Feeling famished? Head on over to the country club style buffet and take a look at the colorful display set up for members of the ministry, new and old. The hot hors d’oeuvres smell delicious as the scents of foods like the lemon chicken tenders and scallops wrapped in applewood bacon waft through the air. There’s even talk that the cranberry walnut brie in phyllo dough will change your life, just saying. The eye-catching assortment of breads and spreads might be more your style, neighbored by the salad wraps for those looking for something a bit lighter. Freshly baked cookies, cupcakes, and brownies are available for those with a sweet tooth and a variety of beverages that compliment anything on your plate complete the menu. So grab some food, find a seat, and enjoy while mingling with your ministry mates. It’s sure to be a good time.

Was it too early for the blond to be thinking of enjoying the buffet? Probably. But Megan was one to never care about what others thought of her and her sizeable appetite so here she was, inhaling all the deliciousness as her eyes took in the wonderful looking food. "Mmm.'' Time to grab herself a plate!

Megan had a very healthy appetite so she went for the real food. You know, not the sweets like cupcakes but rather the lemon chicken tenders and so forth. She unashamedly piled her plate high. When she was satisfied that she had gotten enough food for now, she turned her head this way and that, looking for her co-workers.

Delicate fingers knotting themselves with one another, Kiera made her way towards the buffet in hopes that putting some proper food into her stomach would help with the nerves. She had managed to have some avocado on toast earlier that morning after rising with the sun, but nothing since then. Unlike the woman in front of her in the queue, Kiera did not pile her plate high with food, but that was mostly due to her having to painstakingly look everything over to ensure she selected things that she could eat.

Rabbit food, as Daphne affectionately refereed to it.

The vegetable wraps looked comforting, so she selected a pair of those for her plate as well as a healthy dollop of chickpea and kale spread to go with some of the bread she had plucked earlier as well. Balancing the plate on her hand, she reached into one of the pockets of her dress to touch the hippogriff feather she had brought with her. Doing so put her a little more at ease, but it was all still quite overwhelming.

Charles was sitting alone with a book on his hand and a chicken sandwich on the other. For those who knew him before should have figured him out by now that he loathed socialising events and would rather stay out of it whenever he could. He clearly showed he preferred to be left alone. After last year's unfortunate disease that struck him and a few others of his co-workers, they would think he had recovered from it but no...he couldn't hide his embarrassment from acting like the way he did. Everyone he knew kept glancing his way, probably wanting to laugh at his face. Hmph...Charles tried his best to ignore them as he flipped through the pages of his book.

If anyone expected to find Rusty anywhere OTHER than where the food was then they didn't know him very well. Especially once he heard the word 'buffet' because he had a big appetite and a buffet generally catered to that remarkably well. He piled his plate high and juggled that, cutlery, and a drink, over to a free table. He sat down with his eyes still on the food prize and not particularly taking note of where he was or who he might be nearby.

Because as per usual Rustin Killick had priorities, and he'd be no use to anyone until his hunger was tamed.

Dmitry was immediately reminded of why he'd skipped out on most of these orientation functions since working at the Ministry. The food was served buffet style. He only just stopped himself from shuddering in disgust. This serving style was likely to cause so many germs to spread. He really hoped that everyone had thoroughly washed their hands before coming over to grab some food. Mitya also hoped that there would at least be something on the table that tasted good.

Maybe he should just get a drink. The drinks certainly wouldn't be contaminated, or at least Mitya hoped they wouldn't. Yes, he could grab a drink and just hope that his erstwhile fiancee would want to go home before he actually needed to eat. Knowing Ember's love of socialising that was doubtful, though Dmitry could always hope.

Zhenya was excited to be back at work, after travelling back to Russia briefly with Sophia. But now she was back and ready to get started back in the labs. Plus her UNCLE was here with her. Well, not with her, he was with a new girl he had met. Zhenya had facepalmed when she found out he was working with her. Knowing Archer, they would be broken up in a month and he would be back, somewhere across the globe. But for now, anyway, she was happy for him. And her, whoever she was. Maybe she would meet her sometime. She was going to keep her eye out for him.

