A Wizard Meets the Parents PV Simon Kincaid F

31 Mar 2022, 13:40

Graphic by Liana Kerr

Clan McCubbin Drives to Edinburgh to Meet @Simon Kincaid

A couple of days into Spring break, 2022.

“Daddy, do you think we are going to be late? It would be rude to be late.”

Iain McCubbin glanced over to his wife, Annene, and winked as they both shared a chuckle. Neither had ever seen their AngelFyre besotted by a boy before, so they were both finding it quite amusing at times and maybe just a little bit alarming at others. As AngelFyre craned her neck between their front row bucket seats for about the hundredth time to get a better view of the traffic ahead, which was now only moving at a snail’s pace, she gave out a long, exasperated sigh and threw herself back into her own seat, repeatedly rubbing one of her thumbnails over the tip of the other. ”Why, of all times, did this have to happen now?”

She looked up to see that her father was making eye contact with her in his rear view mirror. ”Dinnae fash, M'eudail. (Do not worry, Sweetheart). I padded our travel time to the train station for this very reason. We are only 15 minutes away and your Prince Charming’s train is not due for another hour. All will be well.”

AngelFyre felt reassured. If her father told her they would get there on time, she believed him. She did bristle a bit at the Prince Charming reference, however. “Daddy, you can tease me all you want about calling Simon my Prince Charming, but please, Please, PLEASE do not call him that to his face. I think it might embarrass him. Besides, do I strike you like some helpless Disney princess who needs a Prince Charming to save her?” AngelFyre met her father’s gaze in the mirror and she arched an eyebrow at him, and then broke into a wide grin. He laughed and shook his head. ”No, lass, you most certainly do not.”

“Confidentially, he really is my Prince Charming, but that stays strictly between us.” AngelFyre had to smile to herself at the whole exchange. She knew she had practically spoken of little else but Simon since she had been home, but she could not help herself. They had only been separated a few days but it seemed like an eternity to AngelFyre. There was a Simon-shaped hole in her life and her heart without him physically near, and it felt as if he were a little nearer when she could talk or share all things marvelous about him with her folks and Grandma Ruth.

She looked out the window and was glad to see the lights of Edinburgh ahead. It was dark and it was late. So that Simon would not have to be in a sunlit train, it had been planned that he would leave London’s King’s Cross Station at close to 18:00 hrs and would arrive at Waverley Station close to 22:18 hrs. She reached forward and put a hand on each of her mother and father’s shoulders. “Thank you for indulging me in this. I know the time is late, but it is necessary for his safety and comfort. He generally wears a hooded sweatshirt if he has to be outside at school, but on a train with windows everywhere, he would have had literally no safe or comfortable place to go. So, I appreciate this all very much and I know Simon will, too, so thank you both again.

Her mother reached up and patted AngelFyre’s hand and then twisted in her seat to look back at her daughter. That teasing look was in her mother’s eyes. AngelFyre knew it well. “So tell us the truth, AF. Your boyfriend is really a Vampire, isn’t he? Can’t be in the sunlight. Eats rare meat. And just how pale is his skin did you say?” AngelFyre knew her mother was joking, but this was cutting too close to Simon’s dhampir-ness. It was hard enough getting them to accept she had a boyfriend. Getting them to understand she had a boyfriend who was a dhampir would be all out impossible, and AngelFyre simply could not have that. Still, she did not lie to her parents and she was not about to now. It also broke in her favor that she was pretty certain neither of her parents even knew what a dhampir was.

“Ha! I can say with 100% honesty that Simon is definitely not a vampire, Mom.” It was true. No lie there. Simon was not a vampire… and thank God for that.. ”As for his pale skin, like I and his Aunt Maggie told you, he was diagnosed when a child with a condition called Xeroderma Pigmentosum. I guess it is basically a sun allergy and it can cause him a tremendous amount of pain if he is exposed to the sun for too long.” Whew. She thought she navigated that thorny mess quite deftly. Then to add a little more distance between her mother’s comments and her near brush with the truth, AngelFyre redirected.

