He agreed? Just like that. Well wasn't that just grand? The first step to recovery was acceptance and Sabel seemed to have gotten that part down...at least right now. Merlin knew he wasn't nearly as honest with himself the last time they'd spoken. This was actually refreshing.

The look of curiosity he wore as he stared over at her didn't go unnoticed. It must really have been a curious thing indeed coming from her. Business was always such a tedious subject. Sometimes she wondered who suffered more, herself or her cousin.

"It's not that great actually, in fact I hate it." And she sometimes hated Soren too, for being the annoying know-it-all Tutor that forced them through the lessons at their grandparents' request. "My family think Arisa and I would make a good duo running the family business after our grandparents have retired but currently neither of us knows anything about running a business and neither of us care."

In truth, Arisa knew more than her, having been taking the lessons a little longer but it was all the same in the end; she wanted to be an Auror and Arisa wanted to be a happy heiress who never worked a day in her life. SUCH a great pair they were.

At the offer to help, Alexa perked up just a little. Admittedly, she'd been trying to find someone to help all day but they'd all brushed her off, insisting they already had their own reports or were done and didn't fancy doing more so even if she was still a little miffed at him, Alexa promptly handed over a few of the patrol summary documents. "You can write up the one I did for the Atrium. Security's still tight down there but nothing eventful. Do with that what you will."

Should he tell her a story? His smile persisted as he considered the option and eventually decided against it. Maybe another day. Maybe when they knew each other better.

At least, she proved to be the same Alexa he had dueled and bickered with. His world perception wouldn't be totally bent out of shape.

Except now he was factoring in a family business along with an unwanted sibling and ... "Who's Arisa?" Surely it wasn't the eight-year-old-unwanted? Unless, they started them early in her family. It was always a possibility. At least he now knew that owning a business wasn't an alternative career goal of hers, though he wasn't about to put the idea of owning her own Auror business past her. "So what family business do you have no interest in investing in?"

He was tempted to try and guess, but he didn't know Alexa well enough yet to even gander a half-believable choice. Or one that wouldn't end in insult or injury. And that was a point he had to remember. He didn't yet know her. For some reason, he had misjudged that and stepped closer than he should have with her. She was still an acquaintance. So that meant, for the foreseeable future, keeping at arms length on the personal stories, feelings and opinions. And keeping Professional. After all, he was supposed to set the example. Or at least, one of several examples.

Drawing up his knees for a somewhat solid writing surface, Sabel rested the papers against his legs and withdrew a pen from his coat. Patrols down in the Atrium? It made him smile as he pulled the cap off and scanned the document. Simon would have a good time swallowing that one. He started scratching in some of the blanks. "How are you finding things? Patrols and training and the like?"

He was smiling and Lex was staring. What did he find so pleasant on an afternoon like this? Dancing little images of his children running around his head maybe. Some people liked that. HE seemed like the type to like that with the way he'd gotten all defensive so for her part, she kept a neutral expression.

Oh? She'd never told him about Arisa? Alexa was almost sure she had. "My cousin." She offered with a small nod and explanation. "She's the one we'd have borrowed a pair of shoes from if you'd decided to go blonde on your next undercover mission." Did he even remember that conversation they had at the Orientation? The jokes about sneaking some of her cousin's stuff? Not that Arisa would have appreciated it..."She's the more invested of the two of us, though for superficial reasons. It's Jewellery and mining to an extent you can say. We own our own resources and supply precious minerals to others for the right price outside of our own refineries, metal charming...the works." Boring works that she was sure he didn't wanna sit through an explanation of so Lex chose to end it there, her eyes scanning over what she'd written thus far.

Thankfully he'd gotten right onto his. As much as she had grown accustomed to sitting on the floor, right now her bum was sore from nothing but hard surfaces and falls all week making this less comfortable than it COULD have been.

"It's all okay I suppose." She said with a small shrug, finishing off the report. "Nothing exciting ever happens on patrols, especially not ones inside the ministry." Lex carefully left out the bit where she half wished someone would drop dead so they could get some action. Sabel...had a heart, annoyingly enough and it made him care a little too much for her liking. Best to leave certain things where they were. "Training's neat though. I'm usually dead tired by the time I get home but I like it that way; helps me sleep." Without exhaustion, Alexa found herself awake at unholy hours of the morning, restlessly trying to find something to do.

