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Office of Department Head Emily Browne The sealed off exit from the main platform of Alexandra Palace station doesn't boast the prestigious décor of the Department Head's Ministry office. The hideous cream and maroon tiles the line the walls are grimy and chipped in places – and that's if they haven't been plastered over in parts. There are a few spindly wooden folding chairs and a dull second hand desk at one end of the room, a small filing cabinet sits in the corner and trunk for general storage sits by the door. Unless you know the password of the hour and/or are apt in the art of defensive charms and counter-curses then access to this area of the platform is limited, that is unless you're willing to part with one of your limbs. Department Head Emily Browne is more inclined to spend her time on the communal work floor, so unless you have an appointment, you'll be hard pressed to find her here. Though this space may be used for private meetings and small conferences in general. |
Holding a toothbrush in his hand, which was his own toothbrush, Josh found the office for his boss lady. It being his own toothbrush, of course, did not mean it was the one he used to clean the urine, it was the toothbrush he used everyday to brush his own teeth. Good thing he had no time to brush his teeth before he left home and had taken it with him to brush his teeth at work. It smelled of mint toothpaste, no urine. He supposed Emily would like that.... ...unless she would be uncomfortable with something that had been in his mouth touching her belongings in her office. Josh did not think her belongings could be in better condition than his mouth so it was unlikely that she would resent it in his idea. First he raised the toothbrush and knocked the door with its handle a few times then deciding it was not loud enough, he knocked the door three times properly with his knuckles. She there? |
<3 luuuulz It seemed the door she'd placed on the entrance was serving its purpose. Keeping people out. Undesirable people who PEED in public places. Needless to say, she wasn't in her office this time, having just finished her rounds. No, she'd followed him down here, to her neck of the tunnel. "Good to see you've come prepared," she commented from a short distance behind him. After a pause in which she smirked smugly, Emily descended the last of the stairs to his side and saw to unlocking her door, thus granting him access to cleaaaan. She'd enjoy this. "If you need to pee, I suggest you go potty now," she added, waltzing in ahead of him and locking a file in her pesky small filing cabinet. Then again, it couldn't smell much worse down here. |
Josh waited but there was no answer. Oh, c'mon. If the boss lady made him wait for too long, he might have the urge to pee again and he still didn't know where he was supposed to relieve such a natural need down here. But then he heard her voice coming to his ears behind him. He turned around smiling a small smile and raised his toothbrush to show it off to her. "Of course. With this baby everything will be super clean. So clean that you can..." "...pour jam on your desk and lick it..." No. He stopped himself before he could complete that sentence. "Anyway, i promise it will be clean." And it was not the toothbrush he used to clean urine. He walked in once the door was unlocked and looked around. Where was he supposed to start with first? Did he need to pee? He paused for a moment to listen to his body. Did his body tell him he needed to pee? "Hmmm...no. I don't think so. Not right now." But he was not sure about later. He made a mental note about asking Evelyn if she could watch the amount of liquids he consumed |
Emily's brows shot up at the mention of this baby ... his claims were already full of optimism. Carter did have her attention and she was rather curious to see where his statement would land him, only, he didn't complete it. Such a shame. Either way, she could fill in the blanks herself, the effect would still be the same. "I'm glad to hear it," she replied, casually taking her seat. Despite the destitute nature of her office, and the department in general, there was something oddly charming about it. It also came as a relief to her that Carter was done with peeing for now, though she wasn't sure how seriously she could take the auror anymore. A light grunt was all she gave in reply. "I suggest you start with the tiling, I'd like to see my reflection on its sparkly surface." Mmhhmm. Even though the sound of sparkly was positively revolting, this was his punishment for marking her territory. |
Glad to hear it. Of course, she was because Josh Carter was going to make this place clean enough to her satisfaction. He never resented such tasks even though most people tended to find it humiliating and/or laborious. Almost all his life, he spent his days out of school working in his uncle's farm, a farm boy he was, and his muggle uncle and his family, though they loved him, considered him free labour. He cleaned stables and barns sweeping animal poop, he groomed animals, he chopped wood, he built wooden cottages and barns, he worked in vegetable gardens and grain fields. He also could remember his aunt wanting him to clean the house and feed his cousins. Muggle work, no magic. No, he did not resent the fact that he had to clean his boss lady's office with a toothbrush. But sparkly surface? The Auror knelt down and brushed a part of the tile he was standing on. "I don't know if i can make this floor sparkly but i will try." and next he was all on four, brushing the floor. The dirt was thick, so he gave his brushing some strength and pressure with a brawny arm. "Don't misunderstand me..." he said as he worked "...i don't mean to be disrespectful. I just think it would do good to you know; i think you don't need to see your reflection to make sure you look good. You always do." Was that a dead bug lying there? |
