She didn't think it would ever happen, but walking into the Evidence Room she'd come to the conclusion that she wasn't dreaming. After months of undercover work, countless interviews with muggles and having to feign a level of sympathy she didn't possess for the muggles forever lost to their families, they'd finally gotten the bugger into one of the holding cells and she could finally lodge this last bit of evidence, the nail in his coffin really--if you didn't count the memories she'd forcibly extracted and the taped confession she'd veritaserumed out of him.

Naturally everything would have to be compared in order to establish some form of consistency and none was particularly viable on its own if the man found himself a decent prosecuter, but together she was sure they'd find coherency, then she'd go back into that cell and deck him again for wasting so much of her time.

The only good thing about the arrest? He'd put up a struggle...Merlin did he struggle and she would be lying if she said she hadn't enjoyed it. The scrapes and tears along her skin and clothing would be worn as a trophy of sorts, as the ones he now sported would remind him of her long after they began to fade.

Now to find the rest of his files. They were along this shelf, yes?

Dealing with evidence - collecting, sorting through, logging, and looking back at - was part and parcel of being a Hit Wizard; Jake was fairly certain he spent at least half of his office-time at work getting clearance for the evidence and pensieve rooms, and muddling his way through the paperwork.

Ugh. Paperwork. Something he would trade his first born (okay, not really, but still) to never have to deal with again.

Jake had been tucked away in the corner of the room, using one of the shelves as a surface as he held a quill awkwardly in his left hand, and filled in the necessary information on the inventory of the box he had just been dealing with. For him, it was worth going over what he had written a few times just to make sure it was accurate; bar a few spelling errors here and there, Jake had never made a big enough mistake on these forms to be considered devastatingly problematic.

The noise of someone else entering the room had not been missed, and Jake made a mental note to himself to remember that there was someone else present, but in focusing so hard on what he was writing, that particular detail had slipped his mind almost instantly. It wasn't until Jake had filed the evidence and its inventory away and started heading back to the registers on the wall that his memory was suddenly jogged.

Meaning, he turned a corner, suddenly caught sight of another human (or human-appearing creature), and gave a jolt of surprise that had his heart rate soaring and his hand automatically reaching for his wand. A split second later, and it registered that his company was just a colleague.

Probably one of the most unpleasant side effects of the job? Being ten thousand times more jumpy than he would have been had he gone into professional Quidditch. Or dragon-taming.

"Merlin," Jake said with a relieved sigh. "I forgot there was someone else in here." He rubbed at his chest, over his heart, trying to massage it back into a regular rhythm.

She'd noticed her co-worker upon entering the room--constant vigilance and all--but he'd seemed so wrapped up in whatever he was doing that she thought it best to leave him be. Lodging evidence was precise stuff and the last thing they needed was someone walking free on a technicality. Lex had heard of it happening once and though she hadn't been a part of the case, she'd shared the frustration of those that were.

On she continued, knowing this place to be set up alphabetically and that somewhere along this stretch would be the documents she and her partner had first created within the last several months.

In the back of her mind, the echo-ey sound of footsteps registered. They weren't very loud but a faint echo carried around the empty spaces of the room making it a little harder than it otherwise may have been to determine precise location of her now moving company. That became less of a problem when said company suddenly rounded the corner and set off her Auror reflexes within seconds of doing so.

It all happened rather quickly; one minute he wasn't there, the next he was reaching for his wand and there was a shield of sorts enveloping her with her own hand reaching for her wand. The shield lingered only a moment, as Lex quickly realized the threat was not actually a threat but a false alarm. "Circe Upstead, you try'na get us both killed?" She quipped a small amused but relieved smile slipping into place as her adrenaline level slowly returned to the normal level expected of an Auror. Paranoia was no stranger to this Department. Being on your toes was exactly the difference between life and death. "You gonna be alright?" She continued, ignoring her own rapid heart beat as she watched him address what might have been his own.

"Sorry about that, Cambridge," Jake replied, a characteristic goofy grin appearing on his face as looked at Alexa. Merlin, he had lost count of the number of similar experiences he had had through both stints of working in this department. You might think that that much experience would make one a little more prepared, but nope. Everyone in this place was pretty much always on high alert, though for a very good reason.

