A short distance away from the dance floor is a long table adorned with a mouth-watering display of canapés on tiered stands, both savoury and sweet. However if you’re after something more substantial, dishes of mediteranean vegetable quiche, chicken sliders, smoked salmon volovants and beef kofta with tzatziki drizzle are found beside the fine china and silverware. If you’re feeling parched, sparkling crystal goblets invite you to try one of the various bowls of colourful punch which range from deep oranges to delicate pinks. If you’re after something a little more refined, flutes of elderflower wine are also available.

Alana Ritter, in all her glory, walked into the area of the party and headed straight over to where the food and drinks were. She had quite the trip here and she still couldn't believe that she was one of the first ones there.

She smiled at the dance floor from across the way and decided against going over there just yet unless someone asked her. She really didn't want to be the weird new one who danced by herself. She was all about impressions and that was definitely not one she wanted to present.

"How extravagant." Alana said, in her thick German accent, as she looked at the table of different food. Instead of going for the food, she walked over to where the punch was and picked up one of the sparkling crystal goblets. She filled it up with the deep orange punch and turned around, taking sips from the goblet as she watched more and more people fill in. Maybe she'd meet some people from her department that she'd be working with.

Michelle decided to safest area to hang around was the Buffet. She's been to a few of these kind of functions with her parents. She knew that everyone came over to where the food, was located. Michelle wasn't an extremely shy person, but she was a little uncomfortable coming to a party, where she knew no one. She did hope, by coming to this party, she will get to know some of her co-workers , so her first day at the ministry was TOO awkward.

She also knew that the newly-elected Minster, Sherman Clark, was here. She probably should introduce herself to him at one point tonight.

Michelle then started to walk down the buffet table, to see what kinds of food and drinks are being offer.

Woooooooooooow, The Ministry of Magic. Sure Lex had been here maybe once or twice--but it didn't count because she and Lottie had had to wear Visitor's Badges and had to be directed around. Now she worked here, all legit and official with a badge to boot! Needless to say she was beyond herself with excitement. This had to be one the best nights of her ENTIRE life. As of today she was on her way to being an AUROR. How freakin' cool was THAT??

Only thing that wasn't cool...was wobbling around in heels. Merlin who's idea was it to make this a 'fancy formal event'? Every few steps was a wobble and she didn't think she'd be getting any better considering heels were usually not a factor in ANY part of her dress. This was hard--and so was wearing an actual dress. Ugh.

Just think about the Auror life, Lex.

By some great miracle she made it over to the buffet table without hurting herself or anyone else for that matter. That's when she spotted two people already there. "Hi!" NEW CO-WORKERS because she had those now! Eeeep! "The name's Alexa...or Lex, doesn't really bothered me. New YATI, I'm technically in charge of making sure no one dies tonight!"...Okay...so maybe not for another three years...but she could dream.

.....EMBER DANCED HER WAY FROM THE DANCE FLOOR TO HERE.

She was talented like that.

She almost bumped into the table, too---but luckily she was sooooo tiny that she hardly even MOVED it. HEHEHE. The young woman giggled and glanced around---SERIOUSLY? Where was the boyfriend? (...he was her boyfriend, right?) She assumed....so? They had never...actually said it aloud. But they did couple things...so...

Pfffft.

She kept her hips in tune to the music playing and WAVED REALLY EAGERLY AT ALL THE PEOPLES HERE.

"HI!" she cried at one particularly PRETTY woman [Alana]....nice dress, lady! Ember's cheeks were like...hurting because SHE COULDN'T STOP SMILING! WORK WAS FUN AND IT WAS ALL SO FUN and she MISSED ALL THE FACES!

Though, these three women looked unfamiliar.

"HI HI HI!" she waved more and SQUEAKED during the last hi, bouncing up and down SOOOOOO excitedly. She was waving at ...one YOUNG looking person [Alexa] and another lady---WHO LOOKED SO NICE, TOOOOO! [Michelle]

TONIGHT WAS GOING TO BE GREAT.

SPOILER!!: Alana, Michelle and Lex

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeshieRAWR

Alana Ritter, in all her glory, walked into the area of the party and headed straight over to where the food and drinks were. She had quite the trip here and she still couldn't believe that she was one of the first ones there.

She smiled at the dance floor from across the way and decided against going over there just yet unless someone asked her. She really didn't want to be the weird new one who danced by herself. She was all about impressions and that was definitely not one she wanted to present.