Leaning back in her decrepit chair, Emily kicked up her feet and rest the heels of her boots on the corner of her desk. One crossed over the other. She was quite at her leisure... yes. In fact, this all seemed a little cliche, and while it was usually something she loathed, she could see the humour in the present situation. It wasn't every day she could watch someone slave away, cleaning her floors, by hand. Good work Carter, show some elbow grease. "Try is all I ask," she confirmed, because in truth, the tiles probably didn't even have the ability to sparkle, having been abandoned for something close to a century.. something like that. The place was OLD, abandoned for so long she was in fact surprised it still existed. Taking up her letter opener, and an envelope that sat on her desk, Emily set about examining its contents when Carter spoke again. She looked up, indifferent, before setting her sights back on the documents. Wait. What? Emily raised a brow. Was he insinuating that she was vain? Had that been the case her office would already be plastered with shiny new mirrors, not grimy old chipped tiles and concrete. "How... touching..." she noted, not at all accustomed to receiving compliments, and about her looks no less. "But I assure you, my appearance is the furthest thing from my mind." Pfffftttttt. Seriously. She couldn't care less. |
Yeah, it looked like a dead bug. Josh was about to reach and pick the dead bug up when Emily spoke. Try? "Yeah, i can do that" and with this he started to brush the floor harder. Hmm...he wondered how long brushing the whole office floor with a toothbrush was going to take and if Emily would let him crawl in his office that long. It depended on her anyway so he just kept working, eyeing the bug. The bug was a part of the dirt on the floor. This time he reached and picked up the dead bug. Poor fellow. Maybe he could not find anything to eat down here and starved to death. Stopping for a moment, he stared down at the bug in his palm as Emily commented about his compliment to her looks. She didn't care. Eh...he shrugged. He never took the boss lady for a woman who would melt at compliments anyway. "Just felt like mentioning." he said as he rose up. Then he opened his palm to show the bug to the boss lady "What do you want me to do with this?" |
Despite this being a punishment for peeing in the workplace, Emily was almost tempted to reward Carter for his efforts. He was conducting himself like a gentleman, even with the task she had delegated for him. But alas, there would be no reward, simply just her forgiveness for peeing on her floor. Because even if she didn't consider herself a lady, peeing on floors where people were forced to work, was gross. "Think you missed a spot..." she joked, watching him watch something on the floor. Did he uncover a clean spot? Was there some hope for the place? .... ..... No. It was a bug. How dull. Emily returned her attention to the documents, reading its contents with knitted brows, though she was still listening to Carter. Felt like mentioning it? ... Alrighty then. She wouldn't complain, but she wasn't about to encourage the behaviour either. Instead, it went ignored. Until.. he didn't know what to do with the bug? Hazel eyes locked on his, Emily let a moment of silence pass between them. She very dearly wanted to tell him to eat it, but out of fear that he would actually follow through with the suggestion, she refrained from doing so. "What would you do with it under normal circumstances?" she asked, figuring he was simply jesting and wasn't really at a loss as to what to do with the thing. |
Missed a spot? That made Josh look down again. Impossible. Maybe he could be a bit carefree while doing things that he considered boring but he always did his labour work properly and carefully. Maybe she was just messing with him, he did not know. He had never been the kind to properly understand stuff like irony and...word games and...eh...stuff like that. "Once i am finished with the whole floor, i can make a second sweep to make sure i have not missed a spot." he said taking her words completely seriously. Duty was duty. He didn't mind it if it would be dirty....and kind of frustrating. When his boss asked the question, the Auror eyed the poor, small and dead creature in his palm. Under normal circumstances. "Well...i live in a forest cottage so seeing a bug is not a new thing to me. Under normal circumstances, i would leave it on a proper spot in the forest to let any animal in need to feast on it." But this didn't help. This was no forest. But there were rats around as one of the YATIs mentioned. He dropped the bug in his pocket. "If that's what you want me to do. I can feed it to a rat should i see one." Then he knelt down again and continued brushing the floor. |
She always knew Carter was hard working, dedicated and loyal... and that was clearly evident in his offering to clean her floor by hand for a second time. But Merlin ... it would be a waste of time. Cleaning it in the first place was a waste of time. So naturally, she wasn't going to let him go through with it. No. Just a littttttlleee longer, for the sake of her own amusement if nothing else. "Of course, what an excellent idea," she replied, not at all ready to burst his cleaning bubble. .... Emily blinked, hazel eyes looking from his face, to the bug, back to his face, back to the bug. He had a proper spot for them? Where he lived in the woods? Legit? Wasn't on the floor or out the window proper spots? Or was there somewhere more specific and more appropriate? In the moment she was contemplating his confession, Emily saw him drop the bug in his pocket. His pocket. A bug. "By all means feed it to a rat, or slip it in Branxton's coffee for donating mine." The latter was a joke, but since Carter was perhaps oblivious to those, or at least to hers, perhaps she ought to clarify. "But no, dispose of it however you see fit, though I have to admit I find it odd you thought to pocket it." |
Sorry for the wait. RL. If she liked the idea then it was his duty to sweep the place for a second time. Well...that was no trouble. He could be done with it quickly as it would be easier for the second time and go back to his business. He nodded at her and returned to his work. He saw the look Emily gave him and the bug but it did not surprise him as people always looked at him as if he was a lunatic whenever he picked up a bug. At least Emily's look was not that judging. "I will feed it to a rat then" he said as he brushed off an stubborn dark stain on the floor that insisted on not to be cleaned. He used more force on the dirt stain thing as he considered his boss' words. Slip it in Branxton's coffee? No...no. He would not do that. Just he was about to give her an apologetic look to say he couldn't do that to the YATI lady, Emily decided against it so he kept his job of fighting with the dirt. "I wouldn't have followed that order anyway. Sorry boss." That he was being honest with. "I could take the punishment for not following orders instead of feeding the bug to her." It was odd that he pocketed it? "I am keeping it safe for the rats around. Maybe not fresh but it's food for them" getting angry about the dirt, he pressed the toothbrush a bit more and.. *POP* The toothbrush broke right at the point where he pressed it. The part he was not holding bounced of the floor and hit his forehead. "Owwww..." |