Giving his heart one last amateur massage, Jake nodded. "Oh, I'll be fine. Still in my prime, me. Take a bigger scare than that to push me over the edge." Jake was, after all, still only thirty-five. So, okay, he was just days away from turning thirty-six, but that meant nothing. Happily enough, his heart rate was already returning to normal.

Even so, he had a sudden urge to look into heart conditions developed by those who took on the more high octane jobs in the Ministry of Magic. Uh...

... Right, anyway.

"Finishing up a case?" he asked, gesturing to the shelves. It was a hopeful comment; a lot of the time the aurors, hit wizards, and other department members on this floor were stuck in cases that never seemed to get a good lead, or went round and round in circles for weeks, months, or even years. Only his more routine call-outs were ones that were resolved quickly. That, or the ones that were so serious they needed an immediate resolution, and no other option was possible. Either way, it was always a relief to be done with them.

"Well Merlin, I'd like to hope it'd take more to get you 6 ft under." Her eyes seemed to flash with the hint of a joke. In truth, Lex had no doubt about how sturdy the Hit Wizard was. It wasn't Auroring per say but it was still a hell of a lot of work and when you really got into it, you still some saw pretty messed up or down right terrifying things. Whoever said MLE wasn't the best department was in deep denial and needed to get out of it quickly. Life was meant to be lived on the edge. "Still need trusted people out there when we liase with the Hit Wizards afterall."

And the more people you were on good terms with was the more likely they'd let you in on their epic missions when you've got nothing else to do but sit and stare at an empty in-tray. Sadly enough, even within the MLE, not every day was a grand adventure. Most days weren't a grand adventure....come to think of it, the grand adventure was usually the reward for weeks or months of thorough but oh so tedious research.

Kinda made her not understand why her grandparents or anyone else for that matter thought she came to work and ran around wasting time. Huh.

Hazel eyes fell to the documents at his next question, shortly before she gave a nod. "Hoping so. I've had my fill of muggles dropping dead seemingly randomly and don't think I wanna interview another grieving one of them any time soon." It was almost enough to make her wish she'd been on desk duty....but only almost.

"What about you? Wrapping something up yourself?"

In spite of himself, Jake gave a chuckle. "Trust me, I know first hand that it'll take more than that." And that was considering his life before becoming a Hit Wizard. In fact, that was considering his life before he had even graduated from Hogwarts.

Still... he hoped his heart would keep up with the rest of him. Luckily, it certainly seemed that way; already his body had realised there was no danger, and acting like it was any other day.

He wrinkled his nose slightly at the mention of interviewing grieving muggles. "Not exactly my favourite part of the job either." While it was all heartbreaking and difficult to do from an emotional standpoint, and Jake realised that, on a more personal level it was just that... well... it was pretty awkward, especially when you were terrible at being... you know... supportive. Jake would try, don't get him wrong, but he really was just awful at it. The whole tact thing. It was best for him to stay away from a grieving anybody.

"Me? Yeah. Just a routine case, really. Even so, nice to have it all wrapped up." Until, well, the court cases, but that was in the prosecutor's hands now. "Can't say I'm looking forward to all this paperwork, if I'm completely honest."

To be honest, it was no secret that Jake loathed and detested any form of paperwork. Was that really so abnormal for any Auror or Hit Wizard though?

"Oh!" Jake exclaimed, as his memory was suddenly jolted. "I saw Dale at the weekend. He said to say hello if I saw you. Said he'll send an owl your way soon, to catch up."

"That sounds an awful lot like you're inviting me to test this out for myself. Not to worry, I fully accept." Because she was that kind of a willing person and welcomed any chance to push limits and see what people were really made of. "Been a while since I invited myself on patrol with you and your partner."

When you got run around in circles by someone who clearly cared less for muggles than you did, and had your nose buried in the underground with smugglers, you missed out on all the grand opportunities around the Department otherwise. This didn't mean she'd wanna sit in with the lot of them when it came time to signing up arrest warrants and sifting through files--merlin no--but dark wizards weren't around every corner like they used to be. SOME action on those off seasons would be appreciated.

Hazel eyes searched the aisle at his mention of the paperwork that inevitably came with the closing of a case. "I know what you mean. A part of me wants to procrastinate this for as long as I can but the prosecutors are gonna be needing at least half this stuff to make a solid case." The face she made as she recalled this bit of information spoke to just how much she wasn't looking forward to it--

DAAAAAAALLLLLLLLEEEEEEEE.

