Dan strolled, whistling, to his desk. He removed his brown cloak and laid it over the back of his chair. He was sure there was a hook – somewhere – but he was not in the mood to hang a cloak up.

Sitting, Dan leaned against the back of his chair and rested his elbows on the arms of the chair. It was not a very comfortable position, but it was a position in which Dan often sat. He was used to it. The desk, however, Dan was not used to. Dan stood and walked around to the front of his desk. The plaque, sporting the words “Daniel Wenride, Head of the Official Gobstones Club Divison”, was centered too perfectly. He slid the plaque to the left, so it was jauntily off-center, and stepped back to admire the effect.

Perfect. Just one more thing… Dan dug in a pocket of his dark green robes and fished out his own set of Gobstones. He gently laid them on the desk, haphazardly arranged, and returned to his chair.

Jude stepped out of the lift, briefcase in right hand. In his left hand was a slip of paper which read his cubicle number. He looked up and down the rows reading number after number. The cubicles were plaster with posters and notices about the International Gobstones Clubs, International tournaments, and general Ministry pamphlets. But the tall dark wizard was not interested in any of this, his mind still on the center of the Atrium. He was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't realized he's pass his cubicle minutes before. He double-backed and sat his briefcase atop his desk.

He opened it, revealing a wide selection of gobstones and various business papers that lay beneath them in their netted bags. Jude shifted the bags away and withdrew the piece of paper he received at the employment offices below. Under his angry grip he ripped the paper and he swore under his breath, pulling out his wand and instantly repairing it.

Jude walked out of his cubicle and made his way to the back where he would find his Head of Department. He meandered between cubicle after cubicle until he came upon a golden plate that read "Daniel Wenride, Head of the Official Gobstones Club Division." He politely knocked on Mr. Wenride's cubicle wall and spoke much more softly than his insides were feeling.

"Excuse, Mr. Wenride," he began as he held out his registration papers. "I've just started here and they told me to report to the head. Is everything there in order," he indicated his papers, although his mind really wasn't on his new employment at all.

Dan looked up at the knock. Someone was knocking? Knocking was polite, he knew, and he knocked on his boss’s door, but still. He was unused to people knocking to see him. And knocking on a cubicle wall, at that. Dan’s own family didn’t knock. They just slammed doors open.

Nevertheless, Dan grinned when he heard what the knocker called him. He had never been called “Mister” before. It made him feel middle-aged. He beckoned the man into his cubicle.

“Good morning,” he said cheerfully. “It’s just Dan, no title for me.” He looked at the papers and scratched his head. “Um. Yes, everything’s quite in order!” Truthfully, Dan had no idea what the papers were for, but still. Best for him to appear like he knew what he was doing. He did, really. Just…he was not at all sure about the authority side of his new job.

"I thought, maybe, I should have given the paper work to Mr. Newtington the III," Jude remarked softly, barely audible, as he entered the cubicle with his hands behind his back and his head held low. "Name's Jude Thomas, half-brother of the Thomas who writes the Prophet's sports page."

He looked around the room surreptitiously, noticing that Mr. Wenride's cubicle seemed to be newly acquired as well to which Jude respectfully asked, "Have you worked here very long?" Perhaps the thing boiling at the bottom of his stomach, the thing that was so eager to roll of his tongue could finally be discussed with someone.

Another head scratch. "Well, I guess you probably should give these papers to Theo. That would make sense, wouldn't it?" Dan looked skeptical even so. "Pleasure to meet you, Jude." Half-brother of the sports page Thomas? Dan was impressed. He had read the Prophet even when he was in Germany.

"New job," Dan said. "Just like you, I guess." As usual, Dan was not keen to elaborate in his answers. He liked to get to the point.

Joe John Montcenaggio here or just call me J. J. Starr.

Jude was too reserved, too timid; he could not do and say what he wanted. After a brief silence he took back his papers. Perhaps I could speak with "Theo" in his office.

"It was a pleasure," he pronounced with a bow. "Good day to you Mr. ... uh ... Daniel. I'll be in Mr. Newtington the III's office for to sort out my papers. I'll notify you of my return and we can get to work." He gave his Head a brief smile and turn on his heel out of the cubicle.

ooc: Sorry, I fell asleep at the keyboard!

Jude shuffled by another wizard who just walked into the offices and gave him a "good day to you" and continued on towards Mr. Newtington the III's office.