Getting hold of her daily planner, Emily flipped through the seemingly empty pages idly until she came to rest on the present day, a tap of her wand revealing the appointments and to-do's she had planned. Go figure, watching Carter clean, was not on the list, but it was an amusing addition. It was only as Carter continued talking that she realised how perfectly ordinary and yet soooo weird he was. The man simple. There was no doubting that, but he had his own flavour of crazy in the mix. He could feed the rats, that wasn't her problem... and the fact that he'd tell her no to spiking Branxton's coffee with a bug, well now, that was amusing and incredibly noble. "Such a gentleman," she acknowledged with a nod, eyes still on her planner. She only looked up at an abrupt popping sound. What in the.... ???? .... Whatever it was, she'd missed it. But what she could see, helped her deduce what had happened. Cater, floor, brush, head off brush, and then there was the ow. It had broken and hit him - she wasn't sure weather to laugh or roll her eyes. "You know... I think I prefer my tiles dirty... how about you head back and do some real work now, yeah?" |
Gentleman... That he was. But he was surprised to hear it from Emily. So he looked up at her and blinked at her face. Was it sarcasm and he didn't get it again? Ummm...no, her expression did not look like that it had been a sarcasm. So the Auror smiled proudly at her to show he appreciated her words. He didn't want to voice his appreciation just in case Emily would somehow find it annoying and regret saying him anything like that. Emily was very professional after all and he was not sure about her boundaries of personal talk win the working place. But the toothbrush popping in two was pretty disappointing and, more than that, embarassing. Not even thinking of giving up though, he picked the tiny toothbrush head and tried to clean the floor with it ignoring the slight tingly feeling in the middle of his forehead. He looked up when Emily spoke. Oh no... She thought he failed her, did not she? He stood up on his feet looking all embarrassed. he felt awful when he couldn't complete a task that someone he favoured told him to do. "I am really sorry, Emily. I didn't expect that. I will find a better brush." Oh...she wanted him to do something work related "Will do, boss.". Pocketing the pieces of the broken toothbrush, he took a few step backwards towards the door. "Do you have any specific orders? Anything you want me to do?" |
Concealing her planner notes once more, Emily snapped it shut and secured it in her drawer. She actually had places to be, so now was as good a time as any to kick the auror out, nicely, of course. His lack of response to her compliment didn't go unnoticed, his blinking was very telling. Emily brushed this off, literally, brushing off the dust and dirt that had rubbed off onto her legs from beneath her desk. Ewww. "There's no need, really... with any luck we won't be here much longer anyway, so no point in settling in." She was a big girl, she could handle a bit of dirt without getting her knickers in a twist. Emily crossed the room, coming to a stop beside Carter in the doorway. Anything specific? "I belieive you have Security duties do you not?" she asked, "That aside, it might be worthwhile getting the YATI some dueling practice." She'd been about to push past, leading the way out. But she paused.... "Carter?...." she asked, turning back to him slowly. |
Well...he knew this was not a permanent working place for the department yet still, Josh did not feel any better about failing the task she had given her. Maybe...when he was done with most of MLE work and had a break sometime, he could get in her office and clean up the place to properly to make up for it. He was not going to mentioned that idea of himself for now, though. Hmmm...he could spend a lunch break cleaning and if he had better cleaning stuff, he supposed he could be done with it during that lunch time. He nodded at her words. He had already gotten the message that he was supposed to leave anyway and yes, he had his security duties. One simply did not stall security duty as it could lead to not-so-fun outcomes. Duelling practice for YATI. The auror smiled. "I will gather them once everyone is satisfied with this helping security work. I also think they need some physical exercise. Stamina is important and they need to build some." Yeah, he didn't want a weak bunch of crying kids when they suffered a cut or ones that easily got exhausted when challenged physically. He waved a goodbye at her casually and was about to leave when he heard her utter his name again. Forgotten something. He turned and faced her. "Yes, boss lady?" |
Seeee, this is why she liked Carter. He was loyal and dependable. He was a yes man, but had the guts to say no on occasion - bugging Branxton's coffee being one such example. So the fact that Carter was eager enough to get back to work, without complaint after going through with her cleaning charade and suggest he work more closely with the YATI... well that was commendable. Though, it was part of his job description as YATIL, but it pleased her that his vision mirrored hers. She wanted the Department to be the best of the best, and for the YATI to become part of the elite, they would need to work for it. "Excellent, of course, break them in with combat skills first, stamina will soon follow... perhaps devise a daily pre-work training schedule for them." Heck, it's what she had done for herself when she was a YATI. But not everyone was as cut out for the task as she had been, and not everyone had the same motivation to throw themselves into their work like she did... The wave, barely registered, but she smirked as she caught him turning back. "Just wanted to express my appreciation for your loyalty .... and work ethic... I know I can always rely on you to get the job done," yep, and with that, she placed a hand on his shoulder, awkwardly, drawing him nearer into a one armed hug.. hug? Why was she hugging him? Wait, he still had that cockroach in his pocket, didn't he? Great Circe. Ahem. "If you tell anyone about this... you're a deadman," she whispered half jokingly in his ear before pulling out of the hug!thing she initiated. "Now go, get going.." No more dilly dallying! |