She missed her silent friend that insisted he'd have to kill her if he told her about his job. He was an absolute delight, and she didn't think that about most. Lex did literally NOTHING to hide her excitement at the news. "Tell him I'm holding him to that and will be exceptionally disappointed if I don't receive an owl by the end of the week." Daaaaaaalllleeee.

Merlin alive. Of all the things to teach Jake to watch what he was saying, nothing quite managed it like thinly veiled (or not at all veiled) threat (or more like promise) from Alexa Cambridge. But STILL! Jake was absolutely not one to back down from a challenge; that was something that never seemed to go away, despite how much he matured.

Well... 'matured'. That whole concept was up for debate with him.

"You're always welcome to come along, of course. Always welcome, even when I know those ulterior motives of yours."

Jake had to hold back a laugh at the expression on Cambridge's face regarding the paperwork. He knew what that face meant, and he knew that he agreed with it. But when it came to evidence, nobody wanted to be the one who was ultimately responsible for letting a dangerous criminal on a technicality.

Speaking of which; he still needed to log the information in the main registers of the room, before the thought to do so went clean out of his head. He sidled over to said registers, keeping Cambridge within his line of sight while he continued to conversation. "I'll let him know, and I'm sure he will." Dale was the sort to stick to his word.

As he entered the necessary information into the register, logging both evidence and his own visit and movements, Jake glanced back towards Cambridge. "Much left to do today?"

Alexa feigned an offended gasp at his words, much too amused to take any real offense. "Ulterior motives? Me? I'm hurt." Her eyes seemed to brightened as a playful, almost cheshire grin spread itself across her features. You ever felt like the people in your office really knew you? Yeah, her too. But it'd been 8 years, most would by now if they were paying attention--as most law enforcers tended to. "I just happen to like lending a hand to my co-workers whenever I can, no matter what division they may be a part of. I'm helpful, Upstead."

Oh so very helpful when it suited her and got her out of the office. Suffice to say this did not extend to paperwork. The Hit Wizards had that covered all on their own and if that wasn't the case, she was sure she had enough of her own to go around.

Share the load, yeah?

And good, he would pass her message along to Dale. "What's he been up to lately, do you know?" It'd literally been ages. In the time he was gone, they'd gotten a new boss and there were soooo many changes.

Oh HERE was the section she was looking for. Lex pulled the drawer open and began moving through the folders, some emptier than others. "I hope not. Wanna be able to devote as much of my time as I possibly can to my darling suspect. Make sure there's nothing left he hasn't told me. Never really been one for surprises and I'd hate to leave any for the prosecution." Because she'd never hear the end of it, she was sure. "Any interesting patrols scheduled?"

Remember that tagging along thing? She was still game depending on where.

Anderson cleared his throat and shifted the items on the table just a fraction more, so there was enough gap between them. So far the ones that needed it still had their charms, to keep them and him safe, but soon he would have to remove them for the purpose of the task he had planned. Testing Ethan.

He knew the kid had experience, and as far as he was aware, was very good at his job. But he'd also arrived just a week or so before Anderson had gone off on an undercover assignment, meaning he'd not had the chance to get to know him and his skills. This whole thing was more for his benefit, in that regard. He wanted to see how well he could sniff out the bad from the good.

Which was why he had gone into Diagon Alley in his lunch break and bought a few more Sneakoscopes than he'd ever really need. Each of them worked just fine, upon his own testing, but the crucial thing was - two didn't. The two he had taken from the evidence box at the far end of the table.

Ones they had seized from a dodgy seller, and would blow up if mishandled, rather than whistle as they were supposed to. Many people had been injured before they'd caught up with the wizard responsible. But that had been well over a year ago, long before Mr Mordaunt had joined his division. So while he knew what they did, the younger man did not. Not yet anyway.

Ethan had been busy flossing his teeth when he finally got the message that his immediate boss wanted to see him. It had been months of waiting for this man, and quite frankly, Ethan's excitement turned into anxiety; what if his boss didn't like him? What if he wasn't what he expected him to be? There were so many what-ifs going on in his head that it nearly made him want to throw up.

Well at least his pearly whites were impeccably clean.

Ethan held a fist in front of him and knocked three times before poking his head around the door. Although the MLE was safe from hexes and all the evil stuff, he'd learned early on to take extra precaution. So far so good! His nose was still on his face, so there's that?

Seeing the man already inside, obviously waiting for him, Ethan straightened up and let himself inside the room eyeing the...sneakoscopes on the table. "Hello, Mr McKenna," Well, finally. "You wanted to see me?" Ethan could swear he just squeaked his greeting, and that earned mental eyeroll from himself.

Merlin help this man!child.

It had taken all of a few minutes, thankfully, for his message to earn the response of getting Ethan into the room. Good, good. Being on time was a major plus point. Well done, Mr Mordaunt. Although quite why his greeting came out in such a manner, Anderson wasn't sure. Was he that intimidating? He didn't think so, personally, but it seemed the first thing he had to do was put the young man at ease.

"Good afternoon, Ethan. I did indeed. Please, make sure the door is shut properly, we wouldn't want any of the items.....reactions, to escape the confines." It was an important warning, but one delivered with a smile and nod of the head. He rounded the end of the table and leant himself against it, crossing his arms and looking his Identification Specialist up and down.

It was really the first time he'd had a chance to study him, with them both being so busy the last few days since his return. He was certainly young, and a fraction shorter than himself. And still nervous looking. Hopefully that didn't affect his handling of the Sneakoscopes, or they'd both be in trouble.

"We haven't had a chance to work together since you arrived, due to my own assignment, so I thought it might be an idea to see how you do first hand." He stepped forwards and turned, gesturing to the many boxes on the shelves behind them, then down at the ones he had laid out. "I'm sure you're familiar with many of the things in this room, but these I know you're not. What I would like you to do for me, is examine them all and tell me which are the dangerous ones. And by dangerous, I mean you will need the specialised shield around yourself while inspecting them."

He grinned, hoping that his current easy manner would rub off and Ethan wouldn't accidentally cause great damage to the inside of the evidence room. Gidyun probably would not take kindly to an explosion on his level. "Any questions before we start?"

Dragging his feet, Benzi yawned as he presented identification and walked into the door that opened for him, bored and salty and generally in a bad mood. Yet another day, yet another case, yet another pile of evidence that has to be sorted, filed, labeled and stored and who better to do that Benzi Rider himself, perpetual YATI and evidence sorter extraordinaire?

The twenty four year old sighed and went about his business. Ever since Legend had left he's noticed a change in attitude in himself, something everyone else probably noticed as well which, in all honesty, should bother him much more than it did. It was Legend's fault he was still a YATI, because he'd insisted he start from scratch when he came back. Legend's fault he still got that preposterous salary, no perks, no extra time off. Don't even get him started on that stupid YATI contract, that was great for a nineteen year old part time student and no one else. He should not still be working under these conditions. What's even worse, that technically this stupid Ministry could still kick him out even after he's finished his training. As unlikely as it was, it gave Benzi no end of grief and he spent far too many nights wondering about a future that should be very much set in stone.

He had a kid. He was trying to have a life. He needed to have a permanent contract and some dental insurance for Merlin's sake. It was time. Dear Yenorin and whoever else was pulling the strings in this department, it was about damn time.

Gritting his teeth, Benzi slid the first completed evidence pack onto the shelves. One down, thirty-two to go. Ugh.

Walking into the evidence room was always like walking into a room where you knew what to expect but then finding something you clearly didn't expect. But that had much to the fact there were aways new things coming in here.

She was sipping her coffee from the local coffee shop since the level two coffee was awful and she wasn't about to go to another level just to have a better cup. It seemed silly. A YATi was in here as was expected.. It didn't seem like they were allowed to do much outside of the office, which seemed a bit backward to Tempest. MACUSA was so different than the Ministry and even after working here for almost two years she was still be reminded of that constantly.

"Rider, how are you today?" She'd wanted to pour over the files of this whole serial killer mess.. The Portkey killer as she'd heard him called a few times.. She'd caught him but still she felt uneasy.. Looking at the evidence usually made her feel better. Excellent as she was at seeming calm all the time she indeed was not.. and with Rod back at his post at Hogwarts she was merely left with her dog, Chewie to keep her company when she couldn't sleep..


Which was most of the time.

