, birds were his only friends. They pecked hima few times but that was different, that didn't hurt, "I love animals of all kinds, they are so beutiful!"

"Animals are quite fascinating," Elizabeta nodded, "They provide a lot of helpful ingredients for potion making." She laughed, and gestured to the middle area of the glass cabinets. "I don't think you would like that part of my collection, the animal parts in there can get quite bad." That particular part of the cabinets was stocked full of thick, glass canisters. Each one containing a sickeningly yellow-brown goop and a different sort of animal part remained suspended in such goop.

"Birds though, do provide an exceptionally fine array of ingredients." She added, in an almost maniacal manner. Of course, she was only joking about the bird part, but she just wanted to see his reaction. She always did this to her students, and the only other reaction she would get was a boringly raised brow.

"You shouldn't be cruel to animals," he said sadly, "they only want to live just like humans, killing them is cruel." He gave a small pout looking at the jars before turning his head quickly, how did he not see those before? He knew animals were used for magic and he was somewhat okay with that but seeing them like that only reminded him of bad things. He shook his head.

Her next set of words however made Keith stand, the way she spoke made his skin crawl. He scratched lightly at his arm, "Dirt bird part..." He muttered under his breath, she was starting to sound like his uncle.

"Of course, I was lying about the last part." Elizabeta said, immediately changing her tone of voice, turning around the face him, she went on to say, "The animal ingredient trades are strictly regulated. It's not the same as buying meat at the grocery store. You need a license and everything. And of course, killing anything isn't ideal, but necessary all the same."

"Besides, using animals in a potion would be a bad thing." She added with a suddenly tired sigh. Shaking her head, she went to her agenda book, glanced it over and returned to writing on the board.

Keith didn't care whether she was lying or not and it wasn't a case of the cruelty of animals anymore, "Theres a bird in me," he muttered, "a stupid eagle..." He sat back down ontop of the desk flicking through his songs again, "The eagle was big and put up a fight, it was squaking...I thought it was over reacting...I thought the stupid bird was being a big baby. A needle couldn't hurt that much could it?" He looked back up at Elizabeta.

He tapped the beat of his song slowly on the desk rubbing his eyes, he kept on muttering about the eagle about how he wished he could have freed it from death.

((Sorry Keith is being angsty! I'll stop if you want me to))

((Oh no, it's fine. It is a part of him after all.))

"Needles don't hurt that much." Elizabeta said carefully. She had turned around when he started his story. Now she was standing by her desk, a piece of chalk clasped between her fingers. She was regretting saying anything at all, but she couldn't not take it back anymore.

"Keith, needles are usually the most painless way to go," She told him, in the gentlest voice possible. She was a bit worried he would suddenly erupt into a fit of anger. "Whatever it was - probably wasn't your fault." Elizabeta was watching him carefully now, trying to predict his reactions and all that.

"It hurt him..." Keith pouted remembering the bird flying around in it's cage, he remembered just standing there watching it with the eyes of awe of a small child. A small child helping with the adults expreements. He thought it was sickening.

"The needle didn't kill him," he said softly looking at her, "I did...somewhat," he tried to remember what happened, "It was healthy then it had the needle and then we disected it, it woke up and flew around..." he gave a small smile like the memory gave him pleasure. But after a long pause his face lit up with a silly grin, "But that's the past and not important!"

Elizabeta eyes him, but didn't say anything. Instead, she let out a small sigh. She would not pester him, she had already told herself that he would come to whenever he was ready - or if he even wanted to at all. "The past is important, you know. Teaches people stuff."

She shrugged and returned to writing on the board, She was almost done, and class would be starting soon. "Where do you plan on going once classes start?" She asked, in an attempt to change the topic of conversation.

Keith got the hint that she didn't want him to get angry or emotional or someting like that, he took a deep breath trying to calm his senses giving all his attention to his phone flicking through to choose a song. He spent quite a bit of time until he found a song well enough to fit before looking back up at her.

"When the bell goes I'll go outside and talk to birds," he made a small whistle sound with his mouth before imitating a bird call perfectly, "I can talk to them and hear them, I can also see how they feel. It's quite nice~" He thought for a bit, "Then I'll go to physical education and some other peopels sport classess before going down to the shops for some food or beer."