Combat skills, of course. "They will be challenged in every means of combat possible." he said with a serious nod. "I watch their performance and depending on their individual skills, i will make sure they push their boundaries some to gain improvement." Pushing boundaries was the one great way to improvement in Josh Carter's book. You just simply tried hard and harder, aiming a higher goal everytime and faced your weaknesses to get rid of them. However, he had the feeling that a daily pre-work training schedule could be...slightly...excessive. He didn't want to overwork them, cause them to be exhausted all day and lose the spirit for the whole thing. "I will work on it." he said though, as he could arrange a pre-work exercise for them three or four days a week, if not for every single day. Unable to help it, he looked at her with questioning eyes when she smirked. What was going on? Was there something funny on his face? Maybe a piece of the toothbrush or...a bug. But then she spoke and.... Oh wow... That he did not expect...at all. Before he could even recover from hearing such a genuine compliment from Emily Browne, and it was not the first one for the day, he froze momentarily when she simply...kind of...hugged him. Forcing himself to snap out of the shock, he decided to hug her back because not doing so was rude, was not it? When the shock was over though, he started to feel really proud. "Thank you, Emily." he said with a warm and proud smile. "I will always do my best to be worthy of your words." He was trying anyway. The auror chuckled a bit at her whispered words. Of course he would be a deadman and he supposed it could be worse than those pests that walked in the KA could give to him. "Well understood." This was kind of awkward but it felt good. He felt much better and very well encouraged to work now. "I will see you later when i have things to report." he said and left the office feeling like a kid that had just been praised for being a good boy. |
Again, his words were music to her ears. It was evident she'd done the right think in offering him YATIL... even in spite of his sometimes brazen behaviour and even a certain disregard when it came to physical confrontations. Common Wizarding Law may have been his weakest unit, but it was hers too... and she turned out better than alright. The YATI were in good hands. She could hardly believe her own actions, but the fact that he reciprocated it by returning the hug ............... she was...... lost. His words of thanks were met with a low mumbled grunt, and she took a step back from him as they parted. His expression was enough to assure her that this hug thing was at least appreciated on his part. Good, the effort wasn't wasted. And better yet, he understood to keep his trap shut. The last thing she needed was people thinking she'd gone soft. She was not going soft! "Excellent, good... good good," she acknowledged smiling politely as she locked her door behind them, conscious of the fact that she had an appointment to get to. She watched him leave, giving him a ten second head start before she too went on her way. |
Before Ashby headed back to his department, he decided to make a diversion to Magical Law Enforcement. His intuition told him that those two men would be back. And that did not go down well with him. Whilst he understood people needed tours. They did no need a tour of his department. Not know. The ministry tours made sense in the ministry, where all the departments were together. But not know. And this wasn't even a ministry sanctioned one. Clearly the men had just decided to come look at his department. And he did not approve. Therefore he wanted some assistance. He wandered along, and down into the area that MLE was. At least it was more well kept that the ministers office. Ahh. Here was the department heads office. Stopping, Ashby knocked the door. |
She'd been in for FIVE MINUTES. Five lousy minutes... and was itching to get back out. The only advantage to being locked out was perhaps the fact that her paper-work load was only a third of what it would normally have been, so for that, she was thankful. Still. The air down here was stale, and it was making her feel stale. "Enter," she announced at the sound of knocking, tending to the modest stack of paperwork before her. Frankly, it was ready to be filed. This is why she needed a PA. ... A moment passed when she realised she'd made the room soundproof, thus her enter was irrelevant. Closing the distance to the makeshift door, Emily opened it all the while tinkering with the filing cabinet beside the entrance. "Ahh, Ashby, what can I do for you?" she asked casually, a nod of her head indicating he ought to step inside her poor excuse of an office. |
Ahh. Emily was in. That was good. Because it wouldn't have been too good if she hadn't been in her office. He would have had a wasted journey, and he hadn't gotten any work done yet. So he was glad that she was here. "Hello Emily." He smiled at the younger department head as he stepped into her office. Well. What she was using her office. Ashby was sure she would be glad to be back in her own office. He knew he would be very glad to get back into the ministry. He wanted the comforts back. And to get off that lousy ship. "I was wondering if you would be able to do some background checks on a couple of ministry employees for me." Because he wanted to know who they were. And what they wanted to know about his department. |
Her temporary filing system was simply that, temporary... because she didn't have the motivation or the energy to be OCD without her proper office. It wasn't to say the pesky drawer was disorganised, it wasn't, it just simply wasn't up to her high standards, with colour coding and the like. Emily managed to flash Ashby a polite smile before closing her door behind him. The tunnels echoed, did he know? ... If there was one thing she could appreciate about the impromptu visit, it was his directness. No time wasting an straight to the point. "Of course, though I have to warn you, it'll take longer than usual... lock out and all." Access to information wasn't at their fingertips, but it wasn't as if it couldn't be obtained by other means. "And who are you requesting a check for?" An employee of his? Perhaps a questionable one at that? Questionable people piqued her interest. |