”Mom, just wait. You will see. Simon is gorgeous, both inside and out. He is…. what is it you always say about Dad? That he is a prime example of masculine pulchritude? Well, you are shortly about to meet Hogwarts most pulchritudinous teenage version. And wonder of wonders, the boy could likely have any girl he wanted, and he chose me. Bet you never thought your tomboy daughter could manage that did you?”

And as they pulled up to the Waverley Train Station parking lot, her mother surprised her. “Actually, AF, I never doubted such a thing was possible for my wild child, tomboy of a girl. In fact, I think it is a credit to Simon’s good taste that he did choose you. That is a strong point in his favor at the outset. It tells me immediately he has good sense.” As her father turned into a parking spot and turned off the car, AngelFyre responded to her mother. “You are my Mom. You have to say that.” Inwardly, however, her heart was thrilled to know her mother thought such things about her. Then, before Iain McCubbin could even pull the key from the ignition, AngelFyre had released her seatbelt strap and was on her way out the door. “I will meet you both on the Platform. I just cannot wait a second longer. See you up there.” And just like that, AngelFyre was running as fast her legs would carry her, which was actually pretty fast, to where she would soon see her heart’s desire in the flesh.

I wonder if he has missed me as much as I have missed him?

Last edited by AngelFyre McCubbin on 2 May 2022, 03:05, edited 2 times in total.

The magic is real.

AngelFyre McCubbin (PC) ● Stephen Schwartz (iNPC) ● Nimue White (Transfig. Professor)

1 Apr 2022, 19:56

A train ride to visit @AngelFyre McCubbin

Four hours and 18 minutes.

That's how long the train from King's Cross would take to travel North across the country of England and end at Waverly Station in Edinburgh, Scotland. That's how long Simon Kincaid would have to wait to see AngelFyre McCubbin after boarding his train. He was on the London North Eastern Railway, which would get him there slightly faster than if he took Avanti West Coast or Lumo.

There was something about being gone from Hogwarts that made him feel disconnected from the entire wizarding world sometimes - even if only a short time had passed. Sometimes it seemed like it was still just something from a fantasy book and not his reality. It was going to be nice to meet back up with this girlfriend of his again and he would do his best to enjoy his time at her family farm. He was looking forward to meeting her parents and seeing what was important to her.

He passed the time, and the English darkening countryside, with his airpods and Apple Music. He wondered if AngelFyre had a cellphone and if so, if that might be a more immediate way to keep in touch come the Summer months when they would sadly be apart. Royal Mail was slow and while actual owls could deliver letters faster, they weren't accessible to him at his home as he had a rat, not an owl. Little Rascal would never make such a journey and even this trip, he was staying back at the townhome with Aunt Maggie who surely would be doting on him. She was a fan of animals, even if they never had one in the Kincaid residence before.

Some of the passengers chatted amongst themselves while others slept. Across from Simon, a woman knitted, and in front of him the man had read the newspaper - each and every word - most likely four times over. Simon watched out the window, as the sun grew lower and lower, welcoming the darkening sky.

It was a peaceful ride and was one that Simon was certain he could do again should he ever be welcomed back to the McCubbin Farm again. That he wasn't sure of and he hoped that AngelFyre's parents would be as incredible as she was.

As the train was pulling into the station and coming to a stop, the sleeping passengers began to groggily awaken and Simon was already up from his seat and headed for the luggage storage area near the doors. With his messenger bag already over his shoulder, he grabbed his other bag and made his way out the doors of the cabin and onto the platform.

Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)

2 Apr 2022, 17:43

Parents are Introduced to @Simon Kincaid

Her father had been right. He had gotten them there in plenty of time, and AngelFyre was quite pleased about that, for about all of 30 seconds. As she entered the station, she looked up at the schedules and saw that Simon's train would be arriving at Platform 4. She also noted that it was running on time. Fantastic! She was feeling completely giddy. Then she happened to catch a glimpse of the large, ornate clock and realized his on-time train had him still 37 minutes out of her reach. Exit giddiness, stage right. grrrrrrrrrrr

One of AngelFyre's better qualities had always been her patience, but she was finding that particular virtue was in short supply when it came to the anticipation of seeing or being with Simon. At school, she had always been a straight "O" student, and she still was and she would remain so, but she found herself now eagerly waiting for certain classes to end, just so she could hurry into the Corridors to be with him, even if in passing and even if only to clasp his hand briefly before they each headed off separately to their next classes.