But for now, her stomach wasn't allowing her to focus on anything but food! Stepping into the buffet room, she beamed at the sight of Megan, Charles, and Rusty. But Megan was the one she had missed the most, and she was sure some of her other fellow A&C people would rock up soon enough.

"Megan!" she said happily, walking over to her co-worker. "How was your break?" she asked, looking at all of the food.

Winter break has over, people. Now it's time for the almighty handsome Kang Micky back to work. "Come on, Hara." He whispered to her cousin while grabbing her hands. Maybe people thought that she was his girlfriend (because they both looked damn good together) but she was not. Besides, he didn't do girlfriend.

Walking to the buffet, the Korean guy found his co-workers gathered there. "Hey, guys!" He greeted them. "Hello, beautiful." He gave a wink to Zhenya and kissed her, on the lips.

Oh, by the waaaay... "I'd like you guys to meet my cousin. Christina. She's gonna work in specialty area." He introduced her to everybody there.

Was this orientation really necessary?

Christina didn't really enjoy social gathering. She was about to skip this event and stay at home, but thanks to her cousin that now she was here. And he also dragged her to meet his co-workers, damn it. The Korean girl just smiled sheepishly to them."H.. Hi..." Well, at least Micky was being nice.

Was that girl (Zhenya) his girlfriend?

Kai was trying to look forward to her new year at the ministry. She recovered from her first year embarrassment, but it wasn't quite as publicly obvious as her second year blunder....this past year. She really didn't want to think about it as much while trying to meet new people. Yes, she wasn't the only one....the better part of her department....including the boss...had done some interesting things due to that whole flushing issue but....she felt like she did a lot.

Miss Fern even forwent her typically bright and cheery , flowing formal clothes. Black was the color of the day, all black right down to her boots. Her hair was twice the length she had normally kept it as well, maybe no one would recognize her as easily.

Food....she was tempted to have some. Yes she remember the fiasco of the last time she was at a buffet in the ministry.....her and Megan's tripe flinging incident..........and speak of the devil.

Kai plucked some lemon chicken fingers and a salad wrap onto her plate as she walked over to Megan with a subdued smile. "Hello there friend." She smiled a bit more as Zhenya came too. "Hello Zhenya." Kai was markedly less bubbly right now, but she was still very friendly.

And.......there was more of her department......oh crap and there was Charlie. She felt awkward about running into Charlie or Logan right now........but particularly Charlie.......what happened was just......yeah. She tinged slightly in her cheeks, trying to ignore him as she turned to wave at Micky.

"Hello Micky......" O.O She was a little too surprised by what he did to acknowledge the cousin though as she just stared at him in surprise.

Charles glanced up from his book, distracted by the 'noise' over at the buffet table. He could recognise Kang Micky's voice anywhere. Merlin...could he be any louder? He saw that he was pulling a woman with him, he wondered if she was his new girlfriend? He had never seen her before, was she from another department? A newbie? He watched as more A&C colleagues came to gather over there. He saw Megan, Zhenya...and of course...Kai. She looked different today. In fact, she looked barely unrecognisable under all that black outfit she wore. If he studied closely, she looked pretty...hot. Wait a minute...where that thought came from?! And also, did Kai catch his stare? Charles looked away quickly, glancing back down to his book. Urgh...he should avoid her at all cost today. It was just too awkward for him. He sighed, knowing it wasn't going to be easy since they worked on the same floor. Charles eyes came up again only to catch Kang Micky suddenly kissed Zhenya on the lips! Wait, what?! So the girl he was holding wasn't his girlfriend? Zhenya was?!

When Autumn was done with her golfing adventures and had successfully made some friends, she was exhausted. Being an adult was hard. She wanted to get a drink, so she made her way to the buffet. There was a lot of delicious looking food here, but she was not very hungry for now. Fortunately, there was a great variety of beverages too!

The eighteen-year-old grabbed a cup of coffee after some hesitation. She would have to get used to drinking this at work. She took a large sip - and coughed. It was all bitter and hot! "Sorry," she said to the nearest person.