Ahh. He understood. The lockout was causing havoc in his department, so he could imagine what was going on her, especially considering how much paperwork that they must use. Hopefully no trials would be needed to happen just yet. "I understand." He said with a nod. He just hoped that the two men would come onto his ship. Because he would not be too impressed. Would he be able to get them arrested if they did? Trespassing? Something like that? Hmm. He would consider that back at the department. Ahh. The people. "Joáo Neves and William Williamson. They decided they were allowed to come tour my department without permission." And obviously everyone knew about the need to keep people away from his department. Ones that were far to nosy. "I just want to....see if there is anything in their background." |
At least Ashby didn't have his knickers in a knot about things, which was more than she could say from some of the others. Moving around to her side of her desk, Emily waved a wand over her daily planner and took up her self inking quill.. Joáo Neves ..... she knew that name, she knew that man. Heck, she'd seen him only this morning. And.. Circe help her. "William Williamson you say?" This was curious indeed. "And Joáo Neves." Very curious. She didn't even bother noting down their names, she wouldn't be forgetting them in a hurry. "Might I ask what they've done to elicit this course of action?" she asked, wondering if the dots she was connecting in her head were in actual fact reality. Was this the sneaking around Gavin had mentioned earlier? In which case, Gavin had effectively passed his problems onto her. Brilliant. She still needed to see Harmony about Williamson. He was proving to be a nuisance. |
Hmmm. Ashby figured that she would want to know why. The department head rolled her eyes. This was not going to go away was it? He sighed. "They both appeared on my ship." And well he hadn't liked that. "Expecting us to give them a tour. Obviously I don't want people who don't work in my department looking around. We're called unspeakables for a reason." And so nobody else could know what they were doing down there. "I made it very clear that they would not be having a tour, but they feel they are still okay to come back at a better time." Which was not good. "Something fishy is going on here." He shook his head. "They stated that Gavin had told them to come, but he denied this." Which he was glad off. He didn't want an ex-employee of his turning on his department. "The pair are just....very suspicious to me." |
And would you lookit that, eyerolling. That was never a good sign. Emily braced herself for whatever was about to be said. Patience, she was learning to exercise it, if only to be professional. The whole appearing on his ship for a tour bit, that, she could understand. She wasn't particularly thrilled with the idea of people snooping around her department that didn't belong there. "Of course, I understand," she nodded, empathising with the man. It was only now that she took a seat, and gestured for him to do the same, though honestly, standing was likely the more comfortable option. Her self control and practice at indifference had finally paid off, because she would have otherwise she wouldn't have been able to keep a straight face. "Gavin denied it.. good..." she mused in the same level tone she'd used before. She was peicing it together though. Neves was obedient, had snooped, but was caught... Gavin denied his part, now had plans.. and... She did not want to be caught in the middle of this. But there was really only one side she would choose in the end. "If it makes you feel any better, Williamson already has my attention, but I'll see to it that they both get checked out." Suspicious indeed. |
"Yes. It is good." Very good in his opinion. "Gavin is a ex-employee of the department, so obviously he must understand that access all areas cannot be given to everyone." And only his unspeakables were allowed to go everywhere, and the other department head's of course. Ashby was wondering who had told this Neves guy to come down, but that was the least of his worries. As long as the two men in question did not come back, he would be a happy man. "Ahh. Perfect." He smiled at Emily. "Thank you." Because he was grateful to the woman for helping him out. "In other news...." Because he wanted to make this known. "The security patrols are very prompt. Mr Bennett did a good job." |
"Of course, and I know for a fact he's conscious of the matter you speak of," she reassured. Of course, naturally, because she'd had that lovely chat with him during break. He was a responsible ex-Unspeakable, he just had a daft employee that couldn't exercise stealth and a Creatures tag-along with the maturity of a nine year old - she would know. Good. A resolution was reached, between them at least, which meant she could soon slip out of her office too. "Not a problem, it's part of the job description," she noted waving off his thanks. It was nothing. But ahhh! Now there was a compliment she could appreciate. "Excellent, I'm so pleased... Bennett's a promising employee, he's got some ground to cover yet, but he's dependable and thorough," she affirmed, content with finally receiving some good feedback for Security. |
Ahhh. Okay. A solution had been reached now. Ashby was glad. Hopefully he would have no other issues with these two men now. But now he would need to return to his department. Because hopefully he would be able to get some work now. "Perfect." He nodded with a smile. "I shall leave now. I'm sure you have lots of work to do." As did he. Busy lives they live. "Goodbye Emily." He nodded, before leaving the office. Time to go back to his ship. |
And that was it? .... Wonderful! See, Gavin didn't know what he was on about. Being accommodating and reaching resolutions meant people could leave sooner, and likely not return. The Senior Undersecretary would be informed of this. "As always," she agreed, chuckling under her breath. Honestly, when was MLE not busy? "Have a good day, Ashby," she fare-welled, watching him leave the room before finally scrawling a note in her planner, securing it and departing her office herself. Things to do, people to see, crims to catch. |
