Oh well wasn't this little party just fabulous? ^-^

Although not having any company wasn't fabulous at all and a little hard to take for a woman like Genie. She sipped her wine hoping she didn't look too much like an overdressed lonely Linda. She was sending smiles to people she deemed looked pleasant when she heard a voice close to her. A male, accented voice nonetheless..

Her gaze settled on a handsome young man. Her night had just improved tenfold she thought as she looked him over. She gave him her best, pearly white, perfect 'winning' smile as he took her hand as if he was going to kiss it. “Hunny, are you tryin' to make a lady blush?” She breathed and then laughed. British men just didn't introduce themselves like this. This young man was clearly a gent.

“Hello, sir.” She greeted, eyes twinkling mischievously. 'Mizz?' Oh, he was a charmer. “You do flatter me with names like that, but it's Mrs.” She showed her finger with her wedding ring.. although it was worn on her right hand these days. There was no way she was getting rid of that diamond encrusted, gold sparkler. “Mah husband, rest his soul.” She looked skyward and back at the dashing young man. “..was a charmer just like you.” In his heyday, before the cobwebs set in and turned him into a grouchy, useless old man.

“Where are you from, sugar? Your accent is just darlin'!”

Derek was helping himself with some of that food. It's been a while since he had last eating in the Ministry, with all of that craziness happening... at least now everything was sorted out and he was very confident about eating there again.

The Ministry food had always been good. And it was a good thing it hadn't been exactly the thing that had made everyone sick last year. The people who prepared the food would probably have gotten in big trouble if it was proven that they were to blame.

The former Gryffindor was about to turn around and find a seat, not exactly glad, since he knew eventually someone would come and-

...

His shirt was suddenly covered with wine.

Uh... Derek didn't know if he liked this better than having some random person talk to him. Oh. He'd have both of these things now. How great. Not.

The young man was holding a plate in one hand and his drink in the other, so there was no way he could get his wand to clean up his shirt now. That was... amazing. Just brilliant. There he was, standing in front of a random guy he had never met before with a stained shirt and unable to do anything about it.

Fantastic. [/sarcasm]

Derek did not reply to the person who had bumped into him. He was looking down, his gaze drifting from the floor to the plate he was holding, then his drink and his shirt, and the other person's drink. His eyes were moving around rather fast, but the rest of his body did not move.

What to do now?

As Zach move towards the seating area, he looked around and saw someone he hasn't met before but he knows who exactly who she is.

He moved towards the lady and her fiance and cleared her throat so as to get their attention.

"Hello" he said. "Excuse me to interrupt." he said looking at the guy as well.

"My name is Zacharias McMillan. But you can call me Zach. You are Angelica Thompson, right?" he said with an inquisitive tone in his voice.

He smiled at both of them looking from the woman to the guy and back to the woman.

Suddenly a booming voice came from the Grand Stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to the Board of Governor's Candidate Debate. If the candidates could make their way on the stage please?"


ooc: Please make your way to the Grand Stage. This thread will be closed shortly.

After his discussion with Nolan Reynolds, his appetite was climbing. Perhaps just a quick run through the line before the debate starts? He made his way over and picked up a plate. Barbecue? No thank you, must maintain good breath. Just a sundae. It was good to be seen as fun-loving sometimes, especially at formal occasion such as this.

He quickly piled all sorts of toppings on top of two scoops of chocolate ice cream. Then he grabbed a spoon and, on a whim, pulled out his wand and cast an Impervius charm on him clothing. No stains for Team Vinteren!

Hurrying now, he quickly found a seat, near the front on the right side. This time he wanted to be visible to the majority of the crowd.

Ella was trying not look so obvious as she looked around for a certain someone, but she couldn't help but wonder. Rafael didn't always seem the type to enjoy these work parties to her, but still...

Well, no matter. The debate was beginning anyhow. Ella quickly grabbed a glass of wine and headed over to the front row where the rest of the Department Heads were and took a seat. She hadn't gone to the Hogsmeade debate, so she wasn't quite sure what to expect.