"How extravagant." Alana said, in her thick German accent, as she looked at the table of different food. Instead of going for the food, she walked over to where the punch was and picked up one of the sparkling crystal goblets. She filled it up with the deep orange punch and turned around, taking sips from the goblet as she watched more and more people fill in. Maybe she'd meet some people from her department that she'd be working with.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo

Woooooooooooow, The Ministry of Magic. Sure Lex had been here maybe once or twice--but it didn't count because she and Lottie had had to wear Visitor's Badges and had to be directed around. Now she worked here, all legit and official with a badge to boot! Needless to say she was beyond herself with excitement. This had to be one the best nights of her ENTIRE life. As of today she was on her way to being an AUROR. How freakin' cool was THAT??

Only thing that wasn't cool...was wobbling around in heels. Merlin who's idea was it to make this a 'fancy formal event'? Every few steps was a wobble and she didn't think she'd be getting any better considering heels were usually not a factor in ANY part of her dress. This was hard--and so was wearing an actual dress. Ugh.

Just think about the Auror life, Lex.

By some great miracle she made it over to the buffet table without hurting herself or anyone else for that matter. That's when she spotted two people already there. "Hi!" NEW CO-WORKERS because she had those now! Eeeep! "The name's Alexa...or Lex, doesn't really bothered me. New YATI, I'm technically in charge of making sure no one dies tonight!"...Okay...so maybe not for another three years...but she could dream.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BriGranger1990

Michelle decided to safest area to hang around was the Buffet. She's been to a few of these kind of functions with her parents. She knew that everyone came over to where the food, was located. Michelle wasn't an extremely shy person, but she was a little uncomfortable coming to a party, where she knew no one. She did hope, by coming to this party, she will get to know some of her co-workers , so her first day at the ministry was TOO awkward.

She also knew that the newly-elected Minster, Sherman Clark, was here. She probably should introduce herself to him at one point tonight.

Michelle then started to walk down the buffet table, to see what kinds of food and drinks are being offer.

It was one of SImon's favorite nights...the one that marked the return to work and hopefully normalcy in the ministry. Sure he enjoyed the break but sometimes he got a little stircrazy by the end of it despite the enjoyment and company he had during the moments away from his work. Speaking of company, he seemed to have lost his beautiful date somewhere between the front door and his current new location which proved to be the source of this evenings food and drink.

Surveying the spread, he picked up a glass of some sparkling juice beverage absently to have something in his hands. It was then that he let his gaze survey the premises almost naturally slipping back into routine. The task at hand...keeping an eye on things here much like his job called for during the working hours. There were more than a few new faces that the security man was sure to keep an eye on to encourage familiarity in his mind. He might get to now them later on.

One of the trio caught his attention, the mention of YATI guiding him to move towards rhe group of new faces. However it was the comment this young woman...Alexa...said next that caused a slightly raised eyebrow that he was quick to relax to play along. "Yes...quite pivotal she is..." he mused aloud, making his presence known before casually taking a sip of his drink.

Alana continued sipping on her punch, humming a quiet song to herself when she noticed another person [Michelle] had joined in looking at the food. She was about to ask her about how extravagant it looked but a tiny girl in BRIGHT red heels woke her up out of her thoughts and started rambling miles a minute.

WAIT. She was in charge of them to not die? Alana wasn't hopeful. She cleared her throat and gave a small smile, trying not to show that she was worried about who was taking care of her tonight. She heard a comment made by someone next to her [Simon] and she couldn't help but smile. So hopefully it wasn't true. Hopefully. "Lex...is great to meet you. A YATI? Vat s'that? My name ist Alana. On-lee Alana. I'm in dee Department ov Mysteries." She nodded, giving another nod to the girl and guy next to her.

Out of the corner of Alana's eye she noticed another bouncy, young girl coming towards her and she wondered if she could run at this point. She hoped this girl wasn't in her department with her or else she wouldn't know how to live. To think that she thought herself was excited and happy was hilarious at this point.

She couldn't just stop talking to the younger girl in front of her so she stayed put and gave a smile once the other bouncy girl came towards her. She jolted a little once she gave a loud HI and put a hand on her own chest. "Hi...this zing? Its nothing." She said, looking down at her dress and smiling. "I'm Alana Ritter. Dee Department ov Mysteries." Well maybe having happy, young, and crazy people talking to her wasn't so bad. At least they weren't mean or insulting potions or charms.

