About noontime, near the lake.

Graham walked down from the main Hogwarts building, and began to make his way to the freshly hired keeper.  He heard that the man had Puffskins, Ashwinders, and Billywigs, and he had a sneaking suspicion such products could be sold to other students or even used for revenge the mafia members wanted to complete themselves.

Rohan figured Locksley inexperienced in his field of work, so he was confident that he could lie his way into exactly what he wished for without drawing too much suspicion on the subject.  He'd probably make up a simple story involving the Care of Magical Creatures class to receive the creatures.

As he made his way to Dallas's shack, he thought of Alexa, who was told to take charge while he was busy with his business.  Her and Beckett were most likely working on an espionage mission to gain intelligence on Mason and Chloe's status.  He pushed the thoughts away from his focus as he rapped three times on the door of Locksley's dwelling.     

Hopefully it wouldn't be too much of an issue. 

Dallas was just finishing up his last wooden tray for the blood traps he had to set up for later today. He scratched off the item off his list as someone knocked on the door. Dallas grabbed his hat off the table and Thor got off his dog bed as Dal opened the door, flipping his pocket knife closed. On his bottom step stood a student out of uniform, a rather short lad for his muscular lad too.

Perhaps something had gone wrong, maybe there was a student injured, or perhaps the kid got locked out of the castle. "Can I help ya with something?" Dallas said, putting a leg out in front of Thor so the excited collie didn't barrel down the steps and leap on the student. "Thor, go lay down." Dal pointed at the plaid cushion the dog slept on. The collie looked at where his finger was pointing, then back at Rohan.

With a flip of his tail, the dog trotted over to his cushion and walked around in a circle and plopped down, his head on his paws, looking at the front door.

Rohan watched the door fling open, and was surprised by the height of the man, who had a solid foot on him.  He wanted a human professor who was shorter than him, just once.  "Yes, please, Dallas.  I was just wondering if I could have a few animals for a project in my Care of Magical Creatures class?"  He asked, being as polite as he could.  "It's on the effects of specific magical creatures on wizards," he added, smiling to appear more innocent than he really was.

He hoped Locksley suspected nothing, as it would be ideal to get out of there before anything involving the mafia happened without him.  He tried to hide the anxious, rushed look from his face, and figured his efforts successful.  "I need, um... Puffskins, Ashwinders..."  He pretended to think for a moment before saying, "And Billywigs." 

Dallas smiled a bit, the boy was rather polite, well, most students were, for fear of house point deductions, which he wasn't even sure he could deduct himself. He liked how the lad called him by his first name, not 'Mr. Locksley' or 'sir'. But, there was something about this kid Dallas found rather suspicious. He probably would have been notified if Professor Ó Móráin required students to observe beasts above a XXX Ministry of Magic classification.

"Do you have a note from Professor Ó Móráin? Or an assignment sheet I could take a gander at?" He wanted the kid to have a truly legitimized reason for wanting to observe billywigs, especially since some idiot students had decided that the insects stinger would be a good idea to roll up and smoke, and ashwinders, weren't those used mostly for potions? Puffskeins, Dallas couldn't figure out why anyone would want to study a puffskein, apart from them being ridiculously adorable and impossible not to cuddle.

He also had said that he was writing an essay about the effects of the little buggers. "I 'ave a few books in here, if you'd like to check 'em out, and I have a few puffskeins you can observe, but I think I'd need a teacher's signature for me to let you see any ashwinders or billywigs." Dallas leaned up against the doorframe.
 

Graham thought that Locksley's reaction posed a very large issue.  Unfortunately, he had no idea why the things were dangerous, so he couldn't offer any evidence as to why he came if he wasn't allowed to be around such creatures.  "I'm sorry, what's wrong with them?  I'm not sure if I misheard the professor's instructions or not.  I get my facts confused quite a bit,"  he explained, laughing out loud at the utter foolishness of the lie, but it worked in nicely considering the frazzled, idiotic attitude he had suddenly taken up. 

