She hated her new job already...

Leaning forehead first on a nearby wall near the visitors area which she had passed MANY times already, the light thud could be heard every now and then. Sure, lightly hitting her head on the wall wouldn't do any good, but at least the headache she could get from that would be better than the one she was getting from ending up in the same place over and over again.

Couldn't this Vanderbilt guy send them a map with that letter? This was getting ridiculous.

Heaving a sigh, she slumped against the wall for a split moment before composing herself. Right! This time, she would get it right. She was going to walk slow, very slow, so she wouldn't miss anything. If she didn't find those doors this time around, she was going to quit-

Oh. Oh, hey look at that. She missed these ones. Ones that could have looked a lot better actually. Raising a brow, Evelyn glanced down either way of the corridor. Seriously...could have looked...a LOT better.

Simon had reached the top of the stairwell and entered into a black corridor that gave no indication where he was. He followed it until he reached an open area that included elevators and it was here where he found clues or signs deliniating where he was.

Level 9

So he had only gone one level up, which made sense with the number of stairs he had climbed. The fact that it was a simple one-flight staircase however did raise some curiousity since why would be there a special staircase and not just one that encompased all the floors of the ministry? No matter he still had a mission and the YATI turned to head towards the department to search when he realized he had no idea how to get to the actually work areas, the maze of hallways a bit of a challenge.

Not to mention he didn't have permissions.

With a shake of his head, Simon headed in the opposite direction, stepping in one of the elevators and heading further up to resume his search elsewhere.

Josh had never liked the way his shiny law enforcement badge shone under light, he was not the type of guy to carry around shiny badges, so his first impression with this dimly corridors was good. The badge looked normal and did not draw any unnesaary attention to itself. He wished the corridors of his level would be like the ones down here, it could be more useful. Maybe he could try sabotaging the sources of light up there some day. Maybe.

Today how the badge looked was not the case, though. He was down at this level to see a certain someone, of course. A very beautiful employee of the mysteries. But within the next few minutes after he stepped into the corridors from the lift, he seriously started to get annoyed because no matter what he did he always found himself back in front of the lift.

The last time he tried the corridor on the left, he suddenly found himself back near the light again and that was when he started to get angry. No corridors. No. You were not going to be able to keep him from seeing her.

Standing in front of the lift, he eyed the dark corridors angrily. He had to find a way.

Evelyn, whom went out for her lunch break despite the perfectly good break room inside the department, was trying very hard not to drop her tea in her to-go cup while the lift went through all it's crazy turns. Even if they quickly got you where you needed to be, Evelyn still despised them. As she did with those anti-apparition spells down here.

Yet surprisingly, it didn't particularly bother her so much anymore. Finally arrived on level nine, she let go of her death grip on the handle the hung from the ceiling of the lift, and stepped out. Didn't get very far as someone was standing in her way. From behind though, in the dark lighting, the person looked an awful lot like...Demetrius.

Yea. Smirk. "Waiting for someone?" Or something? Like his brain?

Probably, any spell that he would think of to find his way with would not work here. Since they managed to keep all their business so top secret since forever, they would not leave their work area without protection. Yea, it made sense. So, sighing, he had no accept that he was not going to be able to find a way. Only unspeakables could walk in their work area, anyway, and what if these corridors directly led into those said work areas? Who was he to hope to be able to find a way then?

Letting out a louder sigh this time, Josh's eyes hopelessly searched into the corridors again to find a clue. There was none. He did not like giving up. He did not feel good when he had to give up. It was very disappointing. Not being able to see Evelyn was even more disappointing than that. He could not help the down mood seizing him.

Suddenly, he heard someone else arrive by the lift but he did not look back to see who it was. It was most likely an employee who would probably tease him for being frustrated at the endless corridors. He was in no mood to be made fun of. So he refused to do a move until...

...he heard the familiar voice.

Immediately he turned back only to see who he had been hoping to see. It was HER!

''I...YES!'' he blurted all in a sudden still in a bad mood even though seeing her made him smile.

WhatinMerlin'sbeard!?

Taking a step away from the all the crazy, she could feel a bubble of laughter start to grow. Way to sound even more like a newb, newbie. However, Evelyn did get a good look at his face, which made her own look of realization appear on her face. Ohhh, gosh, that was sooooo not Demetrius.

"Josh!" she exclaimed, eyes widening just a bit in surprise. "What are you doing down here?"

Wait...

Didn't he just answer that?

What was he doing down here?

Even though that was kind of a repeated question, Josh had not realised that with the current different emotions he was experiencing. A mixture of anger at the corridors, disappointment of failure and gratitude of seeing her. First he was about to take a step closer, then for some reason he did not and just stood there. Perhaps fearing taking a step closer to her might send her back to where she had come from.

''I was trying to find you. I was going to ask if you would like to have lunch together.''

But apparently even asking this was a pain down here. Everything good he thought of this level was now gone. Evelyn was the only good thing about the mysteries in his mind now.

Ohhh gosh, that made her smile.

