The Atrium
 

Peacock blue ceiling with golden symbols moving over it, and polished dark wood floors, the Atrium serves to welcome all visitors to the British Ministry of Magic and is the place all Ministry workers must pass through to get to their respectable departments. If you look closely at the windows overlooking the atrium, you may catch a glimpse of Ministry employees, namely security, observing all those who pass through the atrium. Not far from the Fountain of Magical Brethren is a small stand that serves coffee and a danishes to workers too busy to stop and have a proper meal. The large room is incessantly full of busy employees, but only a few ever care to stop and chat you up; our wonderful Welcome Wizard who is there to assist the public, and the security workers watching out for the leery. You should hope to only ever be stopped by the former, else you may find yourself taking an unexpected trip to the security office.

OOC: All Ministry of Magic employees, regardless of their assigned department, are welcome to create their own roleplay in this thread.

Zee nicole.
 

Anise had actually no idea, at all, where she was. Well, not completely, completely, no idea. She knew she was in London, in Europe, on the planet earth, in the Milky Way galaxy, but the exact positioning of herself? Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Anise didn't know and it was kind of important that the twenty-seven year old know.

Was someone singing..
Was that the..
The backstreet boys?
Anise's large brown eyes widened as she turned her eyes toward the source of the sound, to find a woman near her age seemingly in excellent spirits. Maybe she could help?

"Ummmmmmmm, hey, hi, excuse me, can I bother you for just a sec?" Anise asked in her clear East Coast accent, walking up to the young woman, a bright smile on her pretty face. She looked nice enough, and anyone singing backstreet boys couldn't be a serial killer or nasty, right? Totally not.

Anise jumped back as Ember turned about, shouting and emulating an American superhero with extreme enthusiasm. Were Anise's hands shaking? No, not at all, she wasn't startled, she was a grown woman, she didn't startle. Clearing her throat, Anise calmly adjusted her glasses. "Uh, it's uh, it's nice to meet you. Ember was it? I'm Anise Baldwin," She said, tentatively shaking the young woman's hand. "No? Oh okay, good, yeah," she tried to copy the other girl's bright smile, but it didn't quite match Ember's exuberant intensity.

"I was interviewing for a job here, and I seem to somehow have gotten lost on the way out... " The brunette said, worrying her lip as she looked about her surroundings, the young woman was certain she had come in this way, or maybe not.. Or had she come in through those toilets? No, no, she hadn't that had been before, or maybe it was now. "I'm just trying to get out of here so I can grab something to eat." She added, with a light laugh.

Hadn't even got the job properly and she was already making a ditz of herself. Good one, Baldwin, reallllll nice.

That was a lot of words, Ember was clearly a talker, not that Anise minded, actually usually she was a talker too, but at the moment she was still feeling anxious and she didn't want to start rambling, and being a silly thing, not yet, no no. "it's a really nice name, it suits you." Anise said, nodding enthusiastically, her hair moving with the movement. Prestigious? Her name? Really? "Prestigious how? I always kind of thought it was boring compared to Wizarding names."

"Oh! Of course, yeah, I was interviewing for a job, no I definitely know that bit... I just don't know how to get out," Anise smiled softly, shrugging at her own weird ineptitude, seriously only Anise could hopelessly entrap herself, she was just that absentminded. The young woman followed Ember's words as best she could, while her intelligent eyes followed her hand, taking each location and carefully filing it away in her head. "Right, bathrooms, floo grates and.... Phone booth? I think I came in through that," Relief, so much relief, thank Merlin Ember seemed so nice and not judgmental. "Yeah, food is and I'm so starvvvvingg you have no idea, I was so nervous about the interview I skipped breakfast." And at the word breakfast her stomach gave a mighty and very unsettling growl. "E-excuse me, heheh.. " blush.

"Oooh... What did you eat?" She couldn't help but ask.

Laila and Izzy...
 

Botros and Leo met together and headed for the ministry. It wasn't the first time that Ab walked in, but it's been such a long time since he came here. He took his time looking around and smiling at a few people who smiled at him.

"I believe a Patronus to his office would do. Didn't he say he was to meet us here?" Ab nodded at Leo, walking a little further inside. He had the folder with the parchments that contained his work on the protective runic ward he'd worked on the week before the last few days of school. They were enchanted to stay blank until his fingerprints touched them. He had a faulty memory sometimes, he needed to be extra cautious delivering confidential , highly delicate information.