Contrary to what Rohan believed, the competence of the man was clear, and he obviously held a constant knowledge of all known magical creatures.  It was surprising, to say the least, given the man's expected amount of experience.  He seemed young, and it was odd the intelligence of Locksley; clearly superior to Graham's.  The keeper's refusal to fufill Rohan's request was certainly a curve he didn't expect.

It would certainly be a bit of a doozy just getting out of the frying pan, not to mention the fire looming below it. 

"How are you in Care of Magical Creatures and not know what a billywig and ashwinder do?" Dallas rolled his neck and walked back into his house. He approached the bookshelf and grabbed his copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and came back out to Rohan. "First edition. Read it, then come back." He tossed the thin book to the Raveclaw. "Even though Ó Móráin may be a stick in the mud, he's smart, and you need to listen to him, the knowledge he gives you now, may save your life later."

Dallas made a welcoming gestured with his hand. "Come on in, I have a kettle over the fire, I'll make some tea and we'll chat." Dal wasn't totally sure about this kid anymore.

Rohan held off on answering Dallas's question, pretending that he hadn't heard at all and trying to think of a logical answer in the event that he asked again.  He didn't want Locksley sniffing out anything else anytime soon. 

He watched the man grab a small book from a shelf farther into the abode. 

"First edition. Read it, then come back."

He was surprised, once again.  The keeper was holding off on getting him into trouble, even though there was a significant amount of evidence against Graham that pointed towards him being guilty of lying and trying to obtain creatures he wasn't allowed to have.       

"Okay, thank you."  He said tentatively.  Rohan would try to read the book as slowly as he could bear, and contemplate questions Locksley could possibly ask - and the answers he would deliver - after each page.  Hopefully the man wouldn't interrupt him too much.  He advanced further into the hut, seeming to look for a place to sit, but really waiting for Dallas to offer him a spot.

He was on the edge of the fire.   Literally - and figuratively. 
   

"Sit down at the kitchen table, and we'll chat" Dallas said, pouring water into his grandmother's teapot and filling his tea strainer with Scottish tea leaves and dunking it into the tea pot. Dallas grabbed his cookie jar off the counter and a dish from a cabinet. He placed a few tea biscuits onto the tray, and tossed one to Thor, a rare treat for the lean dog. Dallas grabbed two teacup from another cabinet and placed them down on the table.

"There, so I can grab a few puffskeins, if you'd like to see them, and I can show you a few pictures of ashwinders and billywigs, but that's the best I can do without a teacher note or assignment sheet." Dallas let the tea steep for a bit before he went to his icebox and pulled out some cold milk and moved the sugar bowl closer to the teapot on the table. He poured his guest's cup first. "Sugar? Milk? Both?" He said with a kind smile.

"Thanks."  Taking Locksley's invitation, he carefully slid into one of the seats at the table, already tapping his fingers on it - in a tuneless fashion, no less - to entertain himself while the man pulled items together for tea.  It was a little nerve-wracking, watching him collect the cookies, china, and tea bags.  He had no idea what Locksley would say or do after he was ready.

"There, so I can grab a few puffskeins, if you'd like to see them, and I can show you a few pictures of ashwinders and billywigs, but that's the best I can do without a teacher note or assignment sheet."

Rohan mentally facepalmed at how silly the whole idea was, especially after hearing that he couldn't get his hands on anything but a puffskein for the mafia, which weren't a great help to anyone.  It would be embarrassing to return with nothing but a boring puff ball with a large tongue for the mafia to use, and Rohan needed to find a way - keeping in mind what he had already stated - to get the creatures. 

"Don't bother with me.  Take care of yourself first," he demanded politely, trying to butter the man up.  "I like this place a lot.  It's very homey.  Do you like staying here?"     
     