One such time occurred daily while Simon was in DADA and AngelFyre was not far away, sitting in her History of Magic class. As soon as class was over, she was out the door and scanning the sea of faces for his in the Corridor. His eyes always lit up when he caught sight of her and she imagined hers must do the same when lighting upon him. These tiny, little moments were the building blocks of their story, and like any good story she had ever read, she was always eager to turn the next page to find out what was to happen next. And because she was so much living in this state of constant anticipation when it came to Simon, patience had taken somewhat of a backseat. She was aware of this, but had not a clue what to do about it. She had also noticed her capacity to be patient seemed to have remained pretty much intact in all areas that did not touch directly on Simon. Interesting

She looked over her shoulder to see that her parents had just entered the station. They were walking hand in hand, both laughing, probably at some silly thing her father had just said. AngelFyre watched them and wondered what their secret was. Without knowing it, she was smiling just watching them. There was some special something between the two, there was no denying that, but what that something was had lately become of more interest to AngelFyre, for obvious reasons.

As they approached, still smiling at each other, AngelFyre said, "He is coming in on Platform 4. We still have about 35 minutes before his arrival. Do you wish to wait down here or up on the platform?"

Her mother immediately answered that she would prefer to wait there in the Lobby because it would be a tad bit more comfortable, and began to walk over to a seating area. AngelFyre regretted asking the question almost as it was leaving her mouth, but waiting on the Platform was not going to bring Simon to her any sooner. Her father stepped towards her and drew her into him, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Waiting is hard when it comes to matters of the heart, Sweetheart, but your Mr. Kincaid will be here soon enough. Trust me. And once he is here, I warn you that as slow as you think time is moving now is nothing compared to exactly how fast it will feel likes it goes by before it comes time for him to leave." He smiled down at her and sighed as he kissed the top of her head. "I was just not prepared to have my daughter grow up so fast."

Thirty-two minutes later, the hard truth of those words would become manifest as one Simon Ezra Kincaid stepped onto Platform 4 and into their lives.

***********
AngelFyre had decided they would wait in the middle of the Platform because she did not know where Simon would be on the train, so she reasoned it would be the spot from which to get to him the quickest. As soon as she saw him disembark off to her left, about three cars down, she took off like lightning. All she could think to herself as she ran to greet him was He is here! He is really here!

At some point it became obvious to him that she was not going to come in for a soft landing, so he dropped his bag and shoulder bag just before she jumped into his arms, laughing and hugging the stuffing out of him. The impact spun them around a bit, but there were not many people getting on or off, so no one was accosted by the space they were taking up. "You have no idea how much I have missed you or how badly I want to kiss you, but for obvious reasons I shall refrain," she whispered into his ear. Still, she did quickly take his earlobe gently between her teeth and tugged it once before releasing it and him, knowing her back was to her parents and they could not see it. Now standing before him, she asked playfully, "Are you ready to meet the firing squad? They are not so sure they are ready to meet you, but they want to meet you."

Simon replaced the shoulder bag to its previous position and quickly grabbed his other bag. AngelFyre stepped to his other side and quickly grabbed his hand as they walked towards her parents.

"Oh my," whispered Annene to her husband as she squeezed his hand. Try as she might not to, she found herself smiling at her daughter's unabashed affection for the handsome young man now walking towards them. AngelFyre always had worn her feelings openly, so it was not a surprise, really, that she would continue to do so now, but knowing that and being prepared to see it were two diferent things. Iain McCubbin, for his part, simply stood in place, somewhat in shock.

"Mom, Daddy, this is him," and she turned to look at Simon, just radiating adoration. "This is my Simon Kincaid. Simon, this is my mother, Mrs. Annene McCubbin and my father, Mr. Iain McCubbin."

The magic is real.