And suddenly she remembered something that needed sharing, trivial as it was. While others discredited the trivial things, the young woman clung to them, finding that they always made things light and breathable. "I took over a corner of the office--the floor really but that whole corner's mine now. I changed the wall in that spot blue and hung up pictures. Laid a blanket down too." PERFECTLY AT HOME. Who needed a desk? Pfft.

Legend Chosen did what he wanted, whenever he wanted , whenever he wanted. Which was exactly why he was currently spying on two people he currently worked with, the lovely Sabel and that YATI. Cambridge. Yeah.

Standing completely still with a Disillusionment Charm in tact Legend learned against the wall eavesdropping only slightly on the conversation that was taking place.

Cousin. Shoes. Blonde. Undercover .... "Right!" Sabel snapped his fingers as the recollection hit him. He couldn't help but grin. What a weird night that had been. At first Alexa had loved him, then loathed him, then loved him again. Granted, the first two were his own darn fault for having a bit too much fun. Getting carried away, it seemed to be a thing with him.

"Has she given permission yet?" He waved his pen absently, eyes locked onto the form. How long ago had it been since he had actually filled one of these out? "For borrowing a dress, that is. I was thinking red. I look good in red. Plus, red goes nice with blonde hair."

As for the business, she got a side glance at her short, but quaint explanation. It didn't sound too bad, but then he knew what it was like to decide on being an Auror. There was no turning back, and any other job just seemed like a waste of time, talent and energy. "Well, I think you would find rocks and minerals easier to deal with than people." He gave her a small, lopsided grin. "They talk back less. But then, nothing quite compares to this."

This currently being paperwork in the middle of a hallway at the end of the day, when most of the ministry had already gone home. His eyes skittered down the hallway, first one way and then the other, a small frown tugging at his grin before he returned his attention back to paperwork, scratching the next two fields in.

The frown persisted and grew moment by moment as he listened with a full ear and half attention on writing as she offered a bit of insight into her YATI days. Something...seemed off. An absent nod left him. "Who's to say you can't make it a little more exciting and incorporate some of your training into your patrols, to make things less...tedious?"

Not that he was encouraging bad behavior on patrols, mind you. It just made the transition between training and utilization less stark for when something blew up in the ministry. After all, it was bound to happen, sooner or later. Not literally of course, but he was distracted. Between listening to Alexa, writing the words on the paper and something .... something he couldn't put his finger on for the past few minutes. It was that unnerving sensation of being watched. Unless it was just the drifting memories of those early days in the ministry, mingling with his undercover memories. With the Ghost and other dark wizards that liked the shadows. That was possible.

Chewing on the end of the pen, he checked the hallways from the corner of his eyes again. Still empty, still alone. For some reason that didn't reassure him much.

His gaze landed on Alexa and he smiled, using his attention on her to carefully analyze the hallway behind her. Nothing looked wrong. Was he getting paranoid even here? He redirected his attention to the YATI. "Sounds comfy cozy. Don't know why they won't provide you with desks," and he couldn't say whether or not Rainey would appreciate the redecoration, "but it sounds like you've turned that around to suit you." Good. That was a good skill to have. "Still, if your buttox ever needs a break from the hard floor, you are free to use my desk."

He had forgotten, it was very likely he'd forgotten what they discussed at the Orientation and she supposed it didn't bother her too much. Lex was pleasantly surprised, however, when recollection finally set in. She allowed herself a smile and a glance up from her parchment. "The dress will be out of the question. Don't reckon she'd risk you busting one out at the seams--but you can borrow one of mine with her shoes." Because that was one less dress she had to contend with after.

"You can have some of my makeup too, Merlin knows I don't use it and Cassia will start getting suspicious if she comes over and sees them hardly touched on account of them being thoughtful gifts from her." Lex had been gracious enough to accept but....eh. In some ways, he would actually be helping her out--even if this was all hypothetical and wouldn't actual happen.

Unless...unless..."Could polyjuice you into a blonde girl..." Hazel eyes settled on his face. "But that would defeat the purpose of YOU being blonde with a nice face." It wouldn't be his face anymore, see? Which would be a problem when it was time to ogle.