________

Jude reentered the offices after a brief meeting with Mr. Newtington the III about the Atrium's fountain. He drifted back to his desk pulling out his special Egyptian gobstones from his briefcase which was still open. After letting them shift in his hands a bit he placed them back into his netted bag, not knowing what to do with himself in his office.

To pass the time, Jude took out pictures from within his briefcases of him and the various places he'd been in: Japan, Egypt, India, placing them across his cubicle wall.

" Dan, what is the first assignment?" Joe Jon Montcenaggio ( call me J. J. Starr) asks.

Jude poked his head out of his cubicle after her placed up a picture of him in Egypt posing with a mummy.

"Yes, what is our first assignment, sir?"

________

After a few moments, when no response came from within Mr. Wenride's cubicle, Jude assume his Division Head had taken a break. Jude glanced at his watch and decided that a break to the cafeteria wouldn't be too bad of an idea.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Potter Weasley

Joe John Montcenaggio here or just call me J. J. Starr.

Dan looked up to see another employee. He grinned. “Hello.” He was unsure of what he would call him. J. J. Starr did not seem like much of a nickname, so he figured he would call him Joe. That seemed more fitting.

“It’s nice to meet you, Joe. I’m your division head, Dan Wenride.” He gestured at the name plate. Joe could obviously read, but Dan felt it was polite to actually introduce himself anyway. Since he had the time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Potter Weasley

" Dan, what is the first assignment?" Joe Jon Montcenaggio ( call me J. J. Starr) asks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antwone Thomas

Jude poked his head out of his cubicle after her placed up a picture of him in Egypt posing with a mummy.

"Yes, what is our first assignment, sir?"

Dan looked up from the papers on his desk to grin at his two employees. “We’ve got a lot to get through today. Jude, I’d like you to check up on the Glasgow and Leeds teams. They’re playing each other soon and we need to get a roster check. Joe, today you need to draw up a bracket for a small Gobstones tournament. I’ve got the teams for you,” he said. He handed Joe a sheet of parchment with a short list on it. “And I’ll be looking at a set of Gobstones that is… questionable.” He clapped his hands abruptly. “Alright. Off to work we go.”

Zac walks in and sees the head of his department. "Hi Dan i am Zac putting out his hand".

Dan spotted another employee, Zac Keeley, walking in. He checked his watch and did not try to hide his disappointment. His employee was late, on the first day. Still, Dan gave a half-hearted grin as he shook Zac's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Zac," he said.

Dan checked his list of assignments before looking back at Zac. "Zac, today I'd like you to contact the Birmingham team about the tournament that they volunteered to host," he said. He wondered how to break the news to Zac that he was late. Hmm. Factual was usually best. "And, Zac, next time you're late I'll have to do something about it. Tardiness doesn't make a good first impression."

"Any questions?"

Penelope walked into the office, A bit late but she was stopped by another employee and couldn't get out of the conversation quick enough, She stopped infront of Dan, "I believe we've already met, Sorry I'm late Dan." She gave him a quick smile before sitting down in her chair.

Dan nodded to Penelope. At least she knew she was late. "Just don't be late again," he said, exasperated. "Today... if you could go ahead and owl the Manchester and Liverpool teams and see if they're going to participate in the games at Birmingham. Thank you."

He turned to the questionary set of Gobstones on his desk. Dan thought they looked normal enough. He cautiously rolled one of them across the desk, leaning away from it in case it spat ink.

Jude waltz back into the Gobstone offices from the Cafeteria with a last bite of bacon sandwich in his left hand, looking over a Daily Prophet.

"Storm's cleared over London. Still cold though," he said to everyone in earshot as he climbed back into his cubicle where he found a paper airplane. He finished off his bacon sandwich and pulled open the message that laid within the airplane and read:

Jude pulled out an ink bottle and quill from within his briefcase and wrote back a short message to his division head:

The wizard folded up the paper airplane back into its original from, withdrew his wand, muttered "Wingardium Leviosa and directed the airplane toward Mr. Winride's cubicle.

After he watched the paper airplane neatly glide into Mr. Winride's cubicle, he turned to his desk, pulling out the directory he had on all the Gobstones teams in Europe, looking up both the Glasgow and Leeds teams.

First team he found was "Glasgow" who's roster had last been updated the previous year. As Jude read off the names to himself he jotted them down on his own piece of parchment with his quill. Then he directed his finger over to the "L" section and quickly found "Leeds" to which he did the same, jotting down the names of the team players. After completely both of the teams he took out a new sheet of parchment where he would inscribe an official rendering of the rosters:

Jude looked over the parchment twice and set his wand on top of it once he thought he was done. Under the ash wand's touch the parchment instantly folded itself up in a neat paper airplane, jetting off towards Mr. Wenride's cubicle.

