Originally written 26th October, 2013

"Joh!" His eyes widened a little in shock at the exclamation, but he stopped and turned on the heel of one foot in the corridor. Please, he thought, please let it be the case that she only spotted me here.

The visit was down to work, he was visiting to assist St Mungo's with a patient who they couldn't communicate with. Well, with great luck it had been true, only the patient was rather unconscious at the moment to stop them clawing at the bandages on the limbs that had been lacerated by a hippogriff they'd attempted to pet. Also, they were on the creature injuries floor… not this one.

The excuse for being on this floor was rather more personal. If he had run into someone who recognised him, it was that he was consulting some advice on his previous inpatient stay last year. He'd hand-delivered a small envelope marked confidential, Healer Hollingbury into the in tray of the department, amongst patient records and notes.

"What are you doing up here? I'm not meant to throw you out am I?"

Johann gave an uneasy smile, and shook his head.
"No, nothing like that. Just here on business. Actually just off now-." He stepped backwards, bumping into a walking patient sporting the most enormous orange boils who yelped in agony and exclaimed how Johann was clearly the biggest idiot in the whole world for his mistake.

There went the hope that he'd slip amongst the hubbub of the busy floor without drawing attention to himself. It would just do now to have Arcturus appear and wonder if he was reporting in as sick too. That would be enough to make him draw his wand and conjure a hole in the floor just to escape red-faced.

Escaping the wrath of the boil-covered wizard, Johann's eyes quickly surveyed Elixa was carrying a large empty brown glass jar in her hands, and was dressed in her apothecary's garb with the hospital insignia on the apron.
"I better go before-"
"What sort of business?"

Damn it.
"Can't really say, but I really have to-."
"You know this is the floor that Arcturus works on, right?"
"Yes."

Johann realised that he'd replied a little too hastily, as if to imply 'why wouldn't I know that?' and the two of them stared at each other a little oddly.
"Why… what are you doing up here?"
"Oh! Business." She lifted the jar in her hands a little. "They may treat poisoning and such up here, but they sure do get through a lot of plants and potions themselves."

The linguist found himself hoping very much that Arcturus would recognise the handwriting on the envelope now, and hoped to Merlin that Elixa hadn't ever pulled the same trick.
"Only if you wanted to catch him, I think he's with a patient right now…" She thumbed back over her shoulder below him.
"Why - why would I want to see him?" Johann asked, confused. Elixa lowered her voice and leaned forward a little, grasping the arm of his jacket.
"Well, he's your healer, right?"
"Er…"

Was he? Johann joked about it in their relationship, and he appreciated the fine knowledge and experience the other man brought to their lives, but if he had actually been sick and needed to consult someone, he might be more tempted to address Joy, so as not to get Arcturus in trouble if, or rather when his work caught wind of their relationship. Thankfully, the relationship in general was a significant incentive to try hard not to use potions when he was wide awake all night.

"It's alright," Elixa replied, tapping her nose, "patient confidentiality and all."

Over her head, his eyes instinctively caught sight of some familiar hair atop a set of green robes the other end of the corridor.
"Thanks." Johann forcibly smiled to Elixa, "Look, there he is-."

She let go of his jacket, and Johann took the chance to flee as fast as his long legs could carry him at swift walking pace. If he was spotted, he'd have to explain later. But as he made it though the door and turned to peer through the glass, his expression - though probably too far away to be witnessed, was more of oh for Merlin's sake as he saw Elixa wave and turn round with a huge soppy grin on her face, only to find Johann had pegged it.

He'd worn exactly the same grin when writing the note he'd just left. Poor, poor Arcturus. How did he put up with them?