Deciding that it would be too weird to stand around near the buffet and not grab anything, and that the drinks would likely be fine, although he was dubious about the cleanliness of the cups, Dmitry decided to grab himself a drink. Of course that would be when a girl started coughing. Was she sick? Mitya hoped she wasn't sick. Or was it that the coffee, or was it tea, that she had was so bad as to be undrinkable? Either way Mitya was going to steer clear of it. But first he grabbed a napkin from the table and turned to the girl.

"It's fine," he said dismissively as soon as she voiced an apology and held out the napkin to her, just incase she needed it. "Are you alright?" that was asked with some concern as he noted just how young she looked. Also it was a social nicety to ask and he was nothing if not full of those. Besides, since Ember had forced him to come to this he might as well actually mingle and get to know people.

Luc felt quite refreshed to be back at work, especially now that he had a special someone to walk with. His fingers were enclosed with Claudette's as he worked up an appetite while heading to the buffet.

Faaaaancy.

"How're you holding up?" Luc asked her as he began piling his plate with the entrees and a lot of cookies. Was she just as anxious as he was his first day?

It had taken over an hour for Eliora to be able to leave the house today. An hour of Levi chanting "Momma food", "Momma sleep" and "Momma kiss" alongside Briar trying on every pair of shoes that Eli already had. In the end, Eliora hadn't had time to do much to her hair and therefore ditched the outfit she intended to wear, opting for the worst that she owned: 'My children have affected my clothing choices'. The worst. All of that drama meant that she was missing her dose of coffee before she even got here and NEEDED IT.

She moved past the worst employees in her department purposely rolling her eyes and scoffing, gave Rusty's bum a pinch and a grin in his direction before bustling on past the little line of people who just wanted food. HER NEED FOR COFFEE WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THEIR HUNGER PANGS. They weren't single parents to TWO children. Two children who whined and whined for "daddddy, dadda, Papaaaaaa" on a daily basis. Pft. Nate wasn't worth that title. He ran out on them soon after Levi was born because he couldn't cope with the fact Eliora wasn't enamoured with him enough to marry him and pledge her life to the surname Prince.

No.

"Excuse me, hot commodity coming throUUUUGHHH." What? It wasn't a lie! "Park pee pee? Kiera??" She gave the woman she had met with Rockwell a smile, and a nudge out of the way so she could swipe some coffee before this one escaped. "You didn't say that you worked here! I've not seen you around!"

COFFEEEEEEEEE

Autumn was never drinking coffee again. She did not care if she was being immature, she did not care if she needed caffeine at work. Tea was okay, she could stick to that. It was after she reached this thought that she turned her attention to the man she apologized to.

"Thank you," she said and took the napkin, which she used to wipe her mouth. "Yes, I'm okay. Just - coffee." She held up the cup to indicate that it was nothing dangerous. Of course, nobody would expect to see poison at an Orientation buffet, but he might be security, so ... "It's hot." She explained.

What was supposed to happen next? Should she introduce herself? Would it be a good timing? Oh, whatever. "I am Autumn Carey. Department of Games and Sports." She smiled.

The buffet table is the most awkard feature of the orientation, ever. Those years he spent with the ICW, and attending to diva-esque diplomats and VIPs, made him wary of the food. Ryden was taught and trained to let all the guests eat first...and him last. The area wasn’t as organized as he thought it would be. Actually, he was expecting the area to be a bit more formal than the rest since there is food involved, as well as the opportunity to sit down and do the actual chatting with new and old employees.

Ryden had to suppress his shrug, and instead, made a beeline to where the drinks were. He really could use a glass of apple juice right now. His throat’s parched from trying to make new acquaintances...or lack thereof.

Orientation was one thing...this was mingling. Something Gideon wasn't the most comfortable with. He had made it through the check-in, his badge pinned to his robes to show who he was and what department he was in. Another unsettling notion...accidents and catastrophes. Something you certainly never wanted, especially involving his chosen field of potions. But that was for the real work day. Today he was navigating social niceties.