AngelFyre McCubbin (PC) ● Stephen Schwartz (iNPC) ● Nimue White (Transfig. Professor)

3 Apr 2022, 04:43

Here it goes with @AngelFyre McCubbin

As she took his hand and the two headed down the platform, he gave a soft squeeze to hers and then began to swing their arms, glad to see her again. She wasn't the only one with a big smile and it was a couple moments before he remembered that this wasn't like at school where they were pretty much independent. The two were growing every closer to the end of the platform where not one, but both of her parents were.

Simon began to feel a little nervous but still his main thoughts rested that he would make a good impression upon them - not by falseness - but just hopefully being himself. Being himself had been enough for AngelFyre and she was a product of who they were and the upbringing that they brought her.

When they came to a stop, AngelFyre introduced them. She called him her Simon Kincaid. She wasn't wrong. He smiled again and lifted their joined hands, bringing them slowly toward him where he brushed his lips briefly and gently upon the top of hers. Wrong move in front of the parents? Bold move, that's for sure.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. McCubbin," he said, slowly dropping AngelFyre's hand as he connected his gaze to hers for a quick moment as if apologizing for the momentary distance between them but he needed his hand free. He extended it out to AngelFyre's mother to shake and offered her a confident smile before turning to her father. "Pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. McCubbin. Thank you for having me the next couple days," and he held his hand to the man and smiled.

It was quite kind of them. Surely they missed their daughter since August, only having her home for a small window of time during Winter Holiday and here they were, sharing some of their precious time with her with him over Spring Break. They certainly didn't have to; they could have been selfish and anyone would have understood.

Upon looking at her parents, he could see that AngelFyre was a good mix of the two. If he had to say, he'd say that she got the hair from her father, at least the volume and lusciousness, and most of her facial features from her mother. They complimented each other well.

"Simon Ezra Kincaid," he felt he should probably say it as well so they didn't think he was timid or shy to speak to them because that wasn't the case. "Apparently owned and operated by one, AngelFyre Afton McCubbin," and his eyes shifted to AngelFyre playfully, remarking on her claim of ownership over him with the statement of him being 'her' Simon Kincaid.

"AngelFyre speaks both highly and lovingly of both of you and quite fondly of her home. I'm eager to see it."

Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)

3 Apr 2022, 23:39

@Simon Kincaid Might Just Be This Father's Worst Nightmare

AngelFyre was beaming as the introductions were made. She just honestly could not have been more proud of the boy standing next to her, and she was certain that her very good taste and judgment in bestowing her affections upon him would be made crystal clear to her parents upon meeting Simon. Quite literally, three of the four people AngelFyre loved more than anything in the whole world were standing with her on Platform 4 in that very moment. Grandma Ruth was at home, of course, most likely asleep, but tomorrow morning, AngelFyre's Fab Four as she would come to think of them would all be together and she would be absolutely content.

Or so she thought.

Because she loved him so much, it just never occurred to AngelFyre that her parents would see Simon a little differently than she did. She saw her best friend and soul mate in him. They saw an existential teenage threat, and it had absolutely nothing to do with his being a dhampir.

"It is so very nice to finally meet you, too, Simon. You have literally been the main topic of conversation within the McCubbin household for days now," Annene McCubbin said, smiling warmly as she took Simon's offered hand into hers for a short, but firm handshake.

As Simon then turned and then offered his hand to her father, thanking him for the hospitality and favoring them both with the things AngelFyre had told him about them, things went a little differently than AngelFyre had anticipated. Three of the four people standing there were smiling. Only one was not, and it was Iain McCubbin. He did not look angry. He did not look upset. What he did look like was a man whose thoughts were far removed from the immediacy of the events taking place around him.

“Daddy?” AngelFyre said in a confused and questioning tone. “Are you all right? Simon was speaking to you.”

Just then, her father seemed to come back to himself on Platform 4, and he, too, smiled wanly, but he did smile back at Simon and shook his hand firmly. “Mr. Kincaid, a pleasure to meet you as well. And we are glad to have you. Ah, very nice of you to say. Even nicer that she feels that way.” They let go of each other’s hands, and Iain McCubbin looked between his daughter and her young man for a few seconds. He took a deep breath, rubbed his hands together and asked, ”Shall we get going? There is still a 45 minute drive ahead of us.” And as he was speaking, he reached another hand out to Simon, this time offering to help carry one of his bags.

