Next to the unspeakable lounge is the kitchen area, where employees are able to fix there selves some lunch. To one side of the room is a counter filled with various charmed muggle equipment such as a coffee machine, and a microwave. The equipment has been charmed to work and clean their selves. A sign has be placed on the wall asking all people who use the area to keep it clean and tidy, as although the equipment cleans itself, the counter does not. This sign must be followed or the equipment may disappear.

On the other side of the room are small clusters of tables, where employees can enjoy their dinner. Alternatively employees may take their meal into the unspeakable lounge, as long as they ensure they keep the area tidy. A fridge is also nestled at the far end of the kitchen, allowing for food to be stored, as long as it is dated and labelled. Any unlabelled food will be thrown away. So beware.



OOC: Only Dept of Mysteries employees and authorized guests can RP in this thread

Corin peeked his head in, wondering if it was a disaster behind the door just as it was in front of it. He breathed a sigh of relief when the Dining/ Kitchenette looked practically untouched. At least there was something that survived the chaos from outside.

He pushed the door open as he gingerly guided the boxes and paper bags in, levitating them towards the center counter top right by the picnic tables. With another flick of his wrist he vanished the packaging, revealing food that he managed to get a hold of at a moment's notice--- some pastries and sandwiches, even the last of the burritos. He also manage to get a fruit tray (mostly for his own liking) along juices.

SPOILER!!: YUM!

He fumbled around the cabinets and found a coffee machine and a tea maker-- practically brand new. But without an electrical cord? He glanced around the kitchen-- there wasnt an electrical socket in sight. So he supposed everything around here runs on magic....

Should he have expected anything else?....

He set them on the counter, then emptied out the last paperbag-- coffee beans and tea sachets, and set them beside the respective drink makers. He may not be a fan of either, but he figured some of his staff might want these.


He looked around the kitchenette/ dining area quickly. Its clean, organized and nothing too formal, which is perfect since he wants to get to know his staff better and hopefully this setting will get them to relax and open up more.

After making a quick visit to her favourite little café, Jade made her way back to the dinning area and headed for a table with a small bag in hand. She couldn't really help herself and got herself a little treat. She wasn't sure what might be awaiting them in the kitchenette, so she had opted to grab something just in case. But from the spread that she saw there, she would have been save with just getting her usual morning beverage.

Setting her beverage and bag a top the nearest table, she turned to their new head. "Nice spread, sir."

It was rather nice and at least it was a step above what their last head gave them. Seriously, she still had that dreadful shirt in the back of closet in a box of things that would never see the light of day....EVER!

Although he had been working at the Ministry for a while, Mark hadn’t actually met any of his department colleagues so far. Hmph. Not even other people at the Ministry. He barely knew who his department head was! Finding himself getting out of his working area, Mark felt definitely odd. He was exhausted, but anyhow anxious to finally get to meet someone. After carefully leaving everything he had been working with in a total mess, the employee started walking slowly towards the dining area. What he needed was a coffee. A strong one. Ah yes… a cup of strong, black coffee was all he needed.

‘Good day’, Mark said politely as he noticed two of his colleagues already arrived there. Although he struggled to recognize them, he couldn’t tell if he had met them before. Mhmm… probably not, he decided as he fixed himself a cup of coffee. He unfolded his copy of the newspaper and started reading the first article, even though he pretty much didn't care what it was about.

The kitchenette? Odd place for a meeting, wasn't it? Not that she was complaining of course, personally, she preferred this kind of setting, everyone was comfortable and they get to use the rarely used dining area. Brilliant.

"Impressive spread." The woman commented with a smile as she walked past the food laid out on the table and reached out for a cup and proceeded to make herself - along with anyone else who might want any - a cup of tea.

Then she took a seat beside a few of her colleagues and waited patiently. She was pretty sure they had a number of things to discuss.