Leo nodded in confirmation. "Yes, Mr Mitterbill stated in his letter that he'd meet us here." Glancing around he continued. "But I suppose a patronus message to alert him of our arrival can't hurt. I'll send one now." They were after all delivering something very important to the ministry that Leo weren't comfortable just handing it over to just anyone. Given the emotional damage the book had caused he felt it crucial to get it off his hands but only if he knew it'd be investigated with the respect the book deserved even if it had evil tendencies.

Pulling out his wand he whispered "Expecto Patronum!" and watched his signature silvery bald eagle fly out of the tip of his wand and off into thin air.

I posted for you ladies in Jasper's office. :3
 

Jasper hadn't bothered using the staircase steps in getting to the Atrium in order to meet with the Hogwarts officials. Instead, he'd used the bannister. It made him feel somewhat like a boy again. Good practice that, as his wife was expecting their first child again. When he landed onto the Atrium floor, he straighten his breeze-brushed appearance and spotted the two gentlemen not far off.

"Mr. Kitridge, Professor Botros. Hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long." He said with a smile. He hadn't, afterall, timed his commute to the Atrium. "Jasper Mitterbill." The salt 'n pepper wizard leaned forward offering a hand.

"That must weigh quite a bit. Let's get it over to the Department right away." He said assessing the size of the wrapped up tome. Just as Jasper was about to turn toward the stair well, he spotted the other wizard's cane. Right. The lifts. The lifts.

"Well, to the lifts, then?" He was still reluctant about the lifts ever since the chizpurfle attack.

assumes we move this straight to Jaspers office next?
 

Leo had just re-pocketed his wand in its holster and was going to ask Abraham about his summer plans when Mr Mitterbill arrived, after using the banister as a means to get down to the Atrium level. Very unorthodox but Leo decided to let it slide. Maybe it was standard for a person running a whole department at the ministry to be a bit odd?

Shaking the man hands holding onto the book with the other he said “Pleased to meet you Mr Mitterbill." Eyes dropping to the bag in his arms as he shifted around the book Leo responded with a shrug to the ministry man. "The book's not that heavy, but I prefer if we got it to the secuirty of your department sooner rather than later."

"Yes, let’s take the lifts." Leo agreed with a glance over at Abraham.

She had come to work early today, it was time that her team got to work. Bart had done a fabulous job in Diagon Alley, Cossy was going to try to work his coworkers at the school, and she had the ministry. Mariel and Lori were around to help of course, but she would do a lot of the work herself. She was determined to try and stay on top of all things.

So walking into the ministry and looking around she found a wall that she could stick a very nice poster that she just had made. Sticking it to the wall and checking to make sure it was able to be seen she moved on to another place.

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/...psfd10f353.jpg

The first thing that he checked upon his arrival at the atrium, was the statue. Whether or not the fool thing had it's head replaced yet, or if they had decided to redecorate. He paused close to its base, tucking his hands in his pockets and tilting his head up to look at the handy work. It looked as good as new. If he hadn't been the one to blow the thing to pieces so many years ago, he would never have believed that it had happened.

Ah magic. A wonderful thing, both in destruction and creation.

Letting out a slow breath, Sabel returned his attention to those meandering about the atrium. He was taking his time in making his way up to the MLE department level. As excited as he was to be back, there was a sense of trepidation for walking into that office. There were old faces there, that Emily had assured him of, but they weren't all there. And some that had left had been replaced by new faces. Life seemed to move by way of faces.

Trailing his fingers lightly under the cuff of his sleeve where he kept his second wand hidden, Sabel's eyes cast about the atrium, scanning the faces. Which were the ones that could be trusted? And which weren't?

His attention trailed to the hanging posters, his gut twisting at the sight of them. More politics then? That was one thing long term assignment had given him relief of. Politics. Bloody politics. London was bursting with them.

He eyed the people standing near the posters, looking at them, discussing them, and his attention snagged on one particular individual. All foul tasting memories dissipated in an instant, and in that instant, Sabel felt like the young YATI Auror that he had once been.

Which, was probably why he didn't think better of carefully weaving his way through the crowd, keeping out of the line of sight of the man he had noticed. Even as a YATI he would have known better than to pull such a stunt on an Auror, but they had grown up through Hogwarts and the ranks of the MLE together: it was hard to view him as anything but an old friend in that instant. And as a YATI, he hadn't had the practice or skill set to know how to properly keep out of sight to even so much as attempt something like this.

He paused a few times and altered course twice, before he was finally able to fall in step at Simon's side. Despite his best attempts at being serious, he couldn't wipe the slanted smirk from his lips. He wondered how long it would take his friend to notice, and what his reaction might be. Perhaps he should say something?