Alexa almost snorted at his comment about rocks and people, mostly because it was true. "Lots of people would find it easier working with a rock than me too. They talk back less and might care more." Sad but true. "In any case, they won't help me become Head Auror. Not unless I hit Legend over the head with one." But then he'd have to stay down...forever. Like...no getting back up at all. It was only fair after all the hard work she'd have to put in to making sure he was good and hit.

In all this, she was unaware of any presence that might have been lurking nearby. In fact, her brows crinkled as she watched Sabel. He seemed a bit...edgy right now. Like he was expecting a flood or a storm of Dark Wizards--fingers crossed it was the second. He was distracting her. "It's hardly worth it. I'll conceal myself to hide from what? Coffee sipping, workaholics? " Sooooooooooo scary. OooOooOo. Pfft. "And I can't practice tackling either...because patrols have taught me that not everyone appreciates having their space invaded. I gotta look good, I've got a future job on the line here." Coming across as incompetent would only shoot her in the leg.

No seriously, what was he looking for? "Thanks..." For his offer that is, but she was now becoming even more bothered by his shifting attention. "If you've got somewhere to be you can just gimme my report back. I'll get them done myself." Eventually.

The talk of the dress and the shoes and the make-up was thoroughly distracting from his original distraction. Mostly because it was hard not to picture such a ridiculous get-up, no matter the unsettling feeling he was getting. Sabel's chuckle turned into full-out laughter by the time Alexa had decided that she would rather see him full drag-queen, than poly-juiced for the simple fact that he would keep his facial features.

"And don't forget the muscles." He couldn't help it. It was the reason he couldn't borrow Arisa's dresses. He left out the pointer that Alexa really wasn't comparable to him in size, and one way or another an enlargement charm would be needed. It would just curb the hilarity of the scenario.

Though, he frowned as he scrubbed his chin. "I suppose you'd want me to shave." Which, was a problem because he didn't want to shave. Not that there was much to shave in the first place, but the little bit of facial hair he had, he wanted to keep. Or was that part of the face thing? Women.....

And then he was back to laughing again, shaking his head and trying to focus on the report and that itching feeling. But Merlin was she a distraction. "Nah, I've never met a rock so personable or stubborn." But that bit about Legend, Merlin help him. He laughed again. Hard and loud. "If you're going to go that route, make sure it's a big rock. Guy's got a thick and dense skull."

Not that he was condoning advancement through elimination. Not at all. Especially not Legend. The bloke was a good guy, and well suited for the position. If it was Alexa's ambition to put him out of his place, she was going to have a hard run at it. But at least it was ambition focused in the right direction, as long as it didn't lead to drastic measures.

His attention drifted again and his smile drifted off as he returned his eyes to the paper. As much as he wanted to credit his itchy skin to memories and thoughts drifting around in his head, he couldn't shake the feeling. It was becoming more pronounced by the minute. "You never know, you might overhear some interesting conversation." Like talk of cross-dressing and plots of murder? "Might help with acquiring that future job...."

He was sure of it now. Dead sure. There was someone or something watching them. He didn't know how close or how far, or from where but he wasn't going to ignore it any longer. Scratching at his chin, Sabel considered the paper in front of him, absently listening to Alexa's release of his services. He shook his head slowly before scratching down a line on the side of the paper. "No. No, I'm good, just having trouble with this one."

Leaning over a little, he showed the paper to her, pointing at the line he had written in the column: we're being watched. "Does this sound about right?"

What in Merlin's name was going on.

Sabel wearing a dress and Alexa growing a beard? Was he missing something? Legend simply blinked his green eyes completely unsure of the scene that was unfolding before him. It clearly had to be talks of patrolling, right? Or going undercover? Perhaps Alexa was dressing up as Sabel and vice versa?

It made sense obviously.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense and the less he wanted it to be true. How wicked would it be if Sabel just was talking to Alexa about a dress off and they both tried to model the dress and Sabel owned it and beat Alexa and-

......

Was the YATI speaking about bashing his head in?

Legend squinted. Yati's were HONESTLY getting worse by the bunch. Sure Gryffindor's were his people but perhaps they just needed to start banning them, hmm?

Taking a few steps closer to them, the Auror had half the mind to hang her upside down. Instead he focused in on them again and a slight smile formed as he observed Sabel's almost completely normal nonchalant movements. Atta boy.

He knew the other man far to well to not realize that something was a miss, even if he hadn't worked with him for a while. Moving closer again, he drew his wand.

