"You really are the type of person to learn at a party, huh?" Rachael laughs as she approached Beckett.

He jumped slightly, quickly turning around startled, but a wide smile spread across his face when he noticed it was her. "Take a closer look. This is truly a rare find."

She stepped beside him and took a look at a disgusting black fuzz like substance on the tree trunk. "It's...mold? That looks like someone stapled an old 90's shag carpet to the tree."

"Those are the distinguishing features of midnight moss. It isn't hardy moss at all, so it rarely grows this expansively. I wonder if the solstice's energy is to thank for the quantity of moss on these trees!" Beckett says excitedly.

"Midnight moss, huh? What's it do?" Rachael asks, looking over at him.

"It can be ground into a salve to help heal minor cuts and scrapes, and especially effective in dulling pain from a bitten tongue." Beckett explains, with a smile.

"Does it stain your tongue pitch black afterwards?" Rachael asks, unable to stop herself from smiling at his smile.

"Your entire mouth, teeth included, for up to three days!" Beckett says passionately. "Not that I've tried it or anything."

He smiled at her for a moment before, laughing at himself and shaking his head.

"Apologies, I'm getting a little carried away. I've always been fascinated by magickal varieties of flora." Beckett says, bashfully.

"I can tell. Few people would ditch a party to examine plants." Rachael smiles at him.

"I don't need a reminder of how utterly uncool I am." Beckett sighs.

"Calm down. It's isn't uncool to like moss and knowledge and things like that. It's actually very attractive." Rachael says.

"It is? How?" Beckett asks, contorting his face in confusion.

"It's just like...cute and attractive. I don't know how to explain it. I just have a type okay. And you happen to fill it out perfectly." Rachael shrugs.

"I fail to follow." Beckett says.

"I'm trying to flirt with you, Beckett!" Rachael laughs, exasperated.

Beckett smirked at her. "I'm well aware. However, I think your technique could use some work."

"Okay, well, maybe you could teach me sometime, since you're so good at everything." Rachael teases.

Beckett's eye caught something in the distance, making him gasp. "Oh! I had no idea there was a pond nearby. There's bound to be more flora around its banks."

He started to quickly head out of the clearing, but turned back to smile at her excitedly. "Would you like to join me, Rachael?"

"Absolutely." Rachael smiles following after him as he disappeared behind the trees. When she finally arrived at the pond she found him, staring fixedly at something on the ground. "Already found something? What do you have there?"

Beckett glanced over his shoulder at her, his eyes widening and he quickly stands up, holding his hands in front of him. "Stop right there! Don't even think about taking another step."

Before she could even comprehend his sentence, he was on one knee of front of her looking at something.

"I know you're not, but I feel like I'm being proposed to..." Rachael says, confused.

He ignored her and gently plucked up a small blue flower blossom before standing up in front of her. "Apologies for my brusqueness. I wanted to ensure that you didn't step on this."

Rachael put her hands around his, to get a better look at the flower he was cupping in his hands. "It's beautiful. Though I do have to say it would be more beautiful if it were for me."

"If it were for-" Beckett frowns, not catching on until she winked at him and a dark red tint flushed his face upon his realization. "Don't be absurd. If I were to give someone flowers, I would offer them a proper bouquet of roses, not a stray blossom on the forest floor!"

"I prefer lilies." Rachael smirks at him. "Though I think a stray flower is more about the sentiment than just buying a bouquet."

"If I'm being perfectly frank, this flower is more than equivalent to a dozen roses. It's a cultivar rarely seen in these parts, with a variety of magickal properties, ranging from dictation to settling an upset stomach." Beckett explains.

"That's cool." Rachael says.

"Cool? That's it?" Beckett gasps.

"I'm new to all this, Beckett. And don't you ever just stop and smell the flowers?" Rachael asks.

"Why would I do that? My hobbies don't include encouraging spring allergies." Beckett says, contorting his face in confusion.

"I mean why don't you just enjoy this all, instead of analyzing it to death?" Rachael asks.

"I am enjoying it. I believe that having a deep understand of the world around you is the best way to appreciate it. You'll find that my way of doing things is usually the right way." Beckett says.

