Christmas Cheer is best served alone (open)

[Christopher Bennet]

Looking over the rows of empty cots, the shiny floor, and the almost empty waiting room, Bennet felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Not to mention a little bit of smugness. His duties during the beginning of the student's winter break were relatively light. Home with their parents, most of them were fairly safe, and the few small magical mishaps or random injuries were just as easily taken care of at home as the hospital. He sipped his coffee feeling free as a bird. Yes, there might be a random incident or two over the actual day of Christmas, and maybe New Year's, but they were usually quickly resolved. Christmas was a good time for healers that didn't want to actually be healers.

And for would be scientists. He leaned in the doorway connecting the supply room to the waiting room and smirked behind his coffee cup. It was inevitable, some old person would be brought in with something fairly simple, a cold, a cracked rib, something that would be usually easy to fix..but they would leave via the back way, in the black van designated to take them to one of the many local funeral homes. From then it was just a matter of driving over to one of the cemetaries not long after the funeral and helping himself.

Part of him was only slightly frustrated with their progress. He knew they were close. There just seemed to only be one unnamed thing, one bridge that was in the way of making a major breakthrough. He knew it was only a matter of time before they figured out. A part of him wondered if they were lingering too long on the recently deceased. Perhaps it was time to upgrade their subjects...

[Faith Summers]

Faith sighed as she entered the pretty much deserted hospital. A rude receptionist had meerly peered at her from over the rims of her thick red glasses and pointed with a long finger in the direction of some part of the hospital. To be honest Faith didn't much care for the blond lady, who seemed to prefer being on the phone than actually helping people. In slight frustration she thanked the lady before whacking her hand down on the side, knocking the cup of hot coffee which ultimately spilt all over the stupid b***h.

With shrieks in the air Faith smiled and walked off in pursuit of someone to help her. All she needed was someone to give her some pills for her migraine and she'd be happy. It wasn't anything serious true, but she didn't want to go to the hospital wing, it would be full of sniveling children who couldn't help but bang into doors or something. Minor injuries where she would be bottom of the list something Faith didn't appreciate.

Entering a waiting room she wondered to herself why it was so empty. Surely she wasn't the only one in need of a doctor over the holidays? True the children were mostly at home, which made her life a lot more peaceful. Though the flat above her own was so loud that she often preferred being at the castle with the brats she had to tutor, true they weren't that bad. Not as bas as she had been.

[Christopher Bennet]

Bennett cringed as he heard Carla's screams almost bouncing off the walls. He hoped it wasn't pms, that b***h was crazy around the last couple of weeks of the month. He listened for a minute, then decided it wasn't his problem when he didn't hear his name. He grinned and decided to look around for the poor sucker that crossed her path when he saw a pretty brunette standing nearby.

He coughed politely to let her know he was behind her, and tucked his clipboard under his arm, to make himself look more official. He wondered if she was responsible for the ruckus but doubted it, she looked so harmless.

(Sorry for the late reply, I took a few days off)

[Faith Summers]

((sorry I've been busy also))

Faith smiled happily, sure enough the lady had learnt her lesson. The phone that she'd been whispering into had fallen from her hand into the floor and only the faint sound of a guy's worried voice asking if she was ok could be heard if you listened very carefully. Well if she'd burnt her then she was in the right place. This was a hospital after all.

Spinning around when she heard someone cough she smiled at the doctor in front of her. He looked young so she doubted his capability for a minute, but then reminded herself that she was only twenty one years old also and she was a fine teacher. Well she hoped she was at least, she smiled at the bruts and pretended to be interested in them all. She'd have made a brilliant actress, yet she was destined to teach the subjects she had passed with mediocre grades. It suprised her that she had ended up teaching Transfigurations after she had barely just passed it.

He looked official enough so she smiled at him as nicely as she could and walked his way. "Hi, I've been having a few pains recently. I keep getting headaches I blame the children I have to put up with" she laughed gently "Do you have any medicine that I could take or anything?" she asked.

[Christopher Bennet]

He wasn't sure if she meant her own children at first, but she didn't say "My" children, so he took a chance and made a guess.

"Medicine for yourself, or the kids? If it's for you, I can send you off with a vial of something mild...if it's for the kids, well, I don't normally hand out poisons to people I just met," he smiled and leaned in a little, "but I'd be willing to make and exception for a pretty lady like yourself" he straightened up a bit and tried to look more professional as one of the nurses began to talk loudly to one of her interns.

He motioned her to follow him to one of the offices nearby, and once inside began to rummage through a supply cabinet until he found what he was looking for. A small clear bottle with a purple stopper, he offered it to her. The stuff tasted just awful, and the artificial grape flavoring only seemed to make it worse, but it was the most effective thing he could give her without any real injury.

"So...you teaching at Hogwarts?" yes he knew it was lame, but he had run out of anything to say. He felt like a turkey and wished Chris were here to coach him, but maybe she'd be in such pain anyone with a cure would automatically seem charming.

[Faith Summers]

[ah suffered from flu for the whole of christmas so sorry if this is lame, I just feel a bit bleh so sorry in advance hehe]

"Medicine for me....I would happily smoother all the children at the castle with a pillow" she said with another nod of her head. Then it struck her maybe he assumed that she was talking about her own kids, she had often heard mothers talk the same way towards their er...'bundle of joys'. How would the doctor know that she worked with and taught children?

Hearing him say he'd make an exception for a pretty lady she could feel herself roll her eyes. Had he tried to hook up with the receptionist and failed miserably, so gone on to chatting up his patients? Well actually the receptionist to be fair looked like she would be willing to date anyone...as long as they were living. She just smiled lightly and said "Aww" in a way she was sure most girls did when reacting to a compliment. She was half surprised the doctor hadn't added in a 'cheaky' wink. They were her favorite. Faith normally burst out laughing when any guy looked at her with a wink, did they really thing it was sexy?

Following behind into his office she smiled again and looked around the place. It was bigger than her office which pissed her off a little bit but then again a doctor was a more important job that professor. Although as her father said a 'teacher makes a doctor...for they need to learn'. She smiled again fondly thinking of her dad.

Being offered the bottle she took it off him and said "Thanks" as she inspected it. It didn't look like poison and the guy seemed charming enough. More handsome also than the majority of the professors she had had to pass. Surely acne was suppose to settle down once you reached a certain age. Then again some of the professors were much younger than they looked. Receding hairlines were incredibly common and she had decided that if that was the way it was going to be she'd just end up turning into a lesbian if no handsome man ever paid visit to the castle.

About to sip the drink..well medicine she unscrewed the top and then heard the doctor ask her if she was working at Hogwarts. "Yeah...that's what I meant by children earlier...I teach transfiguration...when I can be bothered" she smiled again and offered a free hand to the man. "I'm Faith Summers by the way"

With her remaining hand she put the bottle to her lips and drank. "Yuck" she cried out as soon as it had hit her tongue.