Nathaniel scowled, and sat down in the corner. A debate? What could possibly be so important? He withdrew his wand and flipped it from hand to hand. It was more boring than the Hohenzollern grand ball he had interrupted so many years ago. Well....interrupted was one way of saying it. Though that was a very long time ago, and he would not do such a thing here. Not enough at stake. No governments to overthrow, no wizarding world wars to start. It was a boring time, the most fun to be had was fighting minor enemies in the name of a King and Country not his.

He settled into a seat in the corner, his silver name badge reading Senior Obliviator.

Oh now this was just Genie's night! Not just one dashing young man but TWO wanted to talk to her.

Hold your horses though.... wasn't he the Junior Undersecretary? He must have recognised her photograph from her Ministry application. She gave the young man a great big smile. “Hello, sweetheart.” She said in her Southern American accent. “I sure am... but it's Genie not Angelica.” Because Angelica was a ridiculous name for someone of Genie's... maturity.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, darlin'.” She extended her hand to him to shake... or kiss if he was as charming as the handsome man with the European accent here.

They really should make their way to the stage area soon.

With Dorian by her side and Izzy and Wesley close behind Tasha steered their little group towards the buffet table. When it was her turn in front of the food display she eyed the selection saying. "Everything is looking delicious. What is everyone getting? I'm aiming for some ribs and potato salad."

Helping herself to her chosen food she also managed to hold on to a glass of something sparkling before she stepped back to let the other's take what they wanted. "Should we find a table with good view of the debate? It looks like it's starting."Tasha commentated as she saw movement up on the Grand Stage.

Alex heard the call for all attendees to make their way to their seating area, as the candidates made their way up on the grand stage. She was new to attending these sorts of functions, but her sister had informed her about the insanity of the Hogwarts Auction and Hogsmeade Debate, so she knew a little of what to expect. At least, on the bright side, there was good food and drinks if the candidates proved to be boring.

Browsing the buffet table, the brunette piled some chips and salsa onto her plate before taking a seat near the front of the seating section (but in back of the chairs). She looked around for familiar faces, as she took notice of Ella and gave her a subtle smile and wave, before turning and fixing her gaze upon the current speaker.

Yawwwnnn.

The couple had made their way to the dinning area. Nathaniel had lead the way for him and Mariel into the seating area. His head was still swimming with the thought that Mariel thought he looked good. Was she just being nice because he had complimented him or was she being serious? He may have never know. MMM THAT SMELL. FOOOOD. Nathaniel loved food. There was no ifs ands or buts about that. He'd made his way through the line in kind of a hurry because he saw some empty seats that he needed to swipe before the place got too packed.

He'd made his way to the seats he'd eyed. Nathaniel set his food and drink down on the table so he could take his jacket off. He was getting warm and didn't want to spill food on it. Plus, he looked awesome in the vest! He wanted to chat with Mariel more. About.. her job.. his job.. them, maybe? He was more than likely going to make himself look like an IDIOT if he touched on the subject of them, or his feelings.


She sure was taking her sweet time getting food....

Walking over towards the buffet line, Mariel watched Nathaniel with slight incredulity. Had the man not eaten in a week? He was sort of acting like his life was depending on downing those pork chops before the stroke of midnight. She simply shook her head and chuckled lightly to herself as she delicately spooned a helping a potatoes on her plate and added a roll to her meal.

Once her plate was full, but not overflowing, the brunette made her way over to the table where Nathaniel was already seated. "What's the rush, Nathaniel? Did you double book the evening?" she teased him as she set her plate down on the table. Pulling out her chair, Mariel sat down and speared a carrot with her fork.

As she lifted her fork to her mouth to take a bite, Mariel happened to glance at a table close to them where a woman about her age was sitting alone. Wait.. she knew her! They went to school together, didn't they? She was sure she was a former Ravenclaw too.. a year or two younger than her. What was her name?

Mariel leaned a bit closer to Nathaniel. "See that girl over there? Wait.. don't look.. she went to Hogwarts with us, I think," she tilted her head towards the woman as she whispered to the man next to her. "Ok, now look.. but don't stare.. do you remember her name?" Oh, that bugged her.. it was right on the tip of her tongue too. Something like..

Oh, right! "Satine!" Mariel called over to the young woman as she gave a little wave. "Come on over and say hi.." She wasn't sure if she would remember her since they didn't hang around the same group of friends, but they had been housemates..