"I didn't forget the muscles." She said honestly as she gave him a once over. Didn't even bother trying to pretend she wasn't ogling him. "That's the point of giving you my dress--preferably the one Arisa got me over the summer." Lex wasn't a fan of long dresses by any stretch of the imagination but even she had to complain about the length of that dress...or the lack thereof.

"You've probably got the legs to pull it off." And a few serious nods as she moved to finish up that sentence she'd been working on before she got distracted.

The ridiculousness of the conversation was a perfect way to end a long work day. The report writing might have been mind numbing but Sabel was making it doable. Clearly they should have had more conversations like this one and less that dealt with snot nosed little demon candy suckers and pride that was apparently 'her problem'. Surely he'd agree.

Shaving though......."You don't have to. You wouldn't look the same then I'd probably stop being your friend." Lex even put on her best serious face trying to sell this act.

It was quite the relief when he decided to laugh off the murder plans as opposed to scowling and reprimanding her for it like she half thought he would. Maybe he DID grow a sense of humour since the last time they spoke. That would get him a long way. "I'm thinking a huge rock, he won't even know what hit him and if he knows what's good for him he'll stay down." Made life SO MUCH EASIER for everyone involved.

At the mention of the overhearing conversations she perked up again, splotching her parchment in the process. Dammit. "I did hear a couple things--nothing I can write in a report but it'll be interesting enough to tell Lottie later." They could laugh about it later but Rainey wouldn't appreciate...such things...they were being watched? What? Lex crinkled her brows, giving a look as if asking if he was serious before looking around the empty corridor for herself.

Seeing nothing, she did the next best thing. "Homenum Revilo."

For once, the ogling didn't bother him. It was within line of the conversation, and the ridiculous scenario, so she might as well have been giving him a once over to make sure he would fit in one of her dresses, or at least confirm that she would need an enlargement charm. At least, those were the reasons that made sense, and he was sticking to them.

At the mention of having legs to sport a dress, Sabel reached down and pulled up the hem of one of his pant legs. "I'm not gonna disagree with you there. Though, they are a bit on the hairy side." So she might want to think her stance on him shaving. Not that he was going to shave, wax or do any such thing to his legs. Nope.

He let his pant leg go with a chuckle. "Well, I'll keep that in mind next time I think about shaving." Shaving equaled less likely to be on Alexa's friend list. Duly noted Miss Cambridge. Duly noted.

As did not being high up on the MLE food chain, apparently. He wasn't going to encourage her further, but he wasn't going to say anything to discourage the sentiment. If she was going to use a rock to take Legend out, she was completely right. It was going to have to be a big rock. He wasn't going to disagree what was truth. And as for what she had overheard, he didn't want to know and he wasn't going to ask.

As it was, they had bigger fish than dresses, legs, shaving, rocks, Legend's head and eavesdropping to discuss. One which Alexa decided to tackle with about as much subtly as a bull in a china shop. He wanted to stare at her, to ask why in Merlin's beard she had not used Finite. Or why one of those two spells wasn't a nonverbal with her yet. But all those questions and protests stuck on his tongue in silence as he slipped his wand free and rose to his feet. She was a first year YATI, devoid of all the experience that made him a paranoid old man. And she was still learning.

Not knowing where or who the spell would reveal to her, and still not knowing exactly where that itchy feeling was originating from, Sabel did all he could think of in that moment and cast a shield around the both of them. Whoever was in the hallway with them already knew that they knew. It was pointless to pretend otherwise, and he wasn't going to sit around twiddling his thumbs waiting for them to make the first move. Hopefully, this wouldn't be a horrible learning experience.

A huge rock? Seriously? Scowling Legend had half a mind to throw a huge rock at Alexa 'I know only basic magic because I am a first year almost as bad as Bellaire YATI' Cambridge. But he wasn't GOING to because he was a nice guy. And because if he ended up killing her that would probably mean quite a bit of paperwork that frankly he didn't want to fill out.

As soon as her wand was drawn and the first syllable was uttered, Legend knew what to expect, bracing himself for the swooping feeling that took over him, the Head Auror rolled his eyes.

Ending the Disillusionment Charm himself, once he was sure they could now see him, Legend opened his arms out wide and raised a brow.

"So, a rock huh?"

Yes, Lex was content with giving a dress to Sabel. With any luck he'd ruin it completely and she'd be able to insist on throwing it away. One less dress to contend with? Yes please.