***********

The drive home was pretty much as one would expect. Mostly. Simon would have no way of knowing this, but it had been AngelFyre’s habit since forever to sit behind the front row passenger’s seat whenever she was in the car with both of her parents. She did this because it allowed her an additional form of communication with her father… the rear view mirror. They could talk and they could see each other, which was a bonus in AngelFyre’s book. Sometimes they would make monster faces at each other and at other times they would discuss deep topics of the day, such as whether a sugar cone or a waffle cone was the preferred cone delivery method for ice cream scoops. So it came as a bit of a surprise to AngelFyre when Simon opened up the car door for her as she was about to get into her regular spot, to hear her father suggest that she just scoot on over to the other side and let Simon sit in her spot. Still giddy from Simon’s presence, AngelFyre did not dwell too much on this request from her father. She did as was requested, and as soon as she was in and Simon was in and everyone was buckled up, their hands and their eyes immediately found the others. It was an automatic reflex between them now. Touch. It was hard for AngelFyre to remember there was in fact a time when she was not able to touch Simon, but there was. She liked this point in time much better.

Her mother and father asked Simon all kinds of questions. Well, mostly her mother. He was asked how his trip had been that evening. Then he was asked about school and his favorite subjects and why they were his favorite subjects. At one point, AngelFyre interjected and told them that not only was Simon a wonderful guitarist and pianist, but he was also a marvelous composer as well. And then she bragged even further on his singing capabilities. ”All in all, he is a musical marvel. As bad as I am at singing is how good Simon is at it,” she gushed. ”And you both will especially love this -- his favorite singer is Frank Sinatra, he likes jazz, wants to learn to play the sax, and has a deep affection for Motown.”

“Really? Quite unusual for a 12, pardon me, 13 year old boy these days to hold such affection for Frank Sinatra and jazz and Motown,” remarked her mother. Then Annene McCubbin twisted in her seat to look directly at Simon. “I heard an advertisement on the radio for the last few days that there’s a Rat Pack cover band playing in Edinburgh for the next couple of weeks. If I can get tickets, would that be something you would be interested in seeing, Simon?

”I vote yes!” said AngelFyre laughing enthusiastically, and squeezed Simon’s hand. And before he had a chance to answer, they turned off the road and onto the McCubbin property. ”We are here!”. The long driveway up to the house would take a minute or so to travel, but it would not deposit them at what AngelFyre had suspected Simon envisioned as her farm house home. She knew it was a testament to his affection for her that he was doing the “farm thing” again, but she hoped he might be even a little pleasantly surprised to see this was not a typical farm as they drove up to the dove grey mansion.

”Welcome to Clan McCubbin, Simon.” And then AngelFyre leaned over to him and kissed his cheek, unaware that her father clearly saw this in the rear view mirror, and continued by whispering in his ear, “It means everything to me that you are here, mo chridhe.” (my heart)

The magic is real.

AngelFyre McCubbin (PC) ● Stephen Schwartz (iNPC) ● Nimue White (Transfig. Professor)

8 Apr 2022, 15:18

Almost there with @AngelFyre McCubbin

Ah, the Rat Pack. This was a group of singers in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s that appeared together on stage, in casinos, and sometimes even on film in the States. It included members like Frank Sinatra but some of Simon's other favorites like Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and others. It was somewhat sad that these musicians had come and gone, but reassuring to know that their legend lived on. Through groups like the one AngelFyre's mother suggested they try and see, groups could emulate their sound or stir inspiration from their melodies and vocals. He too agreed that he would like that very much before looking out the window as they pulled into what seemed like the front of a residence, even if it vastly contrasted his own small townhome in London with no front yard or garden.

Simon looked over to AngelFyre when she whispered to him and smiled as her lips touched his cheek. "I want to see everything you love about here." There was the library she had mentioned, her beloved dog, the wide open spaces, meet her Grandma Ruth which she spoke so highly of.