Hi Penelope, J. J. Starr here or as Dan calls me Joe" J. J. Starr tells her. "Dan, would you like me to do another check on teams or other teams in Gobstones." J. J. Starr asks him.

]After a few moments after he finished his assignment Jude pulled out another piece of parchment and wrote a short note on it:

He waved his wand and sent the parchment flying to the outside of his cubicle where it plastered itself to the cubicle's wall. After he looked it over, making sure it would hold up, he drifted out of the offices, his cloak chasing after him in his wake.

Dan leaned against the back of his chair and propped his feet up on his desk. He was unused to sitting in that manner, but it was really quite comfortable. Quill in hand, he looked over the rosters. They looked fit as a fiddle, although he did not miss Jude’s footnote.

Dropping his feet to the ground, Dan rose with the parchment in his hand. He walked over to Jude’s cubicle and saw the note on the wall. The bewildered man checked his watch. Yep, it was lunch time. He took a scrap of parchment and left a note on Jude’s desk.

Quote:

Come see me about those rosters when you get back, please.
-Dan

Satisfied, Dan rolled up the sleeves of his robes and returned to his cubicle to find Joe there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason Potter Weasley

Hi Penelope, J. J. Starr here or as Dan calls me Joe" J. J. Starr tells her. "Dan, would you like me to do another check on teams or other teams in Gobstones." J. J. Starr asks him.

“You’ve finished the bracket already? Dude, you’re fast.” Dan grinned at Joe. “If you could just run back to your cubicle and get the bracket for me, that’d be fantastic, Joe.”

Geez. Give Dan five teams and it would take him eons to draw up a bracket. He had to admit, he was impressed by speedy Joe. Joe the speed-demon.

J. J. Starr goes to his desk, looks up the five teams. ". you are in for a surprise unless someone has been messing with me. " J. J. says. " The five teams are Glasgow, Leeds,and three new teams Italy,America and Australia. Joe tells Dan.

Jude returned with pumpkin juice in his left hand, sipping it merrily as he strolled into the Gobstones Club offices where he found the note Dan had left him. The dark-toned wizard jotted down another quick note under Dan's neat handwriting:

With a lazy flick of his wrist, Jude sent off the note (which folded itself into an airplane) towards Mr. Wenride.

J. J. Starr does not like jude, he acts like a child. " Grow up" Joe says. " just do work and do not get us into trouble with Dan" J. J. Starr scolds him like a child.

Jude shook his head at J.J. Starr looking dumbstruck. What was that supposed to mean? Grow up? Were we still back at Hogwarts.

"I think I have grown up," he started, "five years ago when I came of age. Now if you don't mind I'd like to get back to my work without being insulted on my first week." And he hid his head under his cubicle, organizing his gobstone's collection, wondering if he spoke back too much. He was usually much more reserved.

J. J. Starr writes on the parchment paper with the quiil pen to fill out remaining threes rosters " jude has the other two.
Italian Team
Joseph Ribero
Sam Stallone
"Ladyhawk" Dimonti ( Sarah)
Giovanni Pitucci
Rocco "Skilled" Anderson ( mother is Italian, father is English).

American Team
" Scatman" Lewis
Elvis Rock
Alan Piedra
Linda Lee
Bill "The Thrill" Smith

Australian Team
Sue Newton John
Mei Long Fung ( just traded from Chinese team- she has visa in both countries)
Carl Dundee
Eddie Van Urban
"Jocko" Campell
There you have it Dan. Signed Joe.
He goes to Dan's office and delivers the paper to the office.

“Guys, guys!” Dan said stepping out of his cubicle. “Relax!” He looked at Joe. “Joe, I don’t believe in group punishment or group rewards. To each his own.”

Then Dan turned to Jude. Not much to say to this one since he had simply defended himself. That was the bonus of having a cubicle and not an office; you heard anything and everything above a whisper. “Jude, tell me as soon as you get replies from Glascow and Leeds,” he said rather loudly, but of course not intending to speak so loud.

Dan took the parchment from Joe and looked it over quickly. Team rosters. Great. But they wouldn’t need these for some time yet. He peered over the parchment at Joe. “Joe, these are great, but we need a bracket before we need to know actual people’s names,” he said. “A bracket, like, you know, who’s going to play whom and then whom the winner out of those two will play.”