Sherman wheeled into the kitchenette empty-handed. The little old man felt embarrassed that it had taken him this long to maneuver around the debris in the workroom. He had barely been able to make it to the dining area in time to watch the others arrive with bags and boxes full of goodies to share. The elderly sir felt terrible about not being able to contribute his share, not to mention the trouble he, the only handicapped worker, was causing. A guilty feeling growing in the pit of his stomach, Sherman Clark made history when he decided to share his doughnuts for the first time. Ever. Pulling the small package out of the sack in the back of his wheelchair, the Time Specialist proceeded to place his snack on the table, but there wasn't any free space. Wheeling over to the new Head, and still attempting not to run over his toes, Sherman wiggled the doughnuts into Vanderbuilt's hand as he reluctantly said, "For you." Oh well, he thought to himself. You can have Alice make you a few more. Yes, when she was back from SCHOOL. Humph.

The old man swiveled over to the table, where he made himself a cup of hot coffee with cream and honey. Yummm. Feeling content, Sherman parked his chair next to some of his co-workers and stared at Vanderbilt. There had to be something Corin wanted to discuss, an announcement to make or whatnot. Unless he really, really had wanted a get-to-know-you session. Which would be kind of awkward.

Corin steps back as he checks the spread one more time when he hears a voice approach him. “Well thank you.” he replies, turning to the two women who came in just as he was moving their impromptu meeting out of the mess that used to be their Work Area. Then spotted a young man who seemed to have the insight to check this room after finding what they’ve all seen outside “I’m Corin Vanderbilt, the new Department Head.” he introduced himself to these three, offering to shake each of their hand. He did manage to catch the blonde woman’s name just before he made a break for the coffee shop--Ms Black? Yes, but he missed her first name.




Then the elder staffer wheeled through the door. “Please come in.” the fellow silverish-haired man waved, inviting him over. The elder chap seemed overtly shy to him, different from the other one with a cane. He began to wonder if it had anything to do with his condition. A feeling of insecurity? Hmm perhaps that’s something he would try to decipher from the other gent in this meeting.
He just managed to slide his foot out of the way of the wheels when he reached out for the bag being offered. For him? He peered into the bag and saw the donuts within “Thank you.” he replied. “Do you mind me sharing this with the rest of the staff?” Because that’s just how he rolls-- he likes to share.


+++
He gestured to the spread at the center of the kitchen “Please don’t be shy, help yourselves. I realize that some of you may not have had breakfast yet or may have had one much earlier.” and they would likely be hungry at this point, since its around the time of the first schedule coffee breaks. As he watched the staff go over their spread he added “Please make yourselves comfortable, and I’ll be back in a bit . I need to grab a few things from my office.”

He returns about a few minutes later, levitating a file basket stacked with folders that is their employee profiles. As he waited for the employees to settle down Corin quickly leafs through them, trying to match the photograph to the faces in front of him.

Tim walked into the Dining Area casually and stood in the corner waiting for others to arrive.He hadn't really gotten to know any of his colleague's and didn't know any of their names so hopefully today that would all change.He stood there himming a song in his head.He hadn't spoke to the Head of the Department either so Hopefully that wuld change today as well.He tightened his tie then looked down on his watch nervously.

After the mess she'd witnessed just moments before, she half expected this dining area to be just the same. To her surprise, it looked as if it were brand new, never yet taken out of it's box. Figures. The area with the food never got touched.

She wouldn't have touched anything on the table, except she noticed the coffee and tea makers. Actually, thank Merlin. She could go for some tea right now, and since some has already been made, might as well not leave it to cool down.

Aww tea. Yum. Calm the nerves that were very much jumping at the moment.

Upon setting her beverage down, Jade turned back to their newest Head and shook his hand. Seriously, where were her manners today. "You're welcome, sir. I'm Jade Smith, Thought Chamber Specialist. I never had a chance to introduce myself before." Introductions had completely slipped her mind upon seeing the damage which was their former work area. At least, the dinning area/kitchenette area was untouched.

Jade eyed the spread and bit her lip. She did have her treat with her beverage, but the fruit did look rather tempting and she didn't want to offend anyone. Reaching for a small plate, she helped herself to some fruit and headed back to her seat.

There were some familiar faces around, but a number of faces were new to her still. Perhaps with was one of those meet and greets for their department after all the chaos. Hopefully this one wouldn't be as awkward as the last department meeting she attended.

"You're welcome." The woman replied as she smiled at her new boss. Then she took his hand in hers and shook it firmly "A pleasure to meet you Mr. Vanderbilt. Catharina Black, at your service."