When she had leaned closer to him, some of her hair hand fallen over her shoulder and also brushed him against his face. Never would that have to be something she worried about or apologized for and it only further captured him into her spell each and every time. He brushed his hand to it, slowly guiding it back behind her ear. All things too in which were being watched unbeknownst to them. There was a sort of magnetic chemistry there between the two of them and it was one that not all might appreciate.

Since his hand was so close to her face, he gently brushed his hand against her cheek and gave her a bright smile before looking away, turning his gaze back out the window to look at their estate. He could only imagine how many townhomes could fit into the space as they made their way back amongst the pasture and trees to her home.

It was beautiful there, although he truly expected no less. Perhaps part of him thought that Edinburgh might be just one big city, much like London, much like any other big city in any country of the world. However, the beauty of Scotland first caught his attention there in the highlands of the magical school where the two met, and it continued to spark his interest that evening. Surely it looked even more enchanting during the daytime.

Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)

11 Apr 2022, 09:33

@Simon Kincaid meets Hillary

Much as AngelFyre expected, Grandma Ruth had long since gone to bed, but Hillary Dillary Dawg was up and patiently waiting for her return at the laundry room door which led out to the first garage. As AngelFyre opened the door, her gentle giant sprang into action and started her sing-songy happy whines as she excitedly circled round and round with her massively strong tail whipping back and forth. When she had calmed down somewhat, AngelFyre commanded 'Shoulder' and Hillary happily hopped up on her two hind legs while placing her front paws on AngelFyre's shoulders. In that posture, her beloved beast stood a staggering 6' 4" tall, easily dwarfing everyone now standing in the laundry room.

Hillary, of course, noticed Simon's presence immediately, but as had always been the case with her girl, everyone else in the world would just have to wait until Hillary had said her hello to her person. Hillary ate it up and so did AngelFyre, as the dog showered her face and ears with puppy kisses. When AngelFyre finally hugged her tightly and told her 'Down', Hillary made a bee line for Simon and gave him the thorough sniff over. Her tail was wagging, so she was sensing no danger from him, but she did something AngelFyre had never seen her do before. She sniffed both of his hands for a good long while, and the tail kept wagging, but it was sporadic and AngelFyre knew her well enough to know that she was confused and trying to puzzle him out. Normally she would have started with his pants and moved on up from there in a constant state of motion, but she was incredibly focused on his hands.

AngelFyre admonished her with a 'No Licking' as she felt that might just be a bridge too far for her handsome fella who was completely uninitiated in the ways of dogs. Luckily, Hillary had practiced her good manners with Simon and had not tried to lick or kiss him. Simon, for his part, did not act as if he were scared of her in any way, but he just looked a little clueless as to what he should do. It appeared a couple of times as if he was going to try and pet her, but as he moved his hands, it caused her to re-focus her attention to them with her nose. "It is okay to pet her. I promise she will not bite you. She is just very curious about you, right, Hillary?" And with that, AngelFyre crossed over to the two and took Simon's hand and placed it on top of her own. She then told him gently, "Just keep your hand on top of mine while we stroke her together, and then I will remove my hand while you keep stroking her. She will know the difference in our touch, but she will learn what yours feels like.... the pressure, the speed, the directionality. Before you know it, she will be begging for you to pet her, and if you would like to decline that magnificent pleasure, simply tell her 'No Petting' and she will immediately leave you be."

As this introduction was taking place, Iain and Annene McCubbin slipped past the kids and the dog and headed into the main part of the house. Before leaving, AngelFyre's father grabbed Simon's bag and asked him if he were hungry or thirsty, letting Simon know that there was steak and potatoes in the fridge for him if he had an appetite. Her father also made certain to let Simon know he should make himself feel comfortable and that he had the highly coveted "friends and family free range" benefits in the kitchen 24 hrs. a day.

