Hardly decorated, incredibly straightforward, and intricately protected with more security charms, warning wards and dark-magic detectors than you could possibly imagine, the office of Ikenna Gevrik, Head of the Department of Magical Maintenance and Ministry Security, is clearly a place for business only.

The first thing you notice when you walk in are the two chairs where you, the visitor, should sit. The plain, sturdy but uncomfortable-looking chairs sit directly in front of Ikenna's desk. The dark desk itself is also centred, with one large shelving unit fixed to the wall just behind it. On either side of the shelves are two weather windows that Ikenna can change at will.

If you know how to get past all of this highly capable man's enchantments and protections, or if he has taught his office to permit your entrance, then you may have a seat to wait for his arrival. If not.... then let us hope you are not too attached to any of your limbs.

Muttering a few more protective charms and countercurses even as he had his hand on the doorknob, Ikenna led the way into his office. Now it would be safe for the Head of the Department Magical Creatures to enter and sit, at least temporarily. He let the door swing open behind him and smoothly moved around his desk to his chair.

He took a seat and carefully adjusted the one personal item gracing the top of his desks so that it was now facing him. The rest of the desk was absolutely organised and devoid of clutter, with hardly more displayed than what was absolutely necessary to write a letter.

The man looked up and gestured toward a chair, waiting for Erica to sit before his door would close behind her.

Erica followed in after Ikenna, her arms still folded across her body in a protective stance. his office was.... Not as homely as Erica's was, maybe just because she liked different things in hers, worked better if it was more, personal. Her gaze scanned the room for a few seconds, taking note of anything she should particularly be, looking out for, not that she was spying or anything. Nope. Simply being inquisitive.

The Blonde Department Head took a seat opposite of Gevrik, on a not so comfy chair. Though she was rather impressed by the organisation of the desk. She liked that, papers all in order. She waited for him to speak first, she wasn't really sure what to say.

Once the Head of Magical Creatures had taken her seat, the door to Gevrik's office closed with a solid, ominous click. The man silently watched as Erica took her seat and took her time allowing her eyes to trail around his sparsely decorated office.

He didn't miss a thing about this woman. She was as curious as a cat, wasn't she.

"I've been studying you and reading up on your files, Miss Radley," Gevrik spoke at last, his fingers loosely tapping the armrest of his chair. "It seems you have quite the extensive knowledge of magical creatures and their environments... and is true that you possess a pet phoenix...?"

How interesting - and useful - a domesticated phoenix must be.

Studying her files?

Now that made her slightly apprehensive. Though there wasn't anything in there at all that would or should be hidden from anyone. She truly had nothing to hide. And Miss Radley? Did he have to be so formal?

"I wouldn't be the Head of Magical creatures if I didn't have good knowledge of them, don't you think?" she raised an eyebrow slightly. "Yes. I acquired him a few years ago, when I was off travelling, well behaved he is" she commented.

Nothing wrong with that was there?

"That is what I think." Ikenna agreed, naturally, resisting the urge to smirk as he usually did when the people around him became agitated simply because he knew details about them they wouldn't have others know.

He would have liked to ask a follow-up question about the phoenix but was not sure how to word one without digging too far into her personal life. Instead he thought back to what he had read about her work background.

"You spent some time in America, is that correct?" he looked up from tapping his fingers to make eye contact with Erica. "How do you think the work environment there compares to here?"

Or the environment in general, he wondered. Did the American Muggles take better care of their continent than did the horrible European ones? Was their Ministry better protected than the British one was or was it also as corrupt and bothersome?

Ikenna just wanted to hear Erica's take on these things. For his own reasons......

Exactly. Now why on Earth would she be the head of Creatures if she didn't spend YEARS researching into them, their environments, practically everything about them. It took a lot of work for her to get to where she was now, she didn't just get the position out of nothing. And she hoped HE had the same amount of experience for himself. The Blonde noticed however, that he was doing a lot of the questioning, though glad that he had changed the subject from the reason behind her snooping around on his level.

Erica eyed him suspiciously as he said nothing further on the Phoenix matter. It wasn't an important issue, but she didn't like it when someone asked you something yet didn't explain why. "Why'd you ask?" she asked herself, she'd rather know then to be kept in the dark.