Constant vigilance, that's what Lex was doing so OF COURSE she saw when that one danced her way over to the rest of them yelling 'HI's like they were nobody else's business. Where did SHE work?? WERE THEY CO-WORKERS TOO??? "HI!" No reason to NOT greet back as enthusiastically. Man, people in the Ministry sure seemed happy. Obviously she was going to love her job. It still felt kinda weird saying it....a job...but she had one now AND WAS GONNA BE AN EPIC AUROR!

Lex wobbled a little while shifting to get out of her way but held on to the table for support. Play it cool Cambridge, they were just heels. "Name's Lex, brand new YATI in charge of saving your life." Yup. She had a badge and everything. "D'you work in MLE too?" Because how cool would that be?

Lex whirled around at the new voice, nearly toppling over when her feet got confused because of the heel issue they were still trying to work through. Did he....did this guy...just agree with her? Well then there you had it, she was obviously super important to everyone's health and he had to be from MLE as well because otherwise how would he know she's pivotal, y'know? It was a bet she was willing to take so Lex stuck her hand out with a grin. "Alexa Cambridge." Unfortunately there was no need to repeat her title because this one had obviously heard.

Some time later she would thank him for playing along. "And you are....?"

The look didn't go unnoticed, not really and not when Lex was so keen on everything out of pure excitement. So maybe she wasn't currently the best person to offer protection but it was now in her job description and one day she'd be SO amazing at it that she'd be known world wide and would have a whole bunch of people trying to kill her in any one week. A danger life admittedly but how epic would that be, huh?

"Um...YATI...it'a like....Young Auror Training Initiative...or something like that, I didn't read the whole letter just the parts where my name showed up and my job description." Everything outside of that was a blur because she was too excited to process most anything. "It's really just a fancy way of saying I'm an Auror in training and I'm gonna be awesome one day." Geddit?

Oh but hold on, this woman worked in Mysteries?? That's where Lottie's aunt worked! "Cool! So then...you're one of those Unspeakables who can't ever talk about their job?? What'd you do??"

Meh, he was here. William was feeling pretty bland about this Ministry thing. The old guy had won the election which was also meh. Meh meh meh. Even Willy's clothes today were meh. Gray, fancy clothes stuff. Meh. Pretty standard.

He wandered over to the buffet first. Maybe his blood sugar was just low. He needed food to liven up. Willy picked up a plate and started piling stuff on it almost blindly. Aww, no chocolate fountain this time? Oh well, he'd eat anything. And everything. That was a promise.

Carol made her way to the buffet table, casually glancing at the food and drinks on offer. She picked up a flute of elderflower wine and turned away from the table as she wasn't in the mood for food just yet. She casually watched her fellow Ministry workers interact with each other.

FOOD. Yep, that's where Sky could be found this evening. Apparently along with everyone else. Not that she minded one bit. Just that it was getting a bit harder to get to certain things. And she was sticking to the chicken sliders. Too much red meat and all that plus not recognizing the fish things. Plus, a deep red concoction that tasted like.......strawberries?.........to wash it all down with.

Was that Alexa Cambridge holding court down there? Not surprising really. And she would make a good Auror one day, too. If she survived that long, that was. Anyway, Sky turned to the guy beside her (WWW) "Hello. Hungry there?" Just an innocent question there.

SPOILER!!: Ember

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayquilz

.....EMBER DANCED HER WAY FROM THE DANCE FLOOR TO HERE.

She was talented like that.

She almost bumped into the table, too---but luckily she was sooooo tiny that she hardly even MOVED it. HEHEHE. The young woman giggled and glanced around---SERIOUSLY? Where was the boyfriend? (...he was her boyfriend, right?) She assumed....so? They had never...actually said it aloud. But they did couple things...so...

Pfffft.

She kept her hips in tune to the music playing and WAVED REALLY EAGERLY AT ALL THE PEOPLES HERE.

"HI!" she cried at one particularly PRETTY woman [Alana]....nice dress, lady! Ember's cheeks were like...hurting because SHE COULDN'T STOP SMILING! WORK WAS FUN AND IT WAS ALL SO FUN and she MISSED ALL THE FACES!

Though, these three women looked unfamiliar.