Then she smiled even wider when he offered the food out to them. It sounded like absolute heaven to her, after all she hadn't had the chance to grab breakfast before leaving home and she was absolutely starving...well, ok, not starving, but she wasn't exactly full at the moment either...and her stomach was making sounds that stomach should not normally make. Her eyes followed the man as he left the office before grabbing a fruit that was sitting on the counter.

Yum...food and tea. Perfect.

Magnolia was actually rather fond of coffee breaks, so she took a little bit of everything. Everything that was small enough to fit her napkin, so, really, it's not like she took too many scones or that.

She did take a coffee for herself. Not that any of the Unspeakables would need caffeine, but still.

The woman nodded as Corin introduced him once more, and all she could wonder was...what was it that he was going to say, especially after holding their files oh-so-carelessly. That was an outrage. What if something got lost? She wouldn't worry about that for now. Coffee was calling her.

"Exactly what I would have done." Standing in the doorway, black gave way to deep blue when he removed his cloak. "Poisoned tea, perhaps? Make us more inclined to do your bidding?" Crossing the floor, he made a mess of one of the tea bags, tearing at it with his normally nimble fingers. "What I would have done." Nero appeared disappointed.

"Come!" The old man barked, immediately forgetting about any thoughts of poisoned tea. Suddenly there came a streak of fur with a head and paws he still had to grow into. Slipping on the tile, the pup slid, crashing into Nero's leg. A hound of indeterminate breed, the creature was much more cute than menacing. A trait that Nero was not happy about.

See, today was not a very good day for Nero to be...Nero.

Or she just didn't have the patience to deal with him. Good thing she really didn't have to, whilst they worked in the same Department, their areas of expertise were entirely different. Truth be told, Magnolia didn't even know WHAT was Nero a specialist of.

That's how much this Unspeakable related to her co-workers. It often seemed like she was the only soul working with the thoughts. Except Jade over here, of course.

She was missing Sakura. But she didn't voice this.

"What are we really discussing?" she finally said, after rolling her eyes at Nero once again. And...what was that pet of his? Seriously? He couldn't have cleaned up the mess he made with the teabags either?

As Corin eyed the staff going about the food there was something about their files that he couldn’t quite put a finger on. It wasn’t their qualifications, although there are some that he felt was rather… curious, to put it mildly. It was something else…

But that train of thought was interrupted by that spooky elderly fellow with the cane…. who also had a dog? Was it possible that he missed the fact that the man had trouble with his vision? Nawwww… he was bizarre, but not blind. Right?

Note to self: Have a talk with Nero about the currently unauthorized canine.

And wait what poison? “No Dr Nykto I’m not inclined to spike anyone’s drinks or food for whatever reason.” he replied if a little loudly. He sure doesn’t want any unnecessary doubt, or worse panic, to develop amongst his staff now. “I can assure you that everything you see there includes nothing else than what the baker or the barista had intended.” Which doesn’t mean its 100% guilt-free healthy but hey he’s not a nutritionist.

He cleared his throat slightly to call their attention to him “Alright, if I may have your attention please, I wont keep you long from enjoying your meal.” because you know he kinda wants to eat too “I’ve been going over your files and the responsibilities each of you have in your division. I can see that some of you are veterans in your field of expertise…” he said as he glanced at certain members of the staff. “… although for most of you I am rather at a loss of how each of you were assigned to your current roles.” From what he can garner of their files, it was like their previous boss just saw their resume and plugged them in whatever available spot that was free “And correct me if I’m wrong but it seems to me that many of you had little say with the position you all are currently at.” He raised his hand slightly, anticipating that what he said might’ve been taken the wrong way “All I’m trying to say is that given that there is little information on file on how each of you were assigned to your roles-- Now what I want to do is to give you all the freedom to CHOOSE which division and which job function you would like to explore here in Mysteries. Give you the opportunity to build your careers the way you want it.”

He eyed some of the newer members of the staff “Some of you may not be sure which field you want to go into. That’s fine. I’m allowing you to work across divisions. Get a feel of things.... explore any of the 6 major research areas of the department… or even if there is subject matter you want to investigate that doesn’t quite fall under the current divisions."

