Had Conley *just* made Davie uncomfortable? No, he'd been uncomfortable all along. The entire time, from the moment he'd sat down here until right about now when he was deciding to leave, he'd been uncomfortable. It wasn't anything Conley had done to make him feel uncomfortable; this was just his natural state. And, it seemed, it showed. He was, apparently, the Unspeakable type. This wasn't the first time David had heard himself described in this way.

"Ah."

Yes, that was literally all he said in reply to Conley, even as the man said something about him being alright??? And should he speak to Airey about this??? And whatever else... it was hard to hear Conley over the thud of his own heartbeat echoing loudly in his eardrums. The thing was, a certain hazy memory had suddenly risen to the surface of David's busy brain, and he was suddenly recalling that Airey as a department head was a lot different than Airey as an astronomy professor. If only he had the courage to mention this to Conley, perhaps the two men could exchange notes...

"No, that won't be necessary," David decided curtly, suddenly standing up to leave this strange encounter. "I... I think I see my friend on the other side of the Atrium... sorry to bother you....hope you enjoy your lunch."

He quickly began walking away from Conley without so much as another word.

They were just... everywhere, weren't they?

Topher didn't have much time for his break since he only worked part-time, so he usually wandered around the ministry or came to the hangout area. It wasn't the most exciting place to take a break, but it was enjoyable enough. At least, it used to be before.. er.. the takeover. Being a pureblood himself it didn't overly concern Topher, but still. It was a bit overkill he thought.

Falling haphazardly into one of the couches, a soft drink in hand. His dark eyes studied the image of Grindlewald staring back at him.

After triple checking that he had locked the door to the pensieve room down at the evidence rooms, Kevin Hirase made his way over to the food court for his break. The changes that the Ministry had gone through had been subtle yet noticeable to him at first but now, after the Minister announced that they'd stand by the Neo-Alliance his unease had increased. He had nothing against muggles or anyone having magical abilities coming from muggle parent(s). One of his best mates was muggleborn but with everything going on he had not dared to make contact with Zander Adair yet. And he had never mentioned the ex-Gryffindor so perhaps he could play this safe...

Coming from a Pureblood family , he had no problem getting in to the food court. Though he wasn't hungry but he did get a cup of strawberry flavored tea. Not bothering to take a tray , Kevin held the mug in his hands and scanned the room for an empty seat which happened to be at the table next to a younger looking employee. Without a word, he sat down on the chair and placed his drink on the table before looking up at the banner of Grindelwald as well. Was the guy just as uneasy as him or was he silently toasting for the Greater Good?

In need of a breather, Yasmin made way for the food court despite her nonexistent appetite. Instead, she held her aromatic tea under her nose, hoping that the soothing scent of jasmine would put her at ease. What she did not expect, however, was to find herself in the presence of yet another one of the menacing banners. The tension she felt in her shoulder was immediate, her thoughts going back to the new apparation requirements, this new onset of injustice that had infiltrated her place of work.

And instead of taking a seat, the apparation instructor began pacing, at first without realizing she was doing so. Was it time to leave the ministry for good?

The stack of warrants on Genevieve's desk didn't seem to be diminishing at all, and she was glad to escape her desk long enough to savor a cup of coffee. Black. For most of her long career at the Ministry, Vivi would enjoy a cup of tea to unwind. But these days, all she wanted was coffee. Bitter and dark, like her soul.

There was another woman enjoying a cup of something, and Vivi seated herself at a table near where the woman paced. She didn't want to intrude on the woman's quiet time, but it was hard not to notice that her gaze kept creeping to the banner and her expression was anxious. Those were her extremely impressive Auror skills at work, right?

"That Grindelwald photo is a real killer, don't you think? Like the hair clearly compensating for a tragically high forehead in entirely the wrong direction and the flipped collar? Buy a scarf, bro." It wasn't like she was insulting the Neo Alliance, right?

Topher was aware of the others who soon trickled over to the area not long after he had taken a seat. The woman pacing and the one insulting the image of Grindlewald. And this man, sitting near him. He made no effort to acknowledge the women who had come near him but he did take a look at the bloke who was now within reach. He supposed he should concern himself with how this man felt about the uh..... new decor.