The slanted smirk turned into a full, lopsided grin as Simon began to speak to him as if he was some random off the street. He scrubbed at his jaw, all he could do to keep from chuckling. At least his friend had his wits about him enough to notice that someone had slithered up beside him. Perhaps looking would help? Or was he going to have to say --

There it was. The turn, the look and pure surprise. This time Sabel did chuckle, dropping his hand. "Howdy, Simon."

Now that they were facing each other properly the time that had passed was finally vividly apparent, and it seemed like a lifetime had passed since they had last seen one another. Now, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see a YATI, but a full fledged Auror. When in Merlin's beard had that happened? Where had the years all gone?

Though this silence... "Oh come now, it's not like I'm back fro-"

He was cut off mid-sentence as Simon caught him in an unexpected hug-greeting.

Grinning, Sabel returned the hug, clapping his friend on the back. He was about to return a greeting of his own as they parted, when he got smacked. The surprise of it made him flinch briefly, but the laughter that followed was almost instantaneous. "Of course I do. But I couldn't resist the opportunity to check if you've been keeping on your toes."

It was a bit of a redundant statement, given it seemed to be the number one priority of the MLE. Keeping their employees constantly vigilant. His eyes skipped briefly to the poster again before returning to his friend.

And for no other reason than he could, Sabel returned the swat with a clap on his friend's shoulder. "And of course, you didn't disappoint. How have you been?"

"Prosecutor?" Sabel's eyebrow arched before it dropped back down to shadow the frown that quickly crossed his features. As in, layer type prosecutor? What exactly had his friend got up to while he was gone?

He was about to ask when the notion got waved off as if it was of no importance. As much as he was biting at the bit to ask about it immediately, Sabel checked his tongue and made a fine printed note in his memory not to let it go so easily. First, pleasantries, then they could get down to business.

He smiled in return at his friend. Quite well. That was good. Very good. It dimmed his concern some. "I'm really glad to hear it. You'll have to fill me in on the details." Because it was fairly obvious there was more to say. It had certainly been quite some time.

"Children. Two of them now." He took his hand back and tucked it in his pocket, finishing Simon's question. Good grief he sounded like an old man! Rolling one shoulder slightly, suddenly rather self-conscious about the topic, Sabel glanced to the side before looking back at his friend. It was another reminder of how much time had passed. "Emma and Lucas. Lucas is the youngest, just over six months now. And we're all good, thank you. Arya asked me to pass on her regards."

He was nodding his promise to pass Simon's regards to Arya, when what his friend had said just before that caught up to him. Sabel nearly choked on air, sputtering in surprise. "Josh has kids?!"

The more-than-two aspect was left unsaid. He was still having a hard time comprehending that he had two kids of his own, let alone a former classmate having more than that. Bewildered, he shook his head. "We're old, man." Ridiculously old. At least that's what it felt like.

Tucking his hands in his pockets, he rocked back on his heels, glancing at the people milling about. "I remember when we were green under the chin, spunky YATI's running about this place." Blowing up fountains. Harping on government officials. His eyes skipped back to Simon, a lopside smile forming. Well, perhaps that last part hadn't changed much. A politician out for the MLE. Shocker.

Though that this individual was a MLE turned prosecutor turned politician against said MLE, was a bit of a conundrum. He tipped his head to the side in thought.

"You're on patrol, right?" From the way his friend had been casting about before he had run into him, it was his best guess. "Why don't I join you, and you can fill me in? On the personal, and the political."

Did that answer Simon's unasked question about his plans and the length of his visit?

Three? And twins none-the-less. Golly they were growing old. Sabel laughed at the strangeness of it all. Looking back on where they had been and where they were now, it felt like looking at two different lives of different people. Perhaps in some ways, it was.

He grinned at his friend. A time. A good time. A hard time with lots of struggles, but they were here now because of it. Hopefully stronger and smarter. Time be the judge of that. And perhaps Emily Browne.

Sabel made a motion forward for Simon to lead the way, falling in step beside his friend. "Just like old times." Or almost, given the whole kid and age thing. "It'll be good to get reacquainted with this place." He didn't want to say 'a-tour-so-he-wouldn't-get-lost' but that's what it felt like he needed.

His attention trailed over the poster in the atrium for a moment as he worried his bottom lip in thought. "Well, about you and how you are doing." He glanced over at his old flatmate. "Sorry I haven't done well keeping in touch. The work I was doing didn't allow for much time, and any detailed correspondence was...always a bit risky." The nature of the business he supposed.

"And about whatever is going on here," he motioned to the poster, "and with that prosecutor that's giving you trouble."

So in short, Simon Bennett, everything. Everything and anything that the Auror was willing to divulge.