He paused for a moment before adding “I understand that some of you may want to keep your current position-- and that’s ok, I’m not forcing anybody to move around if you don’t want to, but even for you veteran Unspeakables, you must see that you now have the freedom to explore other specializations that may not have been available to you before. Just have an open mind and consider the possibilities.”

"Any questions?"

Katherine was late. Its not like her nature to be late but there are some family urgency she need to take care before she went to the office.

She entered the dinning are just in time when her boss explained to them their responsibilities and he was allowing them to choose their division. WAIT! Did he just said they're allowed to work across divisions?! Yup. He definitely said that. Katherine raised her hand "I'm sorry I was late, Sir. Katherine Salvatore. I'm one of the Chronostaffers." she introduced herself. And then onto the question. "So basically that mean from now on we're allow to go and help the other division if they need more help?" the blonde woman asked. "And until when does this across divisions program to be held?" Was it last forever or ....?

Her question was soon answered.

Okay. So, basically, if they felt like they were meant to be doing something else...they could ask for a change of scenery? Truth be told, Magnolia felt completely at ease working with Thoughts. It suited her, too, considering both her majors.

The Death Chamber, however, was rather intriguing.

But she'd very much like to keep her current position. That didn't mean she couldn't indulge in every other division, that is. The more she got involved in each of them, the better. So, Maggie simply nodded as she listened. And as far as questions go, she had a very important one, almost similar to the one Katherine just asked, "I suppose there's a limit when it comes to how long this will extend to, right?" Basically, WHEN do they have to inform their boss of their final decision?

Brittany was standing against the wall quietly, her blonde hair tied in a pony tail, holding a bag that contained a single donut she had brought with her into the kitchenette as she wasn't sure what type of food would be there because she had never eaten here before. She saw the basket of pasteries on a table where a group of people were sitting, and the coffee machine that was on the counter. She wasn't a fan of coffee herself, she always liked to keep it healthy and have water with her food.

She listened intently to what their new head was saying, she supposed that he wanted to distribute the cleaning up of the department between them as she had already peered into the working area and had seen the wreck that was there, she wondered whether there'll be time to clear all the mess off by today but then the department head said something that caught her of guard completely.

Choose their own division? Work across divisions?!! Her bewilderment was mirrored in the faces of a few of her colleagues, she furrowed her eyebrows with a questioning look on her face and looked back at their new head.

"Does this give us the option to actually change our divisions if we find ourselves interested in er, .. other areas?" She asked.

Corin nodded his head at a Chronstaffer that introduced herself “Hello Ms Salvatore” he smiled as he glanced at the folder that held her paperwork, hmm yes one of the Vets. He listened to the questions echoing a common concern “Right, well there isnt a deadline to this like it’s a one time offer thing… ” because actually this is how he plans all new recruits in the future to start “I’m trying to… expand the career growth with all of you. To me, you’re all Unspeakables-- you should be knowledgeable with all 6 major research chambers anyway, at least the basics." And for a moment he realized that some of them may not even know the basics all that well, hopefully someone would speak out "Now when some of you want to concentrate in one or several fields as your career progresses, that’s where specializations come in.”

“Some of you may already be at a stage where you are a Specialist, and if you want to just stick to that its fine by me, but if you want to start branching out in addition to what you’re already doing-- get some variety to your work-- then here’s your chance.” And personally, its one he highly encourages.

He nodded his head at a young woman with the paper bag “Yes, if you want to switch gears on your career path by changing divisions now is the perfect time to do it. I understand that you may have tried something out and realized its not quite for you? Then by all means, try something else that you feel strongly about, something that you find interesting, if you feel passionate enough for it you will realize that you’re growing along with your field of work.”

“For those who wants to start on a project that you want to explore for the first time or something more indepth for specialization goal, just come to me with what your plans are and I will do my best to support you with that. To me its all about building your careers and expanding the skills as Unspeakables.”

He paused for a moment, allowing his explanations to sink in, and if there were any other thoughts they'd want to express or clarify with him.