Quote:

Originally Posted by RomanticSunRising

Alex heard the call for all attendees to make their way to their seating area, as the candidates made their way up on the grand stage. She was new to attending these sorts of functions, but her sister had informed her about the insanity of the Hogwarts Auction and Hogsmeade Debate, so she knew a little of what to expect. At least, on the bright side, there was good food and drinks if the candidates proved to be boring.

Browsing the buffet table, the brunette piled some chips and salsa onto her plate before taking a seat near the front of the seating section (but in back of the chairs). She looked around for familiar faces, as she took notice of Ella and gave her a subtle smile and wave, before turning and fixing her gaze upon the current speaker.

Yawwwnnn.

Ella was somewhat enjoying the debate. She enjoyed listening to the different answers people gave and the side-glances some of the candidates seemed to give other candidates that they were obviously not so fond of. But sitting in a chair for so long really wasn't Ella's cup of tea. She wasn't really a sit-still kind of person.

Her eyes wandered after several minutes as she looked around at all the people, but they stopped when she saw Alex give her a wave and a smile. Ella returned the smile and waited for the speaker to finish their answer before she quietly exited the front row and made her way back to the back of the room.

Grabbing a fresh glass of wine, Ella went over to where Alex was and took the seat next to her. They hadn't talked much lately, but she was eager to move around a bit and not be so close to the front. "I think my backside is starting to fall asleep," she murmured quietly before taking a sip of her wine. It was a joke. For now.

Rush? There was no rush. "I just wanted to grab seats before it got too packed in here. Isn't there some debate or something boring going on?" he asked as he lifted a fork full of mashed potatoes to his mouth. Free food was ALWAYS the best food. Always.

Nathaniel wondered how EC was doing with his grandparents. He assumed that they were all asleep back at his place. Wait, why was he worried? It wasn't like this was his grandparents first night ever with a baby. He rolled his eyes.

Mariel had spotted a girl that they possibly knew? Great. No he didn't want to talk to some random possibly former classmate of theirs. SIGH. He went to look but then Mariel said not to. Did she want him to look or not? What was with this girl. He snuck a glance at her. She did look familiar.. oh yep, Mariel remembered her name. And now she was inviting her over to them.He just wanted to enjoy this night. Not with random people joining them. After all, he HAD gotten dressed up. Nathaniel didn't dress up. He liked being comfortable but he dressed up to impress Mariel. He wasn't sure it was working. He thought this would have been a good time to talk to her. Out having fun, dinner and a little chat.


"These rolls are amazing" Nathaniel said to Mariel. They could both act weird now.

Well, um, this was, well, uhh, it. The Ministry of Magic- the big leagues. AND Ferris felt like at any minute he could pass out. It was all so loud and everyone was, well, um, you see, uhh, chatting and talking and being very social. He was glad that he had ditched his tweed jacket that his Mum laid out for him before he came into the main area, but, uhhh, he was a little nervous. Luckily it was inside and they weren't being all EXPOSED to the outdoors. Ahem.

Adjusting his glasses so they bumped into the bridge between his nose, Ferris gulped and looked around the room... so many people. Could he, um, go back to his Mum's and play with his fun Muggle computers? They were safe and they wouldn't dare ASK him to socialize. Gulp. Right, well, um, hello world.

Whispering to himself he practiced, "Um, well, uhh, how, uhhh, how do you do?" Excellent progress!

Nathaniel Corun, of the nearly extinct Corunni line, glanced up from the all too boring debate and caught sight of a very nervous man. The way he was glancing around, muttering to himself, set off a thousand different alarms in Nath's head. He swallowed the last of his drink. No reason to waste such a fine vintage, and if this was the end, at least he would fall with a good taste in his mouth.

He flicked his wand so that it was hidden in his palm, following the edge of his jacket, across the expensive mid-19th century leather trimming. His silver blue eyes could pierce the thickest of minds as he strode towards the man. He extended his black gloved hand. After all, it was always good to meet your maker knowing that you stared into death face to face. For Nath knew the profile, he too had been the nervous young magician, bumbling through his first contract.

"Hello, I am Senior Obliviator, Nathaniel Corun." He voice was low and thick with the accent of St. Petersbourg. And carried with it an edge that would mar steel.