Given his choice of locations, he found himself at the buffet. Perfect. He could mingle but use food as an excuse should he decide not to talk. A buffet buffer sort of speak. So he started on one end if the tables where people had flocked, a plate in one hand that he was starting to add tidbits too.

Did Megan know this woman in the polka dot dress? Nope, she was quite certain she did not but that did not stop her from waving energetically at her. "Hi! Hello!'' She had just finished swallowing some chicken and really wanted to have some more but that would be rude since she decided she was going to talk with polka dot woman. "I don't think we've met before. I'm Megan Baines.'' She held out her free hand (which was clean and free of any food). "Are you new here? Or perhaps I've never seen you around before.''

Megan allowed the polka dot woman a moment to recover from her chatter and in the moment, used it to once again scan the buffet area. "Charles!'' She saw him sitting in a corner, reading of all things. Though given the man's personality, it wasn't a surprise. She wasn't sure if he would look up or not but she waved in his direction anyway. Then there was Rusty. "Hi, Rusty! How's it going?'' Megan's tossed her blond hair as her name was called. "Zhenya! It was smashing, doll! How was yours?'' She was always pleased to see Zhenya as she was someone she adored... and was protective of too. Which is why she bristled when that Kang Mickey KISSED ZHENYA ON THE LIPS. Were those two a thing now? "Um, Zhenya? Should I punch him?'' Cue the glares at Kang. Megan still didn't like him much.

The blond, still bristling about Kang, smiled at Christina. "Hello. I'm Megan. Welcome to the Ministry. Your cousin needs to learn his boundaries,'' she said as her eyes shifted to another newcommer (Gideon) close by. "Hi. Are you new to the Ministry too?'' she had enough time to ask before hearing her name called by Kai. "Hi, comic book nerd friend.'' Could she have a hug? Don't leave her with her arms open like an idiot, Kai.

Lis Deborah Gallagher always thought these moments were important. Orientation Day, where everyone got to meet the people they'd be working with before they actually started getting busy at their own desks. It was only because that was important that she was there.

She checked her wrist watch and confirmed it was time for some food, so she made her way to the buffet area. Lis didn't want to waste time so she immediately approached a man standing there. "Excuse me. Could you point me to the cranberry walnut brie in phyllo dough? They are meant to change your life." Did she believe it? Maybe. However, she had no idea what that was. "Or so I heard." ...

Claudette was glad to have Luc by her side. It made her feel safe and everything didn't feel as daunting and scary. The last thing she wanted was to make a bad impression on people on her first day. Luc was her safety net. He'd keep her clear of trouble.

As they neared the buffet tables Claudette, glanced sideways at Luc and confessed in response to his question. "I feel super nervous, excited, anxious and just a little scared." Taking a plate she started to fill it with entrees and sweets mainly cupcakes. "How did you feel on your first day? Did you get through it without trouble?" she asked him fondly.

Just coffee. So the coffee was no good then. He was definitely sticking to juice, which he poured into a glass while she finished her explanation. So there wasn't anything wrong with it then? Coffee was generally meant to be hot. The ridiculousness of the explanation was why nobody could blame him when his brow quirked in disbelief. "Were you expecting it to be cold?" Although maybe that wasn't such a ridiculous thought since iced coffee was a thing and who knew what charms they'd placed to preserve the heat of the food and hot drinks.

Oh. They were actually going to go down the route of introductions. Where was Ember when he needed her? Or well, really, he just wanted her because Mitya was good with small talk. "Dmitry Konstantinov, I'm in International Cooperation," he responded smiling back at the girl and offering his hand for a shake. "Is this your first time working for the Ministry?" Mitya asked, figuring that was a safe topic and one which would keep the conversation from fizzling out right after introductions were made.

SPOILER!!: you both

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jean Granger

Autumn was never drinking coffee again. She did not care if she was being immature, she did not care if she needed caffeine at work. Tea was okay, she could stick to that. It was after she reached this thought that she turned her attention to the man she apologized to.