Simon moved to follow obediantly after the department head but it appeared she wanted him to lead so he did so without uttering a word. There wasn't much to say at the moment , not that he felt much the need to talking out of turn at the moment. He finally noticed the redhead from the café talking to Vic in passing as he walked and dreaded what words and lies would be coming from her mouth. He finally stepped inside the makeshift office since he had been granted permission by the invitation and avoided looking at the unsavory surroundings that matched most of the department around. It seemed Emily didn't fare much better then the rest of them even with Josh's cleaning. Further in, the auror simply stood and awaited whatever was to come his way. The former Gryffindor doing his best not to show any discomfort before his boss. Hopefully the truth and progress of the happenings would be enough to defend him. |
Her patience was thin, with people, with everything. But she was keen to process her thoughts and so following in Bennett's footsteps was a sound way of doing so. Walking was conducive to thinking, and she tended to walk too quick at times. No point rushing. The sealed of platform exit was somewhat spacious, and had a charm about it.. never mind the smell, but the echoing could be a problem. Either way, she waited for Bennett to close the door, since it was charmed to contain noise and voices, before saying anything. "How are you feeling?" she asked first, eyes on his head. Mmhhmm. She was doing that nice thing first, it was generally a good way to start conversations, apparently. |
When Emily had followed him inside she seemed to want him to close the door which he gladly agreed to. Enough had been overheard already by people he'd rather never see again, a sentiment likely shared by the woman before him. Doing so, Simon turned back towards his collegue and boss as she asked him about his condition having walked into the containment area shortly after the run-in with his arrestee. "I've felt better," was the answer his mind came up with it. It was the truth and cut and dry. And he personally didn't want to dwell on it...on the lucky shot the journalist had gotten with hits that hadn't even felt full force given the fact Jorge's hands had been restrained. |
"Mmmmm...." she mumbled in response to his reply, casually perching herself on the edge of her desk. Needless to say, this was one meeting she hadn't scheduled for today, and she really didn't like having to accommodate the change, it was the product of drama, and she loathed drama. She didn't ask him to sit, this wasn't his first rodeo, he was welcome to make himself comfortable in whichever way he pleased. There was a short pause between his reply and her next question, but this was only natural for her. "Are you going to press charges?" she asked, wondering if he actually wanted to go through with this. She didn't give him time enough to respond just yet, it was partly her thinking out loud, but in doing so, she wasn't done yet. "See, I'm all for supporting my staff, and I will support whatever decision it is that you make... however," and there was a however, "this whole saga, is over the top and frankly does not do the department any justice when it comes to public relations." There would be an article about this, they'd be stupid not to run it - not to say she was condoning it, she wasn't and wouldn't... and that feeling of wanting to burn the Prophet Headquarters down was returning. It was a terrible shame she had to play the role of responsible and law-abiding Department Head. |
Emily didn't say much for his answer and it wasn't as if he expected her to. Simon wasn't asking for her sympathy over what had happened and wasn't going to hold his breath about getting anything of the sort from her. He could handle the injury without too much comment...he was an auror and had gotten worse. And then the shoe dropped and the topic he WAS expecting was brought up. The auror moved to prepare to speak, stopping and awaiting Emily continuing her speech as she went on. Once he was certain that the department head was indeed done, Simon took a deep breath and finished gathering this own thoughts to provide his best answer to her question. "To be honest, I was considering not and letting him simply cool his heals," he started out with which had been the truth. He had said it to Jorge himself. "The arrest was not only because of Mr. De La Garza's actions against myself but also because of his seemingly unwillingness to back down, my desire not to fight back and the feeling that the next move might have involved a wand and bigger trouble." He didn't feel the need to even go into talk of statutes and the thought of giving Aron's department more work besides MLE. He had in his defense, done his best to act like a muggle cop to keep it further on the down low. "However..." Simon said, breaking off as he debated his further thoughts. He did have his own however, looking to her for further advice on the matter. "despite the fact I do not wish harm to the department, in light of the reporter's unprovoked further attack on me once we arrived in the holding area, I am admittedly torn on the matter." |
Crossing one leg over the other, her hands resting on the table either side of her, Emily nod her head as she listened to his thoughts. Lips pursed, she considered the fact that he had thought about dropping it, and indeed she approved -- even if seeing the man locked up and charged would make her day. He was hardly a crim, just a public nuisance - one that needed taking down a peg or two. She could of course, see where Bennett was coming from with regard to the initial incident. Things had escalated a little too quickly for her liking, and in such a public and muggle setting.. it wasn't ideal. How it all happened was still beyond her. Bennett didn't seem the type to pull moves on older, higher-up and taken women. He wasn't stupid, was he? Pffftttt.. no. And even if it had been the case, she was 100% certain he hadn't been strong in his gestures, the man had manners, De La Garza did not. Her nodding was enough to indicate she was listening, agreeing - even if only partially, and thinking. The further attack bit, now that did work against the journalist. Arrogant fool. "And what exactly happened?" she asked, owing to the fact that she hadn't witnessed it herself, arriving shortly after them. |