"HI HI HI!" she waved more and SQUEAKED during the last hi, bouncing up and down SOOOOOO excitedly. She was waving at ...one YOUNG looking person [Alexa] and another lady---WHO LOOKED SO NICE, TOOOOO! [Michelle]

TONIGHT WAS GOING TO BE GREAT.

Ah, so there was one face Simon remembered from previous years. If he was not mistaken, the woman was from creatures and had made his appearance at least once up on level two to her detriment. That energy and overall friendliness was hard to miss and mistake for someone else. "Good evening," he said, giving her a more subtued greeting of his own.

SPOILER!!: Alana

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeshieRAWR

SPOILER!!: Michelle/Lex/Ember&Simon

Alana continued sipping on her punch, humming a quiet song to herself when she noticed another person [Michelle] had joined in looking at the food. She was about to ask her about how extravagant it looked but a tiny girl in BRIGHT red heels woke her up out of her thoughts and started rambling miles a minute.

WAIT. She was in charge of them to not die? Alana wasn't hopeful. She cleared her throat and gave a small smile, trying not to show that she was worried about who was taking care of her tonight. She heard a comment made by someone next to her [Simon] and she couldn't help but smile. So hopefully it wasn't true. Hopefully. "Lex...is great to meet you. A YATI? Vat s'that? My name ist Alana. On-lee Alana. I'm in dee Department ov Mysteries." She nodded, giving another nod to the girl and guy next to her.

Out of the corner of Alana's eye she noticed another bouncy, young girl coming towards her and she wondered if she could run at this point. She hoped this girl wasn't in her department with her or else she wouldn't know how to live. To think that she thought herself was excited and happy was hilarious at this point.

She couldn't just stop talking to the younger girl in front of her so she stayed put and gave a smile once the other bouncy girl came towards her. She jolted a little once she gave a loud HI and put a hand on her own chest. "Hi...this zing? Its nothing." She said, looking down at her dress and smiling. "I'm Alana Ritter. Dee Department ov Mysteries." Well maybe having happy, young, and crazy people talking to her wasn't so bad. At least they weren't mean or insulting potions or charms.

Was the other one...Alana, smiling because of him? Simon was curious since the expression came after he spoke up yet he didn't let it show. Best not to reveal too much to the new people. Especially the fact that he was actually going along with a half-truth spoken by a new recruit who was technically a subordinate. Or had been if one limited it to the Auror division.

Nope...nothing to see here? Nothing out of the ordinary.

SPOILER!!: Alexa

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo

Constant vigilance, that's what Lex was doing so OF COURSE she saw when that one danced her way over to the rest of them yelling 'HI's like they were nobody else's business. Where did SHE work?? WERE THEY CO-WORKERS TOO??? "HI!" No reason to NOT greet back as enthusiastically. Man, people in the Ministry sure seemed happy. Obviously she was going to love her job. It still felt kinda weird saying it....a job...but she had one now AND WAS GONNA BE AN EPIC AUROR!

Lex wobbled a little while shifting to get out of her way but held on to the table for support. Play it cool Cambridge, they were just heels. "Name's Lex, brand new YATI in charge of saving your life." Yup. She had a badge and everything. "D'you work in MLE too?" Because how cool would that be?



Lex whirled around at the new voice, nearly toppling over when her feet got confused because of the heel issue they were still trying to work through. Did he....did this guy...just agree with her? Well then there you had it, she was obviously super important to everyone's health and he had to be from MLE as well because otherwise how would he know she's pivotal, y'know? It was a bet she was willing to take so Lex stuck her hand out with a grin. "Alexa Cambridge." Unfortunately there was no need to repeat her title because this one had obviously heard.

Some time later she would thank him for playing along. "And you are....?"



The look didn't go unnoticed, not really and not when Lex was so keen on everything out of pure excitement. So maybe she wasn't currently the best person to offer protection but it was now in her job description and one day she'd be SO amazing at it that she'd be known world wide and would have a whole bunch of people trying to kill her in any one week. A danger life admittedly but how epic would that be, huh?

"Um...YATI...it'a like....Young Auror Training Initiative...or something like that, I didn't read the whole letter just the parts where my name showed up and my job description." Everything outside of that was a blur because she was too excited to process most anything. "It's really just a fancy way of saying I'm an Auror in training and I'm gonna be awesome one day." Geddit?

Oh but hold on, this woman worked in Mysteries?? That's where Lottie's aunt worked! "Cool! So then...you're one of those Unspeakables who can't ever talk about their job?? What'd you do??"

He instinctively reached out as the new YATI seemed to stumble over her own feet as she turned to face him, his arms ready to catch her should she start to fall. New job and obviously getting used to new footwear too. "Nice to meet you in person, Miss Cambridge," he replied with a nod of acceptance at her greeting, still vaguely going along. Simon accepted her offered hand with his own and gave it a polite shake.

"Simon Bennett. Department liaison and Security," he returned, offering both name and title. As if one of those who truly did work to ensure ministry workers were safe and didn't die. It felt weird not to include the auror bit, even moreso then when he had to gave the whole slew of titles he held. But then he and Emily had talked about his move before the break and it was to be official this time around.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazykitty

FOOD. Yep, that's where Sky could be found this evening. Apparently along with everyone else. Not that she minded one bit. Just that it was getting a bit harder to get to certain things. And she was sticking to the chicken sliders. Too much red meat and all that plus not recognizing the fish things. Plus, a deep red concoction that tasted like.......strawberries?.........to wash it all down with.

Was that Alexa Cambridge holding court down there? Not surprising really. And she would make a good Auror one day, too. If she survived that long, that was. Anyway, Sky turned to the guy beside her (WWW) "Hello. Hungry there?" Just an innocent question there.

Were people really judging him for his tastes AGAIN. William looked up from his stack of meat plate and gave a frown to the girl beside him. "Excuse me, are you even old enough to be at this event?" Or did she like... WORK here, at the venue? "Sorry if you're here to refill everything I took. I think you're out of meatballs down there."

He did a mad balancing act and held his plate in one hand so he could point down the length of the table with his other.

Well, that was RUDE. "Excuse me, I was just trying to start a conversation. And yes, I AM old enough to work here! In fact, I'm in the Auror training program!" So THERE! Though, Sky was flattered that he thought that she didn't look any of her twenty-one years. 'Cause sometimes she felt more like thirty-one.

"As for the meatballs, sounds like a personal problem to me. May I suggest you check your head?" BURN!

Carol was silently watching what was going on and was admiring the young Auror-To-Be's fieriness. The guy wanting meatballs deserved to be scolded like that, in Carol's opinion.

Carol turned towards the table, picked up a plate and placed upon it a smoked salmon volovant and a chicken slider. She also grabbed a glass of tropical punch.

Alana looked back over to where the man [Simon] stood and couldn't quite grasp what was up with him. He didn't even smile back at her and she wondered if he was one of those men who didn't smile that way they could look mysterious. She had met plenty of those guys back at university. Not worth the time, really. She decided against smiling again at him in case it would weird him out and then looked back over at Lex.

Alana couldn't help but be amused as Lex explained her job. She thought the 'YATI' sounded like 'yeti', like the urban legends of the yetis living up in the Alps where she lived. Obviously those weren't true, but fun stories to tell the muggles. So wait...she didn't even read the entire letter? How promising. Alana hoped that at the end of her training she would be trusted because she was definitely not hopeful for this girl. Not one bit. "'M sure you vill be. It sounds like hard vork." She nodded. It was true though. An auror was definitely not something Alana would ever think of doing. Too dangerous.

An unspeakable. That word just made Alana brighten up and she gave her a biiig smile. "Yes ov course, that's me. If I told you, I'd hav to kill you." She laughed. But really, it was a BIG secret and she wasn't really allowed to tell anyone.

She listened in on Simon and Lex's conversation and couldn't help but notice when he stated his job title. Oh...so that's how they would relate. Alana couldn't help but try to mentally give luck to the guy who would have to tone down Miss 'I'm going to be awesome' over here.

She looked over to where another person [William] had joined the buffet table, eating quite a lot, and watched as a girl [Sky] started talking to him. She was about to join when their conversation started to get pretty heated and she gave eye contact over to Lex, mentally saying, 'Aren't you supposed to protect our lives here?' Yeah...she'd stay out of that conversation, unless they were talking about how good the food is. Which by the way, she needed food in her...now. Unfortunately, the food was where the argument was taking place but...food.

Alana turned around and went down, carefully, to where the food was and also a person [Carol]. "Hello." She said, politely with a smile. "Hav you tried ze chicken?" It looked delicious, but she needed confirmation before she ate something awful. She occasionally gave glances over to where the meatballs and the guy with red hair and girl with brown hair were. Don't come over here, don't come over here.

Carol had just taken a bite out of her chicken slider when a woman with a slight German accent greeted her. She quickly swallowed her mouthful and smiled.

"Hello there. I'm Carol. What's your name?" Carol replied.

Carol had only taken one mouthful of food so she wasn't too sure if she had the knowledge to advise the woman but she decided to voice her opinion.

"Well, the chicken slider is pretty good so I recommend that."

Dressed from head to toe in an outfit befitting for the New Year's Orientation event Sophie made her way into ministry. Her senior colleague Sherman Clark had been elected the new Minister of Magic during christmas break. She hadn't thought he was a man interested in politics but then again she hadn't exactly gotten to know the man very well in the short time she had been working on level 3.

Heading for the very crowded food and drink section Sophie stopped in front of the beverage selection. Eyeing the punch she asked nobody in particular. "Is the punch drinkable?" As in safe?

Carol. Like carol bells. Alana nodded towards the woman. "My name is-t Alana Ritter. I vork ver dee department ov mysteries." She smiled. She looked back down over at the chicken and then back up at Carol as she said the chicken sliders were good. "Great, zank you. ...Vich department are you een?" She said, taking a plate and placing one of the chicken sliders on her plate.

As she listened to Carol, she heard someone ask if the punch was drinkable and she turned to see another woman [Sophie] with a gorgeous dress on. "Dee punch is-t absolutely drinkable. Very delicious." She said, holding up her drink so the woman could see it. "I'm Alana Ritter. Department ov mysteries."

It was the second time this year that his formalwear had been brought out of the closet. Second big event of the year, though technically first of the new year. But in all things considered, it was probably the one Sabel was looking forward to the least.

Parties were an iffy subject at the best of times. When meeting new faces, and catching up with old faces he hadn't seen in ages, it was a bit of a different story. As dull as the office could get, he would have preferred said meetings to occur there, on a normal Monday morning.

As tempted as he had been to skip the event, Arya had convinced him to go and he had arrived not as fashionably late as he would have liked. It seemed the evening was still young, and the energy was boundless. Hopefully some of it was infectious.

Having once heard that having a drink at these types of events made one appear more sociable and friendly, Sabel made his way over to the buffet table. That, and he had caught sight of the back of Bennett's head and naturally deviated towards his partner. After all, MLEr's stuck together. It was simply safer in packs.

Who the man was surrounded by, however, Sabel couldn't hazard a single guess. All young, pretty ladies with an overabundance of energy. It made him smile a little as he nodded to Simon and sidled up to the table. What to drink, what to drink?

Apparently the punch was drinkable? Sabel's eyes drifted over to the woman who had asked and to the one who had in turn, answered. Well that was good news. And a good start to any celebration. No poison.

May as well go for it then. He picked up the ladle and a glass and paused, looking up. "Can I pour anyone else a cup?"

"Nice to meet you Alana. Department of Mysteries, eh? Sounds very exciting. I work as a magical product tester in the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

Carol placed her empty plate back down on the table as she heard a dark haired man (Sabel) asked if he could pour anyone a cup of punch. Carol could do with another glass as some food was caught in her throat.

"I'll have a cup of punch, thanks. Any colour," Carol said to him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazykitty

Well, that was RUDE. "Excuse me, I was just trying to start a conversation. And yes, I AM old enough to work here! In fact, I'm in the Auror training program!" So THERE! Though, Sky was flattered that he thought that she didn't look any of her twenty-one years. 'Cause sometimes she felt more like thirty-one.

"As for the meatballs, sounds like a personal problem to me. May I suggest you check your head?" BURN!

Oh really? Since when did an insult constitute a conversation starter? And she was an Auror-to-be, great. William rolled his eyes and took a step away from the buffet. He'd just lost his appetite, thanks. Well, maybe only his appetite for meatballs.

"Figures that you're MLE," he said back to the girl, picking up a toothpick and stuffing it in the corner of his mouth. "You're always the rudest ones at any event." Probably thought she could say and do anything and get away with it because no one could arrest her. That was how her dept. worked. That was how Browne had run it.

He shook his head and walked away. William would eat this elsewhere. Maybe in that coat closet.

It was nice he'd gotten ready to catch her and all, you know in case she face planted on the very first night then no one--absolutely no one--ever took her seriously again but thankfully she'd gotten a good grip on the table so she just kinda grinned and brushed it off. She had this, totally had this and was ready to start making lasting impressions with people.