"Thank you," she said and took the napkin, which she used to wipe her mouth. "Yes, I'm okay. Just - coffee." She held up the cup to indicate that it was nothing dangerous. Of course, nobody would expect to see poison at an Orientation buffet, but he might be security, so ... "It's hot." She explained.

What was supposed to happen next? Should she introduce herself? Would it be a good timing? Oh, whatever. "I am Autumn Carey. Department of Games and Sports." She smiled.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saiai

Just coffee. So the coffee was no good then. He was definitely sticking to juice, which he poured into a glass while she finished her explanation. So there wasn't anything wrong with it then? Coffee was generally meant to be hot. The ridiculousness of the explanation was why nobody could blame him when his brow quirked in disbelief. "Were you expecting it to be cold?" Although maybe that wasn't such a ridiculous thought since iced coffee was a thing and who knew what charms they'd placed to preserve the heat of the food and hot drinks.

Oh. They were actually going to go down the route of introductions. Where was Ember when he needed her? Or well, really, he just wanted her because Mitya was good with small talk. "Dmitry Konstantinov, I'm in International Cooperation," he responded smiling back at the girl and offering his hand for a shake. "Is this your first time working for the Ministry?" Mitya asked, figuring that was a safe topic and one which would keep the conversation from fizzling out right after introductions were made.

Ember thought it was time for food. And she was pretty sure she had seen the FIANCE around these parts--yes yes! There he was! Looking quite as grumpy as she would have expected. She bounded towards him, thankfully not tripping over her shoes or anyone ELSE'S shoes, and stopped riiiiiiight next to him, smiling away.

"Have you eaten?" she asked softly, looking at the table with big, wide eyes. "I'm starving--Merlin--" and she noticed the woman [Autumn] with Mimi. The woman got a very eager wave from Ember. "Hello! I'm Ember! His fiancee-" she grinned, "And it's so nice to meet you!" she wasn't even sure if it was REALLY nice to meet this woman, yet, but of course she wanted to A. Say the word fiancee as many times as she could tonight and B. she had to be nice!

The ministry does have its collection of interesting people, doesn't it? Ryden could stand there all day, analyzing their body language, observing them with experienced eyes. He was taken aback however, when a woman approached him and asked where the cranberry wraps were. He really ought to get a makeover with his wardrobe, because he got the impression that the woman made a mistake thinking that he's a server.

She didn't earn any scowl or anything. Ryden's trained to keep a grin or a smile plastered on his face should something awkward happen. "It's a few steps to your left miss. The one with the red stuff on top." Was it really hard to read the tiny cards on the table? There were labels for it, right? "I highly doubt it will change your life, but I am curious." he said letting out a chuckle escape from his mouth.

Fate had wandered over to the buffet table and she slowly grabbed a plate..trying to hold back her excitement!

FOOODDDD!! She hadn't seen this much food in awhile and she hadn't been eating much lately due to her losing her job as an Art teacher. She was LITERALLY a Starving artist..

Like she hadn't had a meal in a several days that hadn't consisted of cheap noodles and tinned beans.

She picked up a sandwich and put it on her plate, her mouth watering a bit. Would anyone mind if she took a few more and perhaps charmed them smaller to put in her purse and sneak off home with them? Because until her paycheck came in.. she was still.. broke.

She put some more food on her plate and was looking around as she stuffed a sandwich in her mouth when she backed into someone! (Megan)

"Ohhh.. I'm so sorry." She said with her mouth half full of food..

Autumn considered the question thoughtfully. Was she expecting it to be cold? "No." She had expected it to be hot, she just was not prepared for it. As she did not want to seem more ridiculous, she kept her mouth shut. Oooh, International Cooperation! These people were really formal, weren't they? She extended her hand and shook his. "Nice to meet you, Dmitry. And yeah, I am new." She smiled. Was it obvious? She hoped not.

Then, another woman joined them. Hmm, the two seemed to know each other well. And sure enough, she turned out to be his fiancee. "Hi! Nice to meet you too. I am Autumn." She was definitely pleased to meet Ember, though it had barely been a minute since they had met. She seemed super nice and enthusiastic though, so that was something.