Needless to say she was happy for a bit of desk work recently.

Benzi looked up as he heard footsteps, and detected the coffee smell before the American auror walked through the doorway and he politely nodded in lieu of greeting. He expected her to go about her business, there was always something going on after all, so he was somewhat surprised when she spoke to him.

He briefly wondered if she remembered his days doing security at MACUSA. Probably the one good thing Legend had done for him, was hook him up with a contact to help him get a job when he moved. He hadn't expected any of the aurors there to make their way back with him, but here they were. "Chandler," Benzi nodded again, and gave a half shrug in response before adding, "Standard day, I'd say,". To demonstrate, he lifted the faintly glowing muggle car key he was dealing with right now, still faintly covered in blood. Evidence is evidence, even if it's mundane and boring. What a boring case this had been. Benzi would know. He'd done all the paperwork.

"Yourself?" Look alive, Rider. Maybe she'll put in a good word and you could get a surprise promotion instead of a Christmas bonus.

She did actually remember him. They hadn't talked much then but she was even busier then than she was now. Which was still mildly busy.
"I would say standard sounds better than boring but i don't think either of us actually believes that.." She grinned a bit and grabbed the box she had been frequenting for a little bit now. "Is this all they have you doing here?" Honestly the wasted talent in level 2 was now and then bothersome. The Yati's had to be more than capable of handling themselves outside of the office.

"I guess what i mean is.. how'd you like to help me work my next case? Whatever that may be?" Surely he'd heard about the portkey killer and her temporary desk duty following that traumatic event. "I feel like i could use someone watching my back lately.. Kind of like a partner and i figure with you being former MACUSA i know you're up to the task." He could refuse if he wanted but who went into MLE for a life of working in the evidence room?Even in her wildest dreams where she'd continued to climb the ladder she still always felt a pang when realizing the higher she got from where she was now the less field work would be involved.

She opened the box while awaiting what he'd have to say... pictures of the portkeys.. The Teddy in particular.

Text Cut: bc I like things tidy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schroyers

She did actually remember him. They hadn't talked much then but she was even busier then than she was now. Which was still mildly busy.
"I would say standard sounds better than boring but i don't think either of us actually believes that.." She grinned a bit and grabbed the box she had been frequenting for a little bit now. "Is this all they have you doing here?" Honestly the wasted talent in level 2 was now and then bothersome. The Yati's had to be more than capable of handling themselves outside of the office.

"I guess what i mean is.. how'd you like to help me work my next case? Whatever that may be?" Surely he'd heard about the portkey killer and her temporary desk duty following that traumatic event. "I feel like i could use someone watching my back lately.. Kind of like a partner and i figure with you being former MACUSA i know you're up to the task." He could refuse if he wanted but who went into MLE for a life of working in the evidence room?Even in her wildest dreams where she'd continued to climb the ladder she still always felt a pang when realizing the higher she got from where she was now the less field work would be involved.

She opened the box while awaiting what he'd have to say... pictures of the portkeys.. The Teddy in particular.

Benzi's lips turned upwards at the light attempt at humour. Carefully storing the car key into its new home, he looked up to watch what she was doing, our of curiosity he imagined he shared with the rest of the department. Chandler was certainly having her moment in the DMLE, and while Benzi didn't envy the life and death situation, he definitely sort of did. Sure, there were at least five people who often yelled at him whenever he voiced these admittedly unpopular thoughts, because of Emma and all, but he couldn't help it.

Years of wanting to become an Auror makes one itch for some action. If someone had told him at eighteen that this is where he'd be in six years he'd have laughed them off as ridiculous. He'd been so sure of everything back then. Eying her as she asked her question, Benzi debated how to delicately reply without sounding ungrateful for being a YATI in the first place, but in the time he hesitated she had started speaking again and he seemed to be off the hook for now.

Wait. Say... say what?

Stepping away from the evidence in case he damaged anything with rash movements, he turned to fully face the Auror. "I... yes," he nodded immediately, more determined than gracious. "You remember? I mean, yes, I'd love to, it... well," he nodded at the pile of evidence, a task so mind-numbingly boring he worked hard to not fall asleep performing it, "it would be nice to get away from office work for a change. Do something that's... real, and not just training." He did smile then, and stuck his hands in his pockets.

Thank you, Legend Chosen. The only difference between him and the other YATIs, as far as he could see, was that he'd been in MACUSA for that year. And that he was the most senior YATI in the department, but Benzi knew it was really beside the point since no one gave that much thought around here. Sometimes he wondered if Yenorin simply forgot.

But now... But now. Finally. A chance to actually show them what he's made of.

Rider seemed to understand her own mentality.. At least to an extent. Even at the moment while coming back from something a tad traumatic she felt like she couldn't wait to get back out there. It was a life she knew she was born for, you couldn't be like other people and still do this job.

But in Tempest's opinion she could see him going far and doing well. Or she wouldn't have offered to let him go out with her on patrols.

"Yes? Awesome! I mean you're not gonna learn anything about being an Auror from working in the evidence room." because maybe if he was a secretary in training or something that would make sense but YATIs needed to be more than just someone who knew how to file things.

"And yes, i do remember you.. I tried to remember everyone in the department." Which had more to do with Paranoia than anything. After having read about the whole Percival Graves thing in the history books she figured you could never be too careful or know someone too well. Magic was as much a tool of deception as it was for truth and justice.

"I can't promise my first assignments will be interesting after coming back from desk work.. But we'll see how that goes."

Text Cut: Chandler not Bing

Rider seemed to understand her own mentality.. At least to an extent. Even at the moment while coming back from something a tad traumatic she felt like she couldn't wait to get back out there. It was a life she knew she was born for, you couldn't be like other people and still do this job.

But in Tempest's opinion she could see him going far and doing well. Or she wouldn't have offered to let him go out with her on patrols.

"Yes? Awesome! I mean you're not gonna learn anything about being an Auror from working in the evidence room." because maybe if he was a secretary in training or something that would make sense but YATIs needed to be more than just someone who knew how to file things.

"And yes, i do remember you.. I tried to remember everyone in the department." Which had more to do with Paranoia than anything. After having read about the whole Percival Graves thing in the history books she figured you could never be too careful or know someone too well. Magic was as much a tool of deception as it was for truth and justice.

"I can't promise my first assignments will be interesting after coming back from desk work.. But we'll see how that goes."[/QUOTE]

She really didn't have to persuade him, he was painfully aware of how unstimulating it was to sit at the desk and go to training day in and day out and watch his friends, of both the same age group and younger, go out and do Auror things. As a simple guy who just wanted to help out, it sucked to say the least. Evidence room days were not as bad as mundane training days or worse, paper work days, but he supposed that in 2105 when he will finally get his badge, he'll be a very seasoned evidence sorter.

Because that's really important.

Apparently.

(Please excuse, one Benzi Rider seems to be bitter.)

He was impressed, since there must have been dozens of young people just like him, but he did like to think that perhaps he'd stood out. Obviously because of the accent and his attention grabbing physical presence (there is a reason he works out daily and it's not for desk duty, believe him), but he did indeed like to think he gave off an aura of professionalism. "I don't need interesting, I need to just.. be out there you know? I've been a YATI for so long," he nodded, and immediately wondered if he could tell Evie. Or Alexa. Those two would probably be happy for him, and with Alexa's not-so-recent promotion perhaps this could really work in his favour.

A promotion. What a dream. If he could somehow secure himself that bigger paycheck he'd been dreaming of, perhaps he'll move to that apartment in Kensington he'd been eying. Emma's room would have a view of the park and it was so close to their transportationally-challenged Squib friend, it really was the perfect place for him right now. And Noel would get some peace and quiet.

Yes. Benzi wanted this promotion he's just created for himself. How soon could they start?

Tempest smiled a little, his spirit reminded her a bit of her own at this age.. Granted at his age she was already an Auror but between America's smaller group of people jumping up to do such a dangerous job and her family connections back in the department at MACUSA it hadn't been hard for her to climb the ranks.

"Well, i have about another week of desk duty but after that you're more than welcome to come with me.." She put the evidence she was holding back in the box, because the feeling had passed, she didn't really need to look at it right now. "But if you'd like we can start working together this week,
get used to each other and whatnot." it was never easy to do field work with someone you barely knew so in her mind this was a good idea.

But ultimately it was up to him. Maybe he liked doing things like filing all by himself. She had a feeling not though since he was so anxious to be done with it.. And days like this seemed to go faster with someone else around.