It was a lot for Jade to think about, but she had been in three different divisions since she started working for the Ministry and she did enjoy them all. They were all really special to her but she did yearn to learn more at the same time. There were things that she still wanted to know about the other divisions in their department for sure. Yet, she was very happy with what she was doing in the Thought Chamber. The Encephalons and her seemed to have an understand of sorts and she didn't just want to leave them like that after all the time they had spent together. It had taken time for them to get where they were after all that had happened when they were being used in the Death Chamber, during her time as the division head there. In fact, after all the things that happened during her time in the Death Chamber; she was a bit changed for sure.

Glancing down toward her beverage in head, she thought back about her time in the Time Chamber. She had loved working there too and all her work on the time-turners. It was the first place she had felt at home with and the place that she knew that she belonged.

Biting her lip she thought more about it. They wasn't anything wrong with branching out and learn more about all the divisions she worked in. There was still all her work that she was doing in the Thought Chamber and a few things that she had been working on that related to what she had been working on in The Death Chamber and the Time Chamber. She hadn't really finished them before she moved divisions, but she still had all her notes in case she could possible pick them back up one day. Maybe this was just the chance she needed.

Glancing back up, she looked around to the other Unspeakables around and watched how they all gauged what they were being offered.

Sherman had listened to Vanderbilt quietly, with no interruption from himself, for two reasons, the first being that he was altogether much too engrossed in the Department Head's words. The second was that Corin kind of scared him. But, after the man had finished speaking, the elderly Time Specialist had moments to think about the content of the discussion. He was so dearly attached to his position, so he wasn't sure if he was excited or not about others coming and filling in spots for his co-workers. He was slightly afraid of mistakenly calling them by the wrong name— there's only so much an old and weathered brain can hold.

The Mysteries employee rattled off the Divisions under his breath. God knew he couldn't work in the Space Chamber or Death Chamber, which were no place for an elderly man. The Ever-Locked Room seemed quite creepy, and didn't the Thought Chamber have floating brains in it? This whole idea of switching occupations just seemed... uncalled for. But then, he recalled the Hall of Prophecy. The dear old thing just loved the small, glass orbs filled with prophetic visions. When he first was accepted into the Department of Mysteries, Sherman was hoping that his position would be in there. He could wheel freely to the Hall, with nothing to crash into or bang, like a normal work-space. Day after day, he could retrieve and observe the orbs. It sounded like an ideal job, especially for the handicapped sixty-six year old.

The man raised his hand, somewhat shyly, and offered his question aloud. "Do we have to make the switch permanent?" What if the Hall wasn't all he had hoped? To never be able to return to the Time Chamber again... he shook his head, clearing it, and waited patiently for his answer.

Brittany listened intently as the head of her department elaborated about his idea of switching divisions. She mentally agreed with him on the fact that being unspeakables, they should be knowledgeable in all 6 research majors, and if she were honest with herself, she hasn't really achieved much in the Love chamber so she might as well try to find her abilities in other divisions. She thought for a second about the Death Chamber, it was very intriguing, or the Time Chamber ...

She might as well hop into a new place in the department, find out about different things, and maybe she'd like to start a new project .. something different to what she'd been doing .. Hmm, this is interesting ..
Everyone around her seemed to be pondering the many possibilities this new proposal would offer, their new department head seemed to want to reignite their enthusiasm in the department which was a really good think. A change of routine.

"Stay out of the Death Chamber." Nero's haunting voice filled the room, puncuated by a sharp tap of his cane against the tile floor. The large, grey puppy looked up from the tea leaves he was lapping up, and sauntered over to his master. "I have obtained a very deadly piece of art, and I do not wish to be disturbed as I study it." There was a pause, and a silent reminder to breath properly. Sometimes he forgot about the silly little things when he had a project on his mind. "And this will be our guard dog. Unlike the rest of us, he cannot be coerced or corrupted. No one can read or control his mind because he does not have much of one, do you?" Nero looked down at the magical mutt, the creature happily wagging it's tail.

After a bit of work, Alex made his way into the dining area to fix himself some lunch. He was quite tired, and all he wanted to do was go home to his wife Lizzy. "You're almost done for the day, Alex. Be patient." he thought to himself as he sat down with his lunchbox and began eating the sandwich he had made earlier that morning.