AngelFyre slowly removed her hand and let Simon continue to pet Hillary as she moved closer to his side and put his free arm around her waist. Looking at him as he was petting one of her dearest loves in the whole world, she had to smile at her father's words to Simon. "Wow. Not even in the house 10 minutes and you already rate the friends and family free range benefits. Most impressive, Mr. Kincaid. Well done, indeed. I suspect my father has you firmly in the "friend" category, but just so you know, I have you placed solidly within "family". Then she leaned over into him and with both of her hands interlaced and resting on his shoulder as her chin rested on her hands, she nuzzled her nose along his ear. Whispering so closely to his ear that her lips were delivering feather light glances upon his skin, she then asked, "Are you hungry or would you like to see where you will be sleeping... or resting... or doing the million things you must do to keep your sanity in check during sleepless nights?"

The magic is real.

AngelFyre McCubbin (PC) ● Stephen Schwartz (iNPC) ● Nimue White (Transfig. Professor)

13 Apr 2022, 19:39

Following @AngelFyre McCubbin

In her description of her beloved canine friend, Simon had envisioned Hillary to be big but not exactly this BIG. Still, he could see she was just a gentle giant in the way she interacted with her girl and Simon smiled as he watched the two. It was apparent that each was as excited to see the other and again, he was hoping to see the things most near and dear to AngelFyre during this trip and also appreciated anyone, dog or otherwise, who was as fond of AngelFyre as he was.

When it was his time to pay his respects to the official greeter, he wasn't apprehensive to do so, but the dog just didn't want to cooperate for some reason. Each time he went to stroke his hand against her wiry fur, she was moving to sniff him. The first couple times left him a little confused as to how he was going to pet Hillary and say hello. Sure, he had faster reflexes than that of a dog, but it wasn't in anyone's best interest to be using them in from of the parents who didn't know he was a dhampir.

Luckily AngelFyre came to his guidance and hew welcomed her method because it brought them closer together and allowed him to touch her. Closeness and physical touch from her was quickly becoming something that he most thrived on. Soon, Hillary had adjusted to him and was allowing him to pet her on his own and he smiled as he watched her gentle eyes. He could tell she was a kind soul.

Hillary was making him feel most welcome and then he glanced up as AngelFyre's father told him about their policy when it came to matters concerning the kitchen. "Thank you, Mr. MrCubbin," he said and smiled to the man kindly. It was slightly odd for him to talk to a father figure of any sort, only because he hadn't one of his own. Even his best friend back in London was Gabe and his parents were divorced, leaving Gabe to mostly live with his mother. Fathers were a strange concept to Simon Kincaid, but one that most fascinated him and he hoped to be one someday -tenfold and then some. He hoped to be a pretty damn good one too.

"Sure, show me to my quarters," he grinned widely. As usual, Simon wasn't very hungry. Or rather, and more honestly - he didn't feel like eating. If one wanted to get down to the truth, Simon was always hungry. It was a kind of hungry that nothing seemed to satisfy - not even his rare steak or potatoes, although that helped more than other things.

Simon lifted his trunk from where her father had set it down, probably intending to bring it with him but Simon had gotten to it first. He picked it up effortlessly despite it's size. "Where you go, I will go; as long as I go with you," he said to her, repeating the words he had said to her at the Midspring Celebration back at Hogwarts on the day they first became an official couple.

He was pretty impressed by the size of her home. It was probably at least four times the size of his townhome back in London and this wasn't a bad thing at all. He ADORED his townhome back in London, but there were things like space that were a luxury that just weren't available in a big city. It allowed for eccentric and unique art pieces and furniture and lots of big rooms. It was big, but still gave off an intimate feeling and Simon got the feeling that they were a close family as AngelFyre had told him. It must have been difficult for her parents to send their only daughter off to some magical school off and about, where they no longer got to see her every day.

Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)

15 Apr 2022, 10:30

AngelFyre Leads @Simon Kincaid to His Room

"Where you go, I will go; as long as I go with you," Simon said to her.

A warm flush coursed through her upon hearing those words.... again. Simon expressed his feelings for her in tender ways big and small each day they had been together, but repeating such a singularly meaningful statement was something he had never done before. He had always been very deliberate in his manner and choice of words with her, so she felt immediately that this was a milestone of sorts for them and it momentarily froze her in place.