Until she realized she already had her lunch and was heading back to work. "Oh, umm..." Glancing to the tea she was holding, the former Slytherin girl sighed, grasping for excuses, but none really came. "I actually, just, had my lunch break." If she'd known he wanted to have lunch together, she could've postponed her own for an hour or so.

Stare.

"But I could, maybe, take a few more minutes?" Maybe? Hopeful?

Huh?

She already had had her lunch break. Now that was another disappointment. Apparently it was a day of disappointments for him. ''Oh, well...'' raising a hand up, he rubbed the back of his neck. ''...so you need to go back to work?'' Merlin! Why was he so unlucky today? He did not why but he should have known this was going to be an unlucky one when he hit his head on his desk when trying to reach to one of the drawers. Another proof that staying in an office was no good to him.

With the disappointment and unluckiness getting his mind busy, he did not really understand what she meant by taking a few more minutes. But just assuming it meant staying away from work for a few more minutes, he was glad to hear that. ''Maybe coffee then.'' He was hungry but he could very well go with some coffee for the rest of the day just to spend those few minutes with her.

However, the next moment he realised the cup she had.

''But you seem you already have your beverage as well.''

Now he had no doubt that this was an oddly unlucky day. He needed a bit time to find another excuse.

She resisted the cringe when he suggested coffee. Not that she didn't want to spend time with him, she just didn't drink coffee, or stand the smell of it. There was just something about it that made her run the other way! Nevertheless, Evelyn's smile reappeared when it seemed Josh just wasn't receiving any luck at the moment.

Almost. "Well, I haven't finished it yet." True enough. Half of it was still there. "Where do you usually go for your lunch breaks?"

Was not he going to be able to buy, at least, a lunch or a beverage to her? Slowly, an urge to fight this unluckiness started to rise in him. Yes, maybe fortune would start to be on his side if he fought it. So, he managed a smile back at her and actually took a step closer looking down at her cup.

Tea. Not coffee.

Well...that worked for him too. He was a neither coffee nor tea kind of person but that was what ministry workers did in and around the offices; drinking coffee or tea, was not it? ''Maybe it is already cold.'' he said then trying to find his next excuse. Fight! ''Maybe you would like to have a new, fresh one.''

That was a good one.

''Usually some random place outside. I don't have a favourite.''

Some random place outside.

That was good enough she supposed. The weather was still just warm enough where she didn't have to grab her larger jacket that sat near her workstation. Moving her sleeve up a little to check the time on her watch, the young woman noted that she did in fact have a few minutes to spare. What happens when one usually ended their lunch early to take a very slow walk back to work.

Despite that she could heat up her tea by magic if necessary, Evelyn let her arm drop back to her side and shrugged up her shoulders. "Sounds good to me. How about the cafe just outside here?" The one place she just came back from actually.

Well, well, well...

It looked the last excuse, and of course fighting the unluckiness, worked! Even though her hour checking sadly told him that he did not have much time, he was still glad that he was the one with victory against not being able to see her. Proudly, he smiled and stood beside her. Now he was proud of his victory and happy that she agreed to spend those few minutes she had with him.

The cafe outside.

''Sounds good, hun!'' he said and wrapped an arm around her waist. ''Let's hurry then. We don't want you to be late to your work. Whatever it is that you are doing, unspeakable.''

*grin*

Once they reached level nine, Konrad found himself on a corridor, surrounded by arched walls that led to... uhm... well, the unspeakables probably knew where every corridor led. What he knew for sure was that he wasn't going to wander too much; it was one thing to get lost, and it was something completely different and even more embarrassing to get lost as a guide, and with two ladies following him, too. Nope, wasn't going to happen. He stopped for a few moments while Mariel and Lourdes could take a look around before speaking.

"Here is the Department of Mysteries, where various mysteries are studied, such as time, space, thought, love and death. I'm afraid I cannot tell you more, because that would mean I were an unspeakable... which I am not. You might want to pay extra attention around here, because useful spells like Point-Me won't work." Which made it even easier to get lost.

Questions? He hoped they had none.

Urgh. Lulu had to admit, she hated these elevators. Or lifts. Or whatever. Her stomach wasn't strong enough to handle all the movement. But she's going to have to deal with it since she'll be working in Level 7, which is part of the lower levels. Ironic, that is. She'll be fine though, that's for sure. Or not.

Department of Mysteries. Well, all Lulu could say is that it is mysterious, just like the name itself. There were so many corridors and left-right ways, anybody could get lost in here. Listening attentively to Konrad their guide, Lulu nodded. Ah, now she knows. Only these Unspeakables know where to go. Makes sense. No spells allowed here? That's terrible! What if someone, young or old, gets lost in here? Surely an Unspeakable could be KIND enough to accompany him or her.

Lulu peeked around. So many doors... leading to UNKNOWN rooms. Mental note to self: Never wander down here without an Unspeakable. Yeah, good.

Mariel was quite thankful to take the lifts.. they had a lot of levels to visit and she was sure she was going to be too tired to keep walking if they had to go up and down all those stairs. And the first stop would be the Department of Mysteries.. how intriguing.