"Fancy the posters?" He inclined his head at the poster and sipped his soda. "It's uh... kinda difficult to miss, aye?" Honestly, they did have SO many of them around. What kind of point were they trying to make?

Yassi wasn't usually one to be so unaware of her surroundings. She enjoyed getting to know her colleagues, especially those who served in such differing capacities than that of hers on level six. Breaking the monotony with conversation. In many ways, she craved such moments. Opportunities for connections of the heart and soul.

At the moment, however, she was, unfortunately, rather ignorant of her surroundings. Her eyes only looking up to the poster. Lingering in the discomfort. Pacing as if the movement would help her come to a decision.

Only when she heard someone speaking to her, did she look up. Though her features were still riddled with anxiety, she managed a warm smile. It was a Yassi-ism that no amount of discomfort, no neo-alliance would soon destroy. "Yes!" She found herself agreeing to her own surprise, nodding her head as she looked back, now only to consider these particular details. The hilarity of the auror's remarks had only registered a moment later and Yassi found herself laughing in an unhinged manner. Perhaps the deliria was to blame. "He does look very uncomfortable. His shoulders. So tense." Here, she rolled her own shoulders. Hers were equally tense.

Apparently Vivi hadn't stumbled into offending a Grindelwald fangirl, which was fortunate. She had a loose theory that she was likely to get herself killed before she figured out how to rescue her children from Hogwarts... or saved the world from this current tyranny. Speaking so freely in front of strangers was the best way to get her head handed to her.

But not today!

"You can sit. If you want. I'm Genevieve James." She sipped her coffee and shoved out the other chair at her table with her foot. "I should say that differently. Please have a seat. I don't bite."

Yassi was doing no better, really. Though she did not voice her thoughts as openly, the very look on her face gave way to her disapproval and discomfort. She had never been good at hiding her feelings, especially those that she felt so strongly (which, to be fair, were most of them). Nura always criticized her for this, but her younger sister was no better. They were all run by emotion. It was a familial trait, one from her mother's side.

"Thank you, it is difficult to pace and drink simultaneously," she laughed quietly, moving to sit. "I am Yasmin Golshiri," she offered in return, setting her cup down before her. "Do people usually suspect that you do?" Bite, that is.

Vivi tapped her fingers against her cup, her expression stoic. It was going to be important that this Yasmin learn how to school her expressions a little bit better, because her face was so open. She shifted in her chair to take a careful look around. Anyone watching? Anyone listening?

They were generally uninteresting at the moment, which was great. "It's very nice to meet you, Ms. Golshiri. I have one of those faces that looks like... I bite hands if you put them too close to my face. I don't, but I have a mean leg sweep."

Kevin brought the mug of tea closer to his face and gently blew on the hot liquid. He tested the tea to see if it was drinkable by taking a small sip and when it wasn't yet he placed the mug back down.

His gaze went from the poster of Grindlewald to the younger man seated at the table next to him. If he had to be honest, the poster made him feel uncomfortable. Had he been younger, he would have probably enjoyed the mystery but since he was older now cause everyone knew 32 was old he wanted nothing more than to stay in the pensieve and evidence room and work and only be bothered when it was absolutely necessary. If it hadn't been his break, he would not have been seen in the food court.

"Its....." he had a feeling he had to choose his words wisely here. "Interesting, isn't it?" he said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders and took a sip from his tea again. "What do you think?" he asked, directing the same question back at him. "Sorry what is your name again?"

The stoic expression did not go unnoticed, but Yassi had long ago realized that this was not something she could emulate. It used to get her into quite a bit of trouble back when she was still in school, but rather than fight it, she had come to embrace it. She often said that what one perceives to be their greatest weakness is oftentimes a strength hidden in disguise.

"Please, call me Yassi," she laughed heartily, tossing her head back a little as she did so. "Who would say such a thing about your face? That is not at all the energy that you radiate." She smiled warmly, taking a sip of her tea. There were times when Yassi did try to convince herself that perhaps with age, she was becoming more of an introvert. All it took, however, was a moment such as this one to remind herself that this could not be any further from the truth. This exchange had already lifted her spirit tenfold.