He was sitting in Althea's spot, up at the front mostly because she didn't need it at all. Dash had been looking forward to this debate less so than he had been the last, considering how that one had ended. His brows came together as he focused in on the candidates and every once in a while, right before it was Althea's turn to speak again, he would adjust his tie and sit up a bit straighter.

It was all for support.

The suit, and tie, and especially the combed hair.

Which was oddly strange especially considering the fact that a certain candidate thought board members didn't need to work with staff? Not that Dash had any problem with that at all. His colleagues were more than enough to deal with never mind ten other people.

But that note would be brought up later. He'd throw it right back at her.

Dorian momentarily, as he continued to watch the interaction between Wes and Isobel, wished he had the ability to figure out exactly what his friend and boss was thinking. He could hardly expect answers from both of them, but at least there was that Gryffindor connection there. It should count for something, but he quickly abandoned the idea. He knew both of them well enough that they would have said something if they had been entirely shocked and/or upset at him being there with Natasha, so he’d accept that as approval of some sort. Besides, his date had taken control of the conversation it seemed, and while that gave him more time to sit there trying to decipher opinions, it also gave him time to relax. Things were going about as well as possible, if that could be said, and soon enough, there had been the announcement that the debate was going to be starting. That meant finally moving into the hall and investigating the food table before it all got picked over. Surely they weren’t the only ones who were hungry.

“I’m not sure. I might try the lasagna. It looks intriguing,” he replied, as Natasha had voiced her choice of what to eat. Oddly enough, that could have been taken to mean a few different things, one of which being the possibility he was finally putting the events from Italy behind him, but he hadn’t even thought of that once. Perhaps he really had started to finally get over it. He went with his decision, either way, and helped himself to a serving of the dish before eyeing the drink choices. It seemed to be steered a bit away from his usual choices, which he guessed made sense. Nobody wanted the candidates ruining their chances of making a good impression. He made do with a glass of wine, in any case, and then used his height to their advantage as Natasha had asked about finding a seat. “There looks to be a table up there near the front,” he mentioned, glancing at all four of their group.

So many people. That was all he could see. He knew that, as a new member of the Ministry, he should have been going around and talking up his superiors, but, well, that required finding the will power to move out of the place that he was standing. And at the moment he was glued to his spot and fumbling underneath his breath. Yeah, um, perhaps he seemed a tad nutty. Ahem, help?

And then, he jumped out of his skin. WATCHA!

His yelped a little and met eyes with some person he had never met. Well, um, you see, he supposed that, um, that was not too odd. Being that he was not really a, um, yeah, uh, a wizard world kind of person. He liked the Muggle World better... it had more gadgets that he could play with. Like his X-Box, which was in his mother's basement... and where he should have been.

"Oh wow... um... you see uh.." Say something, Ferris, "Ferris, is me... I mean, um, I'm Ferris."

The young man jumped, and was somewhat visibly shaken. Not too unexpected after all. But he made no move of violence, so that was promising at least. Perhaps he was just very awkward socially. That would have to be very hard, you couldn't very well find a girlfriend or friends for that matter, if you never talked to anyone. Heaven knew what happened to all of his old friends, most had passed on, all violently. He missed Scarlet or Aleka perhaps the most. He could deal with the loss of Blackstone, but they were innocent....He shook his head in silent memory.

And now to the task at hand. "A pleasure to meet you sir Ferris, in what department do you work?"

If you had asked the young brunette who had walked through the doors at the Ministry event why she was late, she would deny any such thing. Francesca didn't have an issue with time, she was always there when the clock struck, in fact on most days she was incredibly early but today she had been contemplating over whether to actually turn up at the event. To say the least she wasn't happy, Fran honestly thought she was worth more than the position she had been offered but she wasn't going to argue, not yet at least. She had wanted a reason to stay in London and for now that would be sufficient enough.

As the woman sauntered along the tables looking for an empty spot to fill, she spotted her Step-Mother in the distance. Instead of heading straight towards her and socialising, the thirty-two year old walked in the opposite direction, scouting around for someone who looked decent enough to talk to. Unfortunately for the Italian, there were very few people left who didn't look like they were deeply engrossed in a conversation with another person.