Why on EARTH did he know so much about her? Weren't her files locked safely within her office? "That's correct. I worked in the Ministry at first" she stated, though he probably already knew that considering he practically knew everything else. Heck she wouldn't be surprised if he knew her mothers name. "I don't really have much to comment on the WORK environment... But If we're commenting on the environment in general, I do think we should do more to protect it. Surely WE should be the ones undoing what others have done wrong" she stated. It was their duty wasn't it? Considering they were the ones who had the ability to do so.

Miss Radley was a suspicious little cat, was she? Ikenna was amused at her internal dialogue, for it was easily readable when she eyed him like that, but he did not display any emotion whatsoever.

"Call it... curiosity," he answered mildly. "A phoenix is an usual choice for a pet, if you could even consider one that. But I'm sure you have the proper paperwork on him and such...." He trailed off his sentence in an open-ended tone in case she chose to elaborate as she should. Phoenixes were protected magical creatures the last time Ikenna had checked.

But he wasn't suspicious of the Head of Magical Creatures. No, far from it. He quite liked where this conversation was going.

"I agree entirely, if by 'others' who have done wrong you mean those littering, lazy wizards and inept, ignorant Muggles." Again, Gevrik gave no open sign of whether or not he actually believed what he had said or if he was just testing Erica... or if both were true.

Erica wasn't sure where exactly this conversation was going. Her Phoenix was perfectly legal. She was allowed to have it. She'd asked the Ministry's permission and she had accquired him in a perfectly allowable way. Nothing wrong there.

"I like unusual. Don't you think a Crup or a Kneazle can be a little, predictable. Not everyone can get a Phoenix, they're special" she stated. She didn't want to just be a sheep and follow along in the crowd. "Of course I do..." she stated, her eyebrows furrowing slightly at the question.

She paused. She didn't believe that every single muggle was responsible for ruining the environment, some were trying their best to stop it from happening, but in some ways she had to agree. "Yes. I suppose that there are some people like that out there" she stated.

"I know that," Ikenna, again, put on a patient tone. "Predictability can only take you so far. Crups and kneazles can grow dull. Such attention-needy creatures." He shrugged at Erica's confused expression and decided to chance a bit of personal information. Honesty was not such a bad policy when the truth could be spared.

Swishing his chair slightly, Ikenna glanced down at his shoes. "I once wanted a pet phoenix." He paused as if reconsidering what he was going to say next but went with it anyway. "I admire their ability to appear and disappear at will.... and to be reborn from their own ashes."

Beautiful, magical creatures, phoenixes were. A careful, smart creature Erica Radley was.

"Some people, yes. I did not mean to insinuate that all Muggles and wizards are litterbugs." He smiled politely, almost gently as if to show he meant no harm by their little conversation. "I have a few friends who would go to great lengths to protect the environment... some might even call them fanatical about it, they have such a passion."

Heh. Those friends.

The Blonde smiled. Glad they could agree with something there then. "But they are wonderful creatures for children, its just, the idea of owning a Phoenix, they're special aren't they?" she asked almost rhetorically.

She raised an eyebrow at his next statement. He wanted a Phoenix? "Well so did I and I got one..." she grinned. Yes she hadn't exactly planned on getting it, it just kinda.. happened. "If we were to possess such talents, it would come in pretty handy" she stated. To vanish without the aid of a rare item, to be reborn once you passed away, creatures truly were fascinating and that was why she adored being the creatures head.

"Well I'm glad that there are people doing something about it then. It is our responsibility to look after those who can't help themselves right?" and if that meant the environment or creatures or even humans, it didn't matter. People had to take responsibility sometime after all otherwise it would all fall apart, and maybe they just had to be the ones to do so.

Wonderful creatures for children...Gevrik could not argue that point, since he did not own any children nor had any desire to do so, and could only somewhat agree with Erica by tilting his head forward slightly. What did he know of children and their interactions with kneazles?

"Lucky you," he smiled too, a rare true smile. Yes, if only one were able to do what the phoenix did... "You'd be invincible." Ikenna stated it softly, like some sort of revered fact. Oh how he wished he could be both invisible and invincible...

"Right," the dark man agreed once again, his eyes meeting Erica's briefly before flickering down toward his one-of-a-kind watch. "I'm glad we agree on some things, Miss Radley," he adjusted his jacket and smoothly stood up from his chair. "I enjoyed speaking with you...but if you'll excuse me now...."

He had other people to speak with as well. Ikenna crossed to the door in a few steps and opened it for her, gesturing with his eyes and a small smile that she should exit first.

"And if you don't mind...I may have a few employees stopping by your office for a routine maintenance and security inspection."

From this brief conversation, she herself was mostly and already in the clear.