Dallas put the sugar bowl and the milk in front of Rohan and poured his own cup, not bothering with either additive. He took a sip and frowned a bit, it wasn't as strong as he had hoped. "Well thank you...uh, what did you say your name was again?" Dallas said, finding it rather odd the boy didn't introduce himself, yet he knew his name. Well, everyone knew his name, he was a staff member. But few people knew  that Dallas' real name wasn't Dallas, it was Darrel, but he liked Dallas so much from when he was in Texas, he kept it, and introduced himself as Dallas Locksley.

"I try my best to make it as comfortable for me and Thor as I can, I spend most of my time when I'm not working here so, I like to have it neat and organized." At the sound of his name, Thor's ears perked and he trotted over to where Dallas sat and plopped down next to his master's feet, looking up at him, expecting something. Dallas reached over into a basket by the table and pulled out a plastic bone. "Fetch" Dal said, tossing the bone over near his sitting chair. "I like working here and fixing problems, and I like my living arrangements very much, thank you."

"I remember when I was a kid, sitting up in my dorm room with my roommates, we were like brothers, the lot of us, we used to do everything together, you like you're roommates?" Dallas asked, pouring more tea into his cup, hoping the flavor would get stronger. "I also didn't have any siblings, so they were the closest thing to brothers I had." Dallas took a sip of his tea, content with the robust taste.

Graham was pleased; it seemed as if Locksley only thought that Rohan was being polite.  It was a small victory amongst the several large failures he committed over the course of the conversation, and a relief that Dallas expected nothing at all. 

"...what did you say your name was again?"

"Arthur.  Well, more like my middle name; I don't really like being called by my first name," he replied quickly, trying not to delay an answer with his own thought process.  He figured that if he told Dallas his real first name, he could be gotten into trouble faster, whereas if he only revealed his middle name, like Alexa did, Locksley would have to comb through every boy with the middle name "Arthur" in the whole entire school, just to find Rohan.  It was a precaution that was necessary, and he had hardly lied anyway.   

The man went on a small explanation of the home, as if Rohan had that much interest in it anyway, and appeared to be enjoying his company, luckily.  "So you do enjoy it, then," he concluded.  He certainly enjoyed his dog, that much was for sure. 

"...you like you're roommates?"

"Well, not particularly," he answered, thinking of the boys in his house.  "I don't spend all that much time with them," he added, figuring an explanation was in order.  "There is a boy I really don't like, and the rest are just okay, I guess."  He finished, finding no relation with what Dallas thought of his roommates. 

"What house were you in when you were at school?"  He questioned, genuinely curious.  He was getting too off-topic, though, and really wanted to get to business, when the time was right.  He wasn't about to randomly ask a staff member to outright break rules without having them know him at least a little.       

"Okay Arthur, I was sorted into Gryffindor when I was a student here." Dallas said, mulling over what Rohan just said, just one lad he didn't like, well perhaps the kid was a bully and deserved not to be liked, probably gave kids swirlys, if kids even did that these days, Dal remembered little Darrel running to the rescue from the older years, at that point he was taller than most of them, and they backed off.

"Let me get those puffskeins for you." Dallas got up from his chair and walked over to the curtain that concealed his bed. He parted the drapes and leaned down under the bed. He grabbed a large plastic bin with a muggle flashlight shining in through the top. Over two dozen balls of colorful fur waddled around inside, playing with each other and eating ritz crackers, that Dal had figured out, kept them from eating everything else in the cottage.

Dallas put the bin on the table and turned off the flashlight. He opened the bin and reached in, all of the puffs congregated around his arm and rubbed up against it, he resisted the urge to squee like a young girl. He put his hand around one and lifted it from the bin, the others falling off his arm as he removed it and replaced the lid. Dallas put the ball of pink fluff onto the table. "There, that's a puffskein." Dal opened the plastic bin once more and withdrew a much smaller puff.

"Made famous by the Weasley Brothers, the pygmy puff, same thing, but smaller." The small blue colored critter was just smaller than his palm. He put it on the table as well. Seeing the two puffs waddling around by they're lonesome, Dallas opened the lid  of the container for the last time and took out all of the skeins, pygmy and all. "Aren't they just the cutest thing you ever did see?" Dallas said, petting a few and letting them lick his finger with their pink tongues that were bumpy and rough, a little bit like sand.