He had picked up his bag and was smiling with a soft glint in his eyes as he turned towards her, ready to follow. AngelFyre was overcome with the urge to kiss him, so she stepped in front of him and tippy-toed just a bit to reach his lips. She kept her eyes locked onto his for more than a few seconds and placed her hand over his heart before their lips gently brushed against the others. "Thank you for that," she whispered, not knowing if he would understand it was what he had said she was thanking him for and not the sweet kiss they had just shared.

Then smiling happily at him, she beckoned him with the words, "Right this way, then." She took his hand and led him out of the laundry room and into the open and airy kitchen where her parents were sitting and drinking some juice. She knew Simon did not want any food, but she did suspect he might be thirsty, so she released his hand temporarily so that she could pour each of them a glass of cold water from the water pitcher in the fridge. As she did this, she decided to take the opportunity because it was sitting right in front of her, so AngelFyre asked her parents if she could give Simon a quick tour of the grounds after showing him his room? Her folks looked at each other and her mother unsuccessfully bit back a smile as it started across her face while patting her father's arm.

"Sweetheart, it is 10 minutes of midnight. There will be no tours of the grounds at this hour. You may show Simon the grounds tomorrow."

"But Daddy," AngelFyre began, "he will be here such a short time and since daylight is not optimum for him can you please possibly reconsider? I will promise to keep the tour to just the dock and my tree house if that will help persuade you. When Ainz and Kendric spend the night, you let us roam between the two," she finished up with, hoping it would be a persuasive enough argument. She was not being petulant or combative in any way, she was simply pointing out to her father past precedents. "Please, Daddy?" Just an hour?" And she then turned to Simon and handed him his glass of water and gave him a quick wink and smiled.

"Show the poor lad to his room and let me and your mother have a few minutes to talk. I will give you my answer when you get back."

"Fair enough." Then AngelFyre walked past Simon and led him to the right, down a long, but very wide hallway. Hillary darted past both of them as if she knew where they were going. She did. She had been with AngelFyre for hours in the room Simon would be staying in, keeping her company as she made certain everything was just right and would be safe for him.

"So, I know I told you that you would be staying in the library, but there has been a change of plans on that score. You will still have access to the library when you cannot sleep, but you will also now have a much more comfortable bed than the sleeper sofa would have provided you." AngelFyre stopped at some French doors to her left and said, "Voila! The library. We can explore it more later, but those French doors on the other side of the library lead into my father's office/den. It also has a small library, but it contains mostly books and journals having to do with his work. I love the view of the river from in there, though."

Then smiling at him and doing a 180° turn from the library, AngelFyre motioned to the open double doors and followed Hillary into the guest suite, and Simon followed AngelFyre. When he set his bags down and his water, she took his hand and gave him the tour, such as it was. "And this will be your private Home Sweet Home, or I hope so anyway, while you are here. There is a large wardrobe where you can hang anything you want, with tons of hangers and drawer space. The bed is super comfy. The drapes are black out curtains so absolutely no sun can reach you in here, but you may find you do not need them because there is a veranda outside these patio doors. It has an overhang, so any sunlight that comes into this room is very indirect. You have a television and your remote is on the bedside table there, along with a cable guide of the channels. And of course," she said in the teasing tone he had long since come to recognize, "there is the fireplace if you get a sudden urge for sweets and want to roast marshmallows." She laughed a little and squeezed his hand, just so unbelievably happy that he was actually there.

"The lavatory is right around the corner from the wardrobe, and my room is directly above yours, just so you know." Hillary had jumped up onto the sette at the end of the bed and was watching the pair from her cushy vantage point. When AngelFyre would look at her, her tail would start wag thumping, and AngelFyre would reflexively reach out to pet her. "So, what do you think, handsome? Do you think you will be comfortable here? And oh! I forgot to tell you the best part. There are three bags of lemon drops for you in that bedside table drawer there," and she smiled, looking up at him, desperately wanting him to feel at home in her home.

The magic is real.

AngelFyre McCubbin (PC) ● Stephen Schwartz (iNPC) ● Nimue White (Transfig. Professor)