She hadn't dressed up completely, others were in full length ballgowns that swept along the floor as they walked, a hazard should another step on it with their heels and rip the dress completely or cause the individual to trip. Although it would be amusing, it was sure to create embarrassment for both involved parties. That was why she hadn't chosen a shorter lacy dress that looked both classy and formal enough for a party. There wasn't a dress code on the invitation after all.

Satisfied that there wasn't anyone who required her company, Francesca found a seat further away from the stage due to her disinterest over what was happening. Her eyes were instead focused on the food table, particularly the Lasagne to which she groaned. Certainly wasn't anything up to the standard she was used to.

Oh so Ella had remembered her. Taking a small bite of one of her chips, she smiled when Ella took the the seat beside her and at that comment. "Forget about the backside; I'm fairly sure my mind just fell asleep after the first one opened his mouth up there. If they were any more boring, it'd be Divination class." She shook her head, trying to keep her eyes open. Perhaps she should have taken a glass of wine too.

"Chip?" she offered casually as her eyes peered over at the crowds present.

She raised her chin slightly in defiant type manner as she surveyed those around her. Some of the people really appeared quite underdressed, while others appeared overdressed .... And who was that guy? She tilted her head slightly as she watched him. Was it just her or did he look as though he was going to throw up? Or worse.

She glanced over to Ella, befuddled and whispered; "Any idea who he is?" Because she was totally curious and totally uninterested.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RomanticSunRising

Oh so Ella had remembered her. Taking a small bite of one of her chips, she smiled when Ella took the the seat beside her and at that comment. "Forget about the backside; I'm fairly sure my mind just fell asleep after the first one opened his mouth up there. If they were any more boring, it'd be Divination class." She shook her head, trying to keep her eyes open. Perhaps she should have taken a glass of wine too.

"Chip?" she offered casually as her eyes peered over at the crowds present.

She raised her chin slightly in defiant type manner as she surveyed those around her. Some of the people really appeared quite underdressed, while others appeared overdressed .... And who was that guy? She tilted her head slightly as she watched him. Was it just her or did he look as though he was going to throw up? Or worse.

She glanced over to Ella, befuddled and whispered; "Any idea who he is?" Because she was totally curious and totally uninterested.

Ella let out a small laugh, having to restrain herself from laughing much more than that. "That was a good one," she replied quietly, still amused. Divination was never her thing, and apparently neither was it Alex's.

"Oh, thank you." Ella took one and took a smile bite, also letting her eyes wander around the room at the different people.

She seemed to noticed the somewhat awkward man as soon as Alex did. She shook her head and gave her a light shrug. "I don't think I've seen him before." Maybe he was just new... and nervous about being here for the first time. It was possible.

Ella finished chewing and clasped her hands in front of her. "Did you do another vacation this holiday?" she asked, keeping her voice somewhat quiet so she wouldn't disturb anyone around them that was trying to listen.

He asked you a question, Ferris. Social etiquette dictated that he was supposed to, you know, um, saying something in return, but his palms were far too sweaty and his pupils were far too big to complete a sentence. Ugh, why did people have to be so annoying and complicated. His video games and computer programs and software never did this to him. He just told them what to do and they listened.

Gulp. Right, well, um, time to talk, yes? NO! Ah, come on. Could he go home now? No? No. Meh.

Pull yourself together Ferris, words. "I, um, well you see, um, the thing is, um, department of specialities. And, um, and you?" Honestly, Ferris was just following social standards of returning the man's question. If he was honest with himself he was FAR too scared to actually strike up conversation.

Isobel was almost amused when their little party when straight over to the buffet section. Well that should've been a little obvious, especially with her husband. Wes would be happy. Isobel was quite happy too really, she liked food. "Mmm. It all looks good..." She murmured, picking up a plate. They were spoilt for choice really. That lasagne looked rather nice though, and Izzy leant over, putting a portion of it onto her plate. "Lasagna looks nice." She murmured with a smile. She was looking forward to eating that actually. She was tempted to put a little more onto her plate, but resisted not really wanting to look that greedy. Maybe she'd go and collect some more later. Placing some potato salad onto her plate she glanced up at her husband. "What are you going to have dear?"

Glancing back of at her sister, she nodded at what they were both saying. "We'll be able to see all the action at the front." Which would be very interesting indeed.