Of course she had glanced down at his legs when he mentioned they were hairy but the pants kinda made that impossible to verify so she would have to check that later...much later because they were apparently playing hide and seek; a game she didn't remember joining. The look on Sabel's face said he wasn't all that happy with her actions...or perhaps her spell choice but...she...didn't care. This was the end of a long day and only the exceptionally idle would stand disillusioned by a wall listening. No doubt one of there own. Last she checked, no one in MLE scared her so she wouldn't even feign concern. Sabel could hop up if he wanted to but she was sitting RIGHT HERE with her stack of papers.

The outline became clear in seconds but before she had time to figure who it might be BAM there was Legend Chosen standing arms out asking about rocks. "Yeah, a big one." Wasn't he listening? "I'd think you'd be flattered I have the decency to assume I'll need an exceptionally big one if I want you dead but here you are hung up on the fact it's a rock." Some people were just plain ungrateful.

She looked to Sabel. "Did you tell him to do this on purpose?" And a straight faced look. It made perfect sense. The first time he speaks to her since their fall out, the conversation of Legend comes up and he's conveniently there. Huh. Here she thought he was genuinely trying to fix things. Thanks A LOT dude.

It didn't matter to him that Alexa wasn't up and moving. Surprisingly, her seeming lack of diligence didn't even bother him. He was all eyes, ears and senses on high alert, waiting for the first sign of where the tell-tale shimmer would occur. He was a stone's throw away from a very nasty curse that lingered on the tip of his tongue.

He almost cast it too, his wand snapping towards the newly revealed person, the words catching on recognition.

It was jarring enough that for a moment Sabel stared dumbly at Legend, the heightened awareness and stress of being on alert suddenly dispelled for the presence of friends, of safety. Alexa's words tumbled through his thoughts as if they were muffled by cotton stuffed in his ears.

Her question though, when it came, came through loud and clear.

"No. I didn't." He ground out the words, his eyes never leaving Legend, and it was only then that he recognized the anger that was beginning to form. He let the shield around them down. "In fact, he's a bloody idiot for pulling such a stunt."

Didn't matter that he was the Head Auror, an idiot was an idiot. Did the man not remember that Sabel had been graced with a plethora of paranoia after years of being undercover?

In fact... "What in bloody hell were you doing, Legend?" Perhaps a question with an obvious answer, but it felt justified.

Honestly, honestly, where was the RESPECT when it came to these YATI's? Legend stared at the girl, long and hard as she explained how exceptionally big the rock would have to be for her to kill him. Turning away from her he focused his attention on his long time friend, who seemed less than pleased.

"You're calling me an idiot when this auror in-training is planning to kill me with a rock of all things?" Quickly his green eyes flickered back to Alexa. "You're a witch for merlins sake! The killing curse, torture, poison, there are so many options and you go with a bloody rock." Just-what-he couldn't. "I'm banning you from patrols effective immediately, unless you are by my side."

As for Sabel? Running his hands through his hair Legend shrugged. "Making sure that my Aurors have their wits and senses to them" Yes he knew about what had happened to his friend but he HAD to make sure that people would NOTICE when something wasn't quite right. "And let me also point out you still have 0 proof of who I am right now Sabel."Really. Really. Him of all people? Legend wouldn't admit it but he still looked up to the man.

Even with Sabel's denial, Lex wasn't sure she was ready to believe him...until he outright called Legend an idiot. That was officially speaking her language because that was the line she was thinking along as well. Merlin knew why anyone decided to go hiding in corridors and listening to people after work but it wasn't the most promising sign out there.

Alexa stared up at him, momentarily forgetting the paperwork she'd been diligently trying to do a moment ago before EITHER of them interrupted. "Circe, you really ARE hung up on the fact it's a rock...aren't you?" Of all things too. This was more ridiculous than it had been a moment ago. "When I'm finally ready, I will choose one of those, yes but this was a hypothetical situation built on the joke that I was less agreeable than a rock." But he obviously missed all that because he was too busy being uptight about it.

"And what does a joke have to do with my patrols? You aren't YATIL and I'm not an Auror." They fell under two different chains of command. He COULDN'T tell her what to do...could he? Probably not.