Simon's attention remained solely on Emily as he spoke, inwardly awaiting a reaction to his answer. However she revealed nothing and as much as he was trained to catch meanings from movements, she too had the same training and thus kept her own simple. The woman only nodding which he took as a sign of her listening if not agreeing in some way to what he was saying. As she finally broke her silence to ask for his statement the incident, he in turn finally lowered his gaze to close it for a moment, the blurry vision temporarily returning as he spoke once more. "As directed with the new procedures, I had placed a bodybind on Mr. De La Garza before portkeying to the designated portion of the tunnel. However upon arrival to the holding area, I discovered that due to the enchantments used to cordon off the portion of the tunnel, I was unable to remove it while on the other side of the wards from the man unlike the normal department set-up." That had been trouble number one in the situation he spoke of. No one's fault but something they all needed to be advised about. he just happened to be the first one to use the area and notice the issue. "So I brought him inside and secured his wrists, in front to forgo further accusations of mistreatment." In retrospect, not the greatest idea he mused to himself, looking up once more. "Then I removed the body-bind and cautiously backed away to leave him be. Though between needing to remove the ward once more to pass back through and being alert to the new presence in the tunnels, aka Josh, I turned away from the journalist. Who in turn used the moment to fight me, first hitting here," Simon said, briefly touching the area and winching ever so slightly, "and then a passing blow to the back of the head as I struck out towards his stomach to dissuade him from further attack before asking my fellow auror for assistance." That had been when she had arrived so she had been properly filled in on what had happened since they had separated outside the cafe. |
Her expression was one of indifference as she patiently heard out Bennett's side of the story. Merlin, as much as she liked her work, this brand of drama was not what she'd signed up for. She nod her head once again, and observed where Simon indicated he had been struck. Idiot journalist. She hoped he would find himself out of a job, but with Skeeter at the helm of that wretched publication, anything was possible, the man might have even considered handing him a promotion. Little faith in Propheteers she had. Carter. He was an element all of his own and frankly she hoped he hadn't done anything rash in their absence. The reporter was still in one piece, no? "Mmm... right," she announced after a moment of contemplation. "De La Garza is a public nuisance for sure... antagonistic, belligerent, I'm convinced we could still have him for defamation... but, at the end of the day, I think exercising a policy of appeasement might be in our best interest. The ball is however, in your court." She wasn't going to put words in his mouth. As far as she was concerned she'd like to think the journalist would have learned his lesson, calmed down and could sit for another hour or two before being released. "How would you like us to proceed?" |
Defamation...that was for certain. Jorge had definitely made negative assumptions and accusations about him that couldn't have been further from the truth and in front of not one, but TWO department head superiors including his boss. Simon only hoped Emily, and the other members of the MLE that were the recipient of his lies and the lies of others, knew him better than that. He was certain Mariel was a lost cause and made a mental note of staying faaaar away from the woman who was not worth the polite acquaintance. As the ball was left to him to make the decision, Simon couldn't help sighing unsure. He really didn't want more trouble but he also felt the urge to defend if not himself alone the department as a whole which had taken a hit that day as well as the previous article. "It seems a catch-22." There were a few directions this could go and there didn't seem to be one way that was overly better than the rest. "What are the chances of having him leave here not thinking he gets his way no matter what?" The auror had no desire for that annoying smirk to grace the man's face once more as he left with his head held high. |
That wasn't an answer Simon. She wanted an answer. She didn't want to continue wasting her time or the departments time with the loud mouthed idiot man. He wasn't worth it. The day when he could be sent to Azkaban, or extradited back to whatever hole he came from, now that would be worth it, but this... no. "That's not going to happen," she replied honestly. "Unless he loses his job and girlfriend in the process, he'll think he's won no matter what. I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted this to happen, simply to have another opportunity to get at us." In which case Bennett played straight into his hand. She wasn't comfortable with having three reporters roaming around her tunnels. Get. Them. Out. Now. "Make good choices Bennett, I'm not in a mood for salvaging the department... again..." Merlin knew Wes has made it hard enough with his prompt departure post-de Talone. |
In all truth, Simon knew the answer before Emily had opened her mouth to confirm it verbally. Had just been in denial that it could go well on that end. "Thought as much," he said quietly, lowering his head slightly as he thought on her words to make his decision, his gaze eventually falling again to the folder of paperwork in his hands only half complete. Taking it up in both hands, he opened it and shifted some papers around as he sorted through the contents . "Then this is all you need," the auror said, placing the folder with the written version of his statement. The first thing he had thought to complete and likely needed for a simple incident report. "And this is gone," he said, vanishing the partly filled charge slips into the trash before looking back up to meet his boss' gaze however fuzzy. He really should get Josh to cast something to try and help it once he was through here. "I won't sacrifice the department for my sake." |
See, even Bennett knew the man didn't have a reasonable bone in his body. She watched the auror with a curious expression, eager to see what the outcome would be. Either way she wanted to act on it swiftly, get it over and done with, get them off their premises so that they could get back to doing some real work - or as much real work as was possible. Top on her list of things to-do was to get back into the Ministry building. Too much time had passed and it would make getting proper work done more efficient. They needed their case files and evidences for starters. Could hardly pursue and prosecute without them. Her brows arched as he finally retrieved an item from the folder. His statement. "Excellent," she nodded, extracting it from his grip with spiders-legs-like fingers. Yoink. "You're a bigger man than he is, Bennett.." Emily stated the obvious, "If this is all then you may be dismissed... have that there looked at," she added, gesturing to his head. He looked all sorts of rattled. "I'll see too De La Garza's dismissal." |