He really just wanted to hug them and squeeze them and put them near his face so they tickled his nose and purr. But, he didn't want to seem like a total girl in front Arthur, he just stroked them and patted they're little fluffy heads.

"Gryffindor, hmm?  No wonder you're the keeper of keys and grounds," Graham complimented, smiling.  This guy would certainly devour any kind comment Rohan issued.  He was growing a bit more confident in his ability to obtain creatures he wasn't supposed to have.  He could definitely break the guy.

"Let me get those puffskeins for you."

Finally!  Han thought the man had completely forgotten about his request until he emerged from under his bed with what seemed like every puffskein in the school.  "Wow,"  he marveled, acting more excited to see them than he really was.  He wanted this guy to think that Rohan thought he was the coolest thing thing since sliced bread.  He stroked one steadily, and requested, "May I borrow one or two?"  He grinned at the creatures. 

He wasn't quite ready to ask, maybe once he had a puffskein in his hands and had complimented the keeper on his handling of animals.  "You must be pretty smart, knowing all these creatures' ins and outs, even years after you went to Hogwarts.  I'm taking Care of Magical Creature now and I can't even remember most of them."   

"Oh psh, it didn't matter what house I came from, I just love doing what I do" Dallas picked up a pygmy, brushing off Arthur's compliments. He blew on the pygmy a bit and held it up against his cheek, and it began to purr. he tossed it up in the air and it let out a high pitch sound of glee.

"I guess you can borrow one normal and one pygmy, but you have to take really good care of them, and if you're one for their snot eating habits, you don't have t feed them, but if you want their tongues to stay out of your nose, I'll give you a sleeve of crackers." Dallas opened a cabinet and grabbed a tan sleeve of crackers. "Since they're two, give them half a cracker a day and a little bit of water, they don't excrete anything, I'm not sure why, so you don't have to worry about that."

Dal dug around, looking for a shoe box, or a container of some sort. Then, he looked a the wooden trays he'd been carving, and grabbed one, now he had sixteen, which may or may not be a problem later. "I memorized that book I gave you, and did a little bit more research on the one's that interested me, and I also carry a copy around with me at all times." Dallas pulled out a small, paperback version of the one Rohan held in his hand.

"It helps when I'm in the forest." Dallas said, lining the tray with a cloth napkin. "Pick one of each, and you can keep them for two weeks, except this one." Dallas plucked a small light green pygmy from the mass of puff. "Diego is my favorite." He put the puff on top of his head and put his old copy of Fantastic Beasts back into his pocket.

"Thanks so much."  Dallas instructed him on how to care for them, although - while he didn't say so - he knew how already.  Rohan surveyed the creatures.  There was no red pygmies, so he settled on a hot pink-colored puffskien, and selected a cream color for the larger species.  He had the puffskeins, but he still wanted the other creatures.

  Maybe he had an old assignment sheet from last term?  He rummaged around in his coat pockets, finding assorted prank items, a pocket comb, and even a paint brush before, low and behold, a small, previously pristine sheet emerged from his seemingly infinite pockets.  It was crinkled and definitely used to be white, but it had lost its colorless sheen.  "Aha!"  He exclaimed, unfolding the paper excitedly.  It had a few parts where the text was difficult to make out, but Locksley wouldn't mind. 

He rubbed out the date on the paper with his finger, making sure there was little evidence of the sheet's age.  "Have a look at this," Graham handed the old assignment sheet to Dallas.  "It's been a little beaten up.  Probably been washed a couple times," he allowed.  It was certainly more abused than he let on, but he was sure it could slide.  Locksley was the new keeper, so he couldn't possibly have remembered the assignment because he wasn't present at the school when it was completed.     

The frying pan was turned to a simmer, because the fire below it was only embers.