Furthermore. "If you wanted to be friends with me, you didn't have to restrict me to patrols with only you. Chocolate frogs get you further. The hell am I supposed to do now? Desk work?--I don't have a desk. Fetch coffee?--That's not in my job description." Lex began shuffling at the papers on the ground by her, realizing nothing more would get done. "Shoddy sense of humour you've got."

Alright, so he was a little put-off by Legend's tactics but that was quickly replaced for a surprising amount of disapproval towards his old friend. First suggesting an unforgivable curse and then removing Alexa's ability to patrol and all for....a rock?

Sabel's frown deepened and he fought to keep his tone level and respectful. "Legend...."

But his words halted to Alexa's protest and he fell silent. Whether or not it was tactful, he'd let the YATI defend herself. Merlin knew the young woman didn't need, or want, anyone else sticking up for her. She could definitely hold her own.

The little bit about Legend not technically being her boss made him smile, despite his best efforts. The chuckle was repressed, limited to a recollection of himself at her age, having acted in much the same way as she did. Oh to be a Gryffindor.

But his smile quickly faded as Alexa began packing up her stuff. He watched her for a moment before letting out a sigh, his gaze slipping back to Legend. The snort of disbelief, however, was not refrained. "Please, Legend. I've known you for long enough to know it's you." He gave a nod at the hand that had combed through the man's hair. "And anyone would be hard pressed to match your ... guidance of the YATI's."

For that, the man got a long look of consideration. Something seemed...off in his friend's mood. Or perhaps that was simply a result of hearing that one of his YATI's already wanted to bash his head in with a rock. Honestly, it was kind of funny. Even if Legend didn't think so.

Even then, he referred to a respectful tone and approach. The last thing he wanted to do was upset Legend's standing in front of a YATI. While the man was his friend first and foremost, he was also his boss. Their boss, despite Alexa's detailed distinction on that matter. "Legend, it was just a joke. One which I encouraged. Hardly worth, or fair to, handicap one of your YATI's over."

Because that's what he was doing. What he would be doing. Especially with a YATI like Alexa. Unless there was some underlying reason for this punishment?

So this was all a joke?

All of it?

All.

Well it was NOT A VERY FUNNY ONE if you asked him!

He might have been willing to retract some of his previous statements. Maybe, possibly. However, then the youngest one of the bunch spoke up oh so gracefully. "Thanks for reminding of of what I am and what i'm not, I almost forgot there." Thanks bud! "And you're even right. You aren't an Auror. And you won't be one any time soon with that attitude." Not if he had any say in the matter which he sorta did okay? So watch it.

"Touché." Fine, he wouldn't fault Sabel in the whole checking it was him thing. Mostly because he knew that if Sabel had any doubts he'd be the first one on it.

But that didn't mean he'd agree with what the other man had to say. Handicap the YATI? Legend glanced at the girl then back at his old friend and shrugged. "I'm not handicapping anyone at all mate. Like Miss Cambridge said, I just so desperately want to be her friend." Sooooooooooooo true. "And getting coffee is a part of your job." It wasn't like he had said she couldn't go on patrols at ALL. Thinking things through, had never been one of his strong points. But right now? Yeah he was pretty sold on her so called 'punishment'.

This had all escalated quickly and taught her one very important lesson; never do paper work in a corridor at the end of the work day. There were those who lurked because they had nothing better to do and no one to go home to. Not her fault, not by a long shot, so why was she suffering?

Alexa stared blankly at his threat of her not being an Auror if she kept up with some imaginary attitude he was ascribing to her, only breaking out of it when Sabel said she was one of his. "I'm not his YATI." She informed in her most matter of fact tone. "I answer to Josh Carter, he's YATIL. You belong to him. You're his Auror." And she would never be his Auror one day because she would be Head Auror in charge of everyone else in case he missed THAT memo earlier with the rock.

The point was simply that he would no longer be here.

"And I don't think Rainey will appreciate you making me stop his special assignment either so I don't see how this will work." The man never said 'take Legend with you', he said to prove herself and get him what he wanted. Can't do THAT while babysitting the Head Auror. She didn't want to be his friend and she didn't want to get him coffee.

"This is not how you treat your favourite." Absolutely not.

There was one thing that was proving confusing for Sabel. If this was what it was like to have three Gryffindor's in the same, narrow hallway, how in Merlin's beard had they all survived crammed into that tower for years on end?

It seemed a fair rule of thumb, that Gryffindors plus small spaces rarely mixed well.

Sabel huffed out his irritation as he took to scrubbing the back of his neck, his eyes flicking between his two co-workers as they shortly debated who was who's. He could already see the explosions that would result between these two: Legend was the fire needed to set off Alexa's firecracker personality. And both were about as dense as rocks to reason with.

Sabel was fully prepared to leave Legend to figure out how much of a handicap he would be throwing on Alexa, and to leave Alexa to figure out where Legend actually stood in relation to her rank and future at the MLE. But her words derailed his thoughts from future projections to confusion.

"Rainey's special assignment?" His eyes flicked from Alexa to Legend and then back again. His friend's hurt feelings about the rock-to-head comparison could wait. "What special assignment?"

Was that what the closed door meeting between the two of them had been about on that first day?

Peyton had piles of paperwork to do. In fact, he was sure that he had so much paperwork to do, that there were stacks of paperwork INSIDE each stack of paperwork. The joys that came with being Head of a Divison… However, he loved his job and he mostly, enjoyed being in Britain… Except for when he was missing his daughter… which was almost all of the time. Apart from Blair, he didn’t miss being in the States though…

Walking through the department, he moved his neck and shoulders around, mug of steaming coffee in hand, ready to face his desk for the rest of the afternoon. Maybe if he was lucky, he would get called away… Though that would mean there would be more paperwork to do when he did get around to it.

It was a vicious cycle.

Simon had made sure his new companion was following before making his way down the hall further into the department. It was there that a fitting face appeared, making the security man head towards the appropriate division head. “Just the person I was looking for,” he said, even though technically anyone from Squad would have done with the task at hand. Even an auror would have worked though it wasn’t their forte, but that wasn’t a matter now anyways. “I believe I have a case for you and your people,” he added, turning to Oliver to include him in the conversation.

“Peyton, this is Oliver Glendower,” the former auror introduced. “He is here to file a missing person’s report on his sister.” And no, Simon wasn’t just handing the situation off, he just wasn’t one to step on other’s toes. “Mr. Glendower, this is Peyton Stewart, the head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad.” And one more fitting to enlist the proper help.

Oliver followed Simon through the hallway and further into the department. He wasn't sure exactly where they were going and if it were any other day, he might look around curiously to see how this department looked in comparison to his own. But he did not care in the slightest today. He just wanted to get some assistance in finding his sister as soon as possible.

Oliver looked up as Simon stopped and spoke to another man. Was he talking about his case? Hopefully he'd be able to help then. "Hello," he said with a polite nod as he was introduced. Head of the MLES, that was somewhat encouraging. "Yes," he continued where Simon left off. "My sister's been missing a little over 24 hours now. Nessarose Glendower, she's a teacher at WADA and she didn't show up for work yesterday." He'd be happy to provide any other information that they needed, but he wasn't sure what all they'd want just yet.

Toni enter the MLE level again, for how many years of being out of office, 10 at least, but is not important now. Toni Hunters is officially back here, the place where she belong.

Smoothly, she stride with caution to the inner foyer, it's better be cautious, there a lot of paranoid here. 'It's the same, as always, magnificent' She murmured quietly.

Toni eyes seem rolling along to all side of the office.

Who know what will happen.

Merlin she hated days off. With the exception of a few that she made VERY good use of, Lex tended to find herself in great rush to be back at work--like today. Sure, she was 'rested' or whatever the hell it was these days off were intended to leave you, but the young woman was also eager to get back to all the files she'd forced herself to leave at her desk.

The Auror headed down the foyer with a certain haste in her step, giving very little heed to the coffee swishing around violently in the cup she held tight.

A little must have spilled over at least twice on the way up but that was never enough to slow her strides. What WAS enough was the woman suddenly in front of her as she turned the corner.

"Hot coffee, busy Auror, coming through!" Because how else was she meant to get her attention?

When a sound hit Toni's ear, she immediately stride a little to her right, didn't knoe it was right or just a reflex, anyway which is which.

Then Toni see, a younger lady moving past, she didn't recognized it
'Well Toni, you are out of London business, for not less than 10 years, almost 12 year of being out of UK, what do you expect'

"Oh, take it easy pal" Toni voiced out, "why so fast", she add.

Toni didn't recognized the 'Auror' thingy, she is just making way to the 'Girl'.