Oooohh!! Security! So then....he WAS in MLE as well! fbgdzsktrcgiue! "Security, huh? Does that mean you go on patrols that take you all over the Ministry?" Or was he the kind that just stayed down at the entrance checking wands. Might have asked him that too but the way she'd phrase it it might come off as a little rude so she let the question stand.

"What are my chances that something will go wrong around here?" Because let's face it, after 7 years at Hogwarts....she couldn't do a normal life. It was impossible and she refused. Auror stuff was meant to be THRILLING!



Pffft, hard work was like an understatement when you considered everything an Auror would ultimately end up doing. It was just so much and thinking about it now got the former Gryffindor all kinds of excited again. Could work start like...now? Could some Dark Wizard barge in, curses blazing and the whole nine yards? It may not lookit but Lex was SO ready. "I'm prepared for all the work. Heard the training's intense and can mess with you psychologically too but that's half of what makes it epic and what makes you revered when you finally get it done." That and the fact that by the time the training's done you know how to break someone's face in without leaving fingerprints so they kinda know they have to listen to you if they know what's good for them. It was a beautiful thing.

The fact the woman would have to kill her if she told her had Lex's eyes widening in wonder and awe. "No kidding? Well tell me anyway. I can take care of myself, honest. You could try killing me after and I'd survive and we could both go on about our lives." That was how it worked. Alexa had been in and out of so many near death experiences that she was sure tacking one more one wouldn't do her in...not yet.

The look the woman cast at her got her a little more alert. Was something happening? WHAT DID SHE MISS?? Oh man, first day here and she was already falling behind.

While searching for whatever might have been the cause of the woman's nervous glances, Lex spotted someone asking about the punch. Was there a reason it shouldn't be drinkable in the first place?? You think they'd tell the people in charge of their safety things like this but apparently not? Merlin.

"I saw someone else drink some and they haven't dropped dead yet. I've watch 'em for another 5 minutes or so just to be sure but...I think it's fine." Helpful Lex was already being helpful and this lady was SO welcome.

"You can pour me one." Lex offered to the new guy to join them at the table. At the moment she wasn't feeling thirsty but what if by the time something epic did happen she was so parched she was of no help to anyone? "And could you pass me one of those cupcakes over there?" He was standing closer to them and apparently in a generous mood tonight. Bonus!

"I'm Alexa by the way, but you can call me Lex 'cause most everyone does. YATI for now but I'm gonna be Head Auror one day." Speaking of, where was this current Head Auror? She needed words with him, proper words.

"Do you know Simon? Are you in MLE too?" Nice faces were lovely to work with. Very motivational if she did say so herself.

And then Lex finally found out what Alana had been so worked up for a minute ago. This could be good. Hopefully it got far enough before one of them decided to be the bigger person because then she would be NEEDED and would be at a perfect angle to simply swoop in, make arrests and all that fancy stuff. Merlin this was exciting.

Until she caught the guy saying something about MLE being the rudest at events? "For real? Like, it's a legit thing, documented and stuff?" Had to be sure. What if...it was like....in the job to be rude and she was botching up this whole evening throwing away smiles like they were candy--scratch that. One did not throw candy, ever, but you got the point.

But there was something else too. The other one was a YATI!! So of course she had to tack on a "Hello." but it was meant for them both because making friends first then being rude and keeping her job and afterwards getting Head Auror. It was all a cycle.

There were more familiar faces around.[William and Sky] An older man from creatures and a certain second year YATI who sometimes left something to be desired in her attitude. Might come from her relation to Roxanne but still. For now, Simon was going to keep the two of them at arms length. There were already enough people immediately around him almost as if he had an audience with them. Alana looked back at him and he offered a polite smile this time in case she was concerned about him. He was plenty friendly even if he wasn't the most open of people.

There was a friendly familiar face in the form of Sophie and he smiled at her as well. Another woman nearby that wasn't his girlfriend which he hoped didn't look weird to the casual observer. Especially if Jorge was around as Mariel's companion. Simon was about to answer her question when both Alana and Alexa beat him to it. "Mhm...I believe they learned their lesson from the past." You know the incident that made people ill from the food of the food court.

Simon wasn't aware of his fellow MLEr and friend at first as Sabel was behind him. It was only as he turned his gaze to one side to notice other that he caught sight and returned the nod. The other former Gryffindor was more than welcome to join him. Even out the gender odds a bit so he didn't think it was totally awkward.