"Oh, I bet by the end of the night, you'll be admitting that I'm right about something." Rachael smirks.

"Very well. Challenge accepted. I expect to win, of course." Beckett says, raising an eyebrow at her as she stepped closer to him.

"You're only so sure you'll win because you aren't used to people challenging you." Rachael smiles.

Beckett stepped closer to her as well, with pride smug on his face. "You may be right about that. But you should know, when I am challenged, I never back down."

"Oh, what's that? Did you just say I'm right?" Rachael smirks looking up at him, they were so close now that she could see the light dusting of freckles across his face.

"I-" Beckett freezes for a moment his jaw falling open. "I cannot believe you just did that. As much as I hate to admit it, you have won your bet."

"Yay. So what's my prize?" Rachael asks with a smile.

"I believe the terms were not set in that regard. As a show of good sportsmanship, I'll allow you to make that call." Beckett answers.

"Well, then I want a kiss." Rachael smirks, up at him.

"I must say, you drive a hard bargain." Beckett says, leaning in and kissing her lightly. He looked calm, but his cheeks didn't seem to get the same memo as the rest of his face, they flushed a deep red.

"That's it?" Rachael asks, not thinking before she spoke.

"Certainly not. Underestimate me at your own peril. I am nothing if not an overachiever." Beckett pulled her in again, for a much longer kiss. Rachael quickly lost herself in the feeling, shivering against him. He pulled away again a wide smirk on his face. "I hope that my technique was satisfactory."

"I'm sure you can do better." Rachael teases with a soft smile.

"You've learned just how to goad me." Beckett smiles.

"I know you don't like to be anything less than perfection, and I know that I want to kiss you some more." Rachael smirks.

He brushed his thumb across the side of her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. They looked into each other's eyes before realized they were both already leaning in again.

"An expertly-phrased argument." Beckett mumbles, before kissing her again, feverishly. The familiar warmth growing in his stomach again, but warmer than it's ever been before. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer. "If every loss was like this, I might take a liking to losing."

"Are you saying that my kiss is literally that life changing?" Rachael smirks, looking him in the eyes, before pressing her lips against his neck and trailing kisses upwards. She could feel his pulse quicken under her touch and she nipped his earlobe, playfully. "Or are you saying I'm just so irresistible, you'd throw away your pride for me?"

Beckett snaked his hands around her waist and pulled her in for another aggressive and hungry kiss, there mouths moving together in harmony. He gently backed her up against a nearby tree and pressed his body up against hers. She arched into him with a moan and felt him smirk against her lips. He pulled away after a few minutes, looking into her moonlit eyes. "Yes. And yes."

He kissed her again, taking her breath away and not allowing her to gain anymore air. Desire and desperation flooded between them and each kiss became deeper and deeper. She tangled her fingers into his hair, letting everything else in the world slip her mind, the only thing that mattered now was his lips and his body pressed against hers.

After a long while their kisses started to slow down as they caught their breaths. Beckett's hands rested on her waist and warmed her on a much deeper level than just touch.

"Mmh...We should do this more often." Rachael smiles, into his lips.

"I hardly think it likely you'll win a bet against me again." Beckett says, placing a lazy kiss to her lips.

"You never know. It wasn't that hard, and besides, I have a feeling you'll be ditching the whole 'I have to win a bet' clause." Rachael smirks, pressing into him for a kiss one last time.

"Once again, I have to admit that you're right about that." Beckett smiles, looking back towards the party they had abandoned and forgotten about when a loud commotion seemed to be coming from it.

"What was that?" Rachael mumbles, looking in the direction of it too.

"Who knows? Perhaps something exploded, or a unicorn is attacking the local populace." Beckett says, stepping back from her. His hands leaving the comfort of her waist.

"Should we go check?" Rachael asks.

"I suppose." Beckett shrugs. She took his hand in hers, his cheeks turning a light pink, as their fingers intertwine. "Ahem. Shall we see what crimes are classmates have committed?"

"It sounds much more fun when you put it that way." Rachael smiles, as they start to walk back.