Elizabeta was impressed by his bird calls, setting down the chalk and turning around once she was done writing. She turned to Keith, "Beer! You're hardly old enough - only sixteen!"She blinked and had to laugh some, "Well, I should not lecture, it would make me a big, fat hypocrite."

"Ah...if the headmaster asks, I'm saying that I had no idea you were a drinker, kay'?" She grinned at him sheepishly.

"I've been drinking since I was about twelve," he stood up grinning, "a little while after I ran away from home," the way she spoke and lectured at the same time as letting things go made him laugh. She was one of the best teachers he had ever met, maybe the only teacher he tolorated long enough to actually have a decent conversation with.

He nodded back at her, "If he does stuff him," Keith didn't care for authority, he hadn't been expelled yet so why would be be expelled now?

"I started at fourteen, but it wasn't anything serious. I just liked it." Elizabeta shrugged, dusting her hands and than sneezing into the crook of her arm. "Chalk is so irritating," She mumbled, shaking her head and blinking rapidly.

"When you talk to birds," She started, rubbing her eyes on the back of her hand, "What is it like?"

"Are you okay?" He hoped off the desk stepping closer to make sure she was fine, "Maybe you should step away from the chalk board," he started to worry about her a sign that he cared. He smiled at this small thought that lasted in his head not all that long.

"It's just like I'm talking to a human," he tried to remember, the language sounded different but they talked the same way, "and we talk about the wind currents and my life...they have some real good advice. It was a Magpie that told me to fly when I felt stressed out, they also dared me to cross the road into on coming traffic!" Silly birds, but they were his friends.

"Oh, they sound so funny." She told him amusedly as she shuffled away from the board and leaning over the sink. She turned the water on and rinsed her hands and eyes. "Advice from birds, I don't think any psychiatrist would be happy to hear that. They'd be labeling you an unstable nuthead."

She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand looked up at him, smiling, with her bangs wet and water dripping down her cheeks. "It's all good, no worries, no worries."

Keith nodded smiling, "Yeah they're total cuties especilly the chicks, they speak with a severe lisp," the little chicks that couldn't fly were even cuter. Their chirping of pure innocence and babble didn't translate to much if anything but there were adorable to listen to. "I think...I am unstable..." he thought about it for a second before shrugging it off.

He laughed at Elizabeta's face looking around for a towel to dry her off with, he tried his best to hide his laugh, "Alright if you say so~" He let some of his laugh out.

"Laugh all you want, boy, I regret nothing." Elizabeta gestured towards the closest cabinet, "Third shelf, theres a stack of kitchen towels, could you pass one to me, pretty please?" She wasn't sure if he would willingly do something for her, but she figured it was worth a try. Keith seemed to be relaxing some anyway, which she took to be a good sign.

She tried to imagine a little baby bird speaking with a severe lisp and snorted, "No way, a lisp! I've never even imagined that was possible!"

"Yes miss," he stoof up going to get her a towel, had it been anyone else he wouldn't have. Well any other male, females ruled number one in his books and even if he didn't trust them he'd still do favours for them. And female teachers ranked equal with how he'd treat his peers.

"Well they speak with a lisp compared to the adults, it's strange to explain," it was hard to explain how a squak could have a list but they did have tongues so it was possible.

Elizabeta was mildly surprised but did not show it. She glanced up at the wall across from her and saw a wall clock hung there. She hadn't known that was there. Regardless, the warning bell would go off in a few minutes and her students would start to file in. She made note of this as she waited for the kitchen towel Keith was grabbing. Which reminded her...

"Is there something wrong with your nose?" She asked him, a little idly. "Did you scratch it or something?"

Keith ran back handing her the towel, he paused when she asked about his nose. "Y-yeah," he said giving her the towel, "It's nothing serious but I do like to keep the bandaid on it, stop infections you know?" He hoped that was believeable enough, if not he could just say that it was hiding a scar but then she'd probobly ask where he got it. He wasn't quite at the point of trust where he was prepared to take his band aid off.

That reminded him her needed to buy a couple more, he needed a constant supply otherwise he wouldn't leave his room, it was very important to him.