His attention back to Alexa as she responded to his title, SImon nodded again. "Yes, that is one of my main duties." That's how he knew a lot of the faces that were returning year after year. That and helping oversee the wandweighers when he ventured down to the atrium office to see what was what. As for her second question, he couldn't help but be amused. Let him guess...Gryffindor. "Depends...though most years theres been SOMETHING interesting that happens. "

Zombie illness...crazy healers from Mungos...chizpurfles...you name it.

Hearing what she was saying to Alana about the training, he decided to add his two cents. He was a former auror and fully trained in that job after all. "Yes, indeed it was and still is," he confirmed before taking another sip from his drink. Simon bit back a chuckle when she spoke up to Sabel asking if he knew Simon. Yeah old friend...do you know me? He refrained from speaking and resumed observing as Sky and William were drawn into the mix.

Well, he hadn't intended on taking up the role of punch-tender tonight, but if that could keep his mind occupied and his general being out of trouble, then so be it. Plus, it gave him a good opportunity to meet people and keep an ear out for interesting conversations, of any sort or caliber.

The one of which he was most interested in, at the moment, being between Simon and his groupies. Yeah, he didn't want to get too close to that one unless he knew what was going on. It would make it easier to pull Simon out if the guy needed a quick escape too.

Smiling at the woman who had taken up his offer, Sabel picked the pinky-red punch, because that was the color punch was normally supposed to be, filled a cup and passed it to her. "Hope it tastes good."

Really, he had no idea. So, sorry if it didn't. He didn't make it.



Just as he finished handing the punch over to the woman, his attention picked up on the rather heated and pointed words of a man standing nearby. The MLE caught his attention, turning his head and his eyes. Oh really? Really.

Well he didn't know the girl the guy was going off on, which meant she was a newbie to their department, which technically meant that Sabel didn't owe her any loyalty or anything. Except that she was part of MLE and well, regardless of a lack of history or knowing one another, they stuck together.

He gave the man a hard glare, glad that he was walking away. There were enough Aurors in the vicinity to take the snot out of the man, and that really would prove a horrible start to the night. And put a point of truth on the man's words.

Pouring another cup of punch, he offered it to the woman. "Pay no mind to him. MLE has a mixed representation because they are harshly diligent, not because they are pricks." Well, not most of them anyways.



And then, there was this one. This one standing near Simon. One of the ones he had wanted to watch before deciding if it was safe to engage in conversation with. The over-excited one.

A drink, and a cupcake? He glanced to the cupcakes beside him and supposed that it couldn't hurt. He poured the punch first and picked out a blue icing cupcake. Blue was safe, right? Turning he handed them both to the girl, about to return the greeting with a smile and name of his own until the words YATI and Head Auror came out of her mouth.

Hesitating, Sabel looked from her to Simon with a is she for real, legit, not joking, because that sounded like a joke. And did he want to answer her questions?

You know, secrecy and all that fun stuff. Keeping a low profile, despite the fact that once your face was known in the ministry it remained known. But there were new people here, and starting a conversation without the bias of the Auror occupation shadowing it could be very insightful and helpful. Plus, Sabel hated politics and politicians, and this night was ripe with them.

Letting out a sigh, Sabel poured himself a cup of punch, and watched the young girl from over the rim of his glass. Oh to tell or not to tell? Yeah he caught that smirk from his friend. Apparently they were thinking along the same lines. How much was too much information?

Sabel decided it was best to be pleasant. There was nothing worse than getting the cold shoulder from a senior employer on one's first day. But that didn't mean he couldn't have a bit of fun.

Lowering his cup, Sabel extended his hand with a smile. "Sabel Dakest, Ex-Convict." He motioned to Simon. "Know this bloke? Sure do. He wrote up my arrest warrant few years ago. Now I'm out on probation, and he's babysitting me. Even invited me to this shingdig. Right, buddy?"

His smirk went to Simon, as he clapped him on the shoulder. Was he going to play along? And what was this? No more Auror title? The man got an eyebrow raise for that one. Well, at least he hadn't dropped out of the department. That was a relief.

His attention went back to the retreating man and he couldn't help but roll his eyes at the new YATI's comment. "No, it's not a legit, thing. They can be quite polite upon arrest. Don't believe everything people say about them." If so, she was in for a wild ride. "Right Simon?"

Back him up, buddy. Back him up.