The woman looked around the corridor, eyes slightly widened. It was somewhat spooky down here.. quiet, almost unnaturally so.. and much darker than the atrium had been. She peeked around one of the arched walls as she vaguely heard Konrad speak. Grinning a little, she added, "And even if you were an Unspeakable you wouldn't be able to speak about it, right?" She took a few steps, peeking around corners as she did. "I don't suppose we're allowed to look around much in here?" She would be surprised if they would be, for as much as she knew about this department. But it would be awfully interesting if they could.

As he watched their expressions, Konrad barely suppressed a smile. Even he found the place somewhat creepy, so he could only imagine what was going on in their heads. As for Mariel's question... well, she had a very good point. "That is true," he grinned, chuckling a little. And... were they allowed to look around? No one had mentioned places they weren't supposed to visit, so he supposed it was alright to have a quick look around, as long as they didn't bother anyone. Besides, it's not like he'd take them in those mysterious, secret chambers, where only the unspeakables were allowed. "I believe the corridors won't get us into trouble." And, if they got into trouble, it would only be his fault. Hehe.

"Before we move on... the courtrooms on level ten are only accessible by going down those stairs," he said, pointing towards the said stairs. Well, it meant that the elevators went everywhere, except level ten. "Unless you want to go there, too?" There wasn't much to see, as far as he was concerned, but he didn't want them to think he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, either, which was not the case. He was quite enjoying himself.

Courtrooms.

Lulu's eyes shot back to Konrad. Not that she was like a little girl, so curious. She just wanted to know the place better. "We could go to the Courtrooms," Lulu nodded. "If it's okay with Ms. Morgan." The blonde looked at the dark-haired woman who was also looking around the Level. Why was this place so interesting? It made her want to wander more. But remember your mental note, Lourdes, no wandering without an Unspeakable!

Konrad seemed to think it was alright to look around.. and Mariel was a bit curious about this level. She wondered for a moment about what it must be like to actually be an Unspeakable, carrying so many secrets around.. She crept forward, peering around the bends and doorways, vaguely listening to the other two speak. "Sure, sure.. whatever you two want to do is fine.." It didn't matter to her that much and they had tons to see either way.. she'd leave it up to them and she would follow. And there was that title again.. "But please, call me Mariel.. I insist."

Lourdes wanted to see the courtrooms - or, well, the corridor that led to them, because Konrad won't risk entering one of them and stumbling upon something important going on - while Mariel seemed to agree to anything they suggested. Level ten it was, then.

"This way," he said with a smile, outstretching his arm towards the stairs he had told them about, waiting for them to lead the way. Guide or not, he was still raised to be a gentleman. And besides, it's not like he had a large group following him. Thank Merlin for that.

Ah, nice and dark and quiet. Moving slowly down the corridor about six feet off the floor, the carpet started floating along quietly with its two passengers on top. Quiet and no wands to send spells at it.

Getting back into the swing of things seemed like riding a broom after a long break. No problem at all. Even her eyes were adjusting to the darkness of the corridors rather quickly and...what in Merlin's beard was that? Pausing mid step, Evelyn slowly closed the folder she was holding, having been on her way back to the work areas when... well... Again. What in Merlin's beard?

"Hello?"

Should've definitely brought up the subject of new lighting arrangements with Isobel during that meeting.

Holding onto the carpet as it left the 5th floor Tasha exchanged worried glances with Charles. Hopefully her dizziness would soon dissapear because it was making it hard to focus. Trying to ignore the throbbing bump on her head she squinted in the dark as the carpet flew into a badly lit corridor.

Hearing a voice in the dark made Tasha flinch but she didn't loose her grip on the carpet. Falling off the carpet in a dark corridor was the last thing she wanted to do. Finding her voice she called down to whomever was on the floor. "Hello, can you help us down? We are riding on a carpet."

So, that's what the shape was, though didn't quite explain the baffling situation. Nevertheless, Evelyn took out her wand and cast a silent 'Lumos', shedding a bit more light in the dark corridor as she made her way towards the figures. Her steps turned cautious as she came closer to the carpet until she was standing next to it, staring up at the passengers. Really? "Are you lost?"

Gavin made his way down the corridor on his way back to the ever-locked room. Seemed like he was spending most of his time there, not that he minded; he liked what he did.

Heading down, he heard muffled sounds, voices maybe. Voices belonged to people and voices meant more than one person when he thought about it. Probably just people stopping off for a conversation. He was no social expert but even he knew that this place might not have been the best place for talking, not unless you were like him and saw merit in the oddities of life.

Even so...

He kept going 'til he saw a light up ahead, someone from his department...and people on a flying carpet. If he turned back now, he wouldn't have to care, right? The thought appealed to him but his feet didn't get the memo and before he knew it he was standing right by the woman, looking up as well. "Is this the new way of traveling around the Ministry now? If so, could you have the Minister know that I'm just fine with walking?"

Not everyone was a lazy bum, dear Minister.