Had she expected something different? Both the curious look sent his way as he acted and the raised eyebrow as he handed over the parchment seemed to show Emily taken aback even just a tad. However the department head was also agreeable with his decision whatever other feelings she had on the matter. Simon even noted the compliment she gave him, an action so rare from the woman, but admittedly it was hard to be happy about it under the circumstances. He was, after all, essentially throwing himself on his sword and allowing the rude man to not pay for his words and actions. "Very well," he said, taking the dismissal for what it was worth for he had no further business here, in her office. Giving a slight dip of the head in polite gesture, Simon turned and head out the way he came. The auror inwardly wondering if he should vanish while the intru--- visitors still lingered. Avoid any further confrontation with the reporter and his posse. |
Yes... very well. Indeed. .... Today was a blemish on her week already, she would need "Thank you... Bennett," she added, seeing the back of him head out her office. Emily cast an eye over the statement before filing it away. If anything, at least the man had a warning to his name. And with that, she figured it was time to cut him loose, she had plans to put in place for the Ministry re-entry, plans which were of greater importance than him. Securing her office, Emily departed just down the way to the holding area. |
Here was was, thinking that going back to Ministry....actually meant going back to the Ministry. Although it wasn't his first time being wrong, Legend Chosen never thought he'd be this wrong. It hadn't taken him that long to figure out how to get around the new headquarters for the MLE. Just you know, few lefts, few rights, few missed tunnels and voila! He was here. Or somewhere. This had to be the new Department Head's office right? Emily probably loved it. Without a second thought, Legend knocked on the door a few times. |
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The hinges on the ill-fitting door - that didn't belong in a tunnel to begin with - creaked slightly as they swung backward, allowing her a good look at her space invader. "Well look what the cat dragged in," she mused, smirked. With a head tilt toward her poor excuse of an office desk, Emily accepted his entrance. "It's good to see you in once piece, Chosen," she added, a hand extended for a shake to convey her delight in his presence. |
He wasn't waiting long before the door-ish-thing opened. And when it did, standing before him was his old colleague, and new boss. Grinning, Legend's eyes quickly flickered to Emily's outstretched hand before ignoring it completely. Yup. "EMILY!" Instead he wrapped is arms around her in a quick hug. It didn't last long, because obviously Legend did not want to die on his first day back."Not likely a cat. Took like a mountain lion to drag me back." Heh. She had missed him! Of course! When Legend had heard that Emily was the department head he was actually happy for her. Her attitude was a bit uptight but it kind of fit with the position, Legend couldn't deny that. Plus he knew she worked hard and could get any job done. "Been managing horribly without me?" He asked, side stepping into the make shift office. |
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Her arm fell to her side as she was enveloped by his arms... did her shirt today read 'hug me'? Because she was certain it didn't, and thus could not fathom why anyone would. Had Carter spread word about her hugging him? Was this pay back? Was this everyone's efforts at teasing her for it? Because if Carter's loose lips were responsible for this outburst, then those lips would be in a great deal of danger. As it was, she didn't really mind the hug, but she wouldn't condone it, and she was thankful when he pulled away. Closing the door behind them, Emily offered him a shrug, "we've managed," was her reply. But really, his coming back would do wonders for their team, what with his experiences and all. Claiming her seat, Emily gestured for Chosen to take the other. "How did you find your time in the field?" |
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They managed! See! She had missed him. Aww. Aww. Don't worry! He was back. Legend plopped down into the seat, ignoring the little squeaks it gave off, and how unsteady the thing was. And uncomfortable. Super uncomfortable. "It was..." Legend waved his hand around trying to find the right word. "Informative" That was it. Though he had to explain more. "And painful." Legend leaned back in the chair carefully, since it seemed like it could really break at any moment. "I mean, I learned a lot. Thinking on my feet, playing it cool. Really lots to do with tracking and wandless magic." His two weakest areas were now one of his strongest. He would even say his use of defensive charms and curses had gotten better but he had already been so great at that, that there was no point in bragging. " I also learned that I was most likely not as great as an Auror as I thought I was before......actually i'm positive that I was an obnoxious newbie ." He had just been trying to prove his worth! Okay? That was all. "But now i'm an obnoxious professional." The blond grinned. See how honest he was too? He was even ready to play nice. You know not get into fights anymore with certain people.....at least not as many fights. |
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"I like that you learned so much in your time away from us," yes, away from them, how sad it was too. But enough of that. "You were an obnoxious newbie," she confirmed, interjecting before he continued. His next response left her smirking. Obnoxious professional then, still a step up in the world. Good for him. She fiddled with the hem of her sleeve for a moment, still swiveling, before she came to pause, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her desk instead. "Obviously a lot has changed in your absence, but I'm sure you won't have any difficulty settling back in. And... with any luck we'll be moving out of this hole very soon, we've just regained access to the Ministry building." By unconventional means, yes, but that didn't matter. They were in, and that was what mattered. "Of course you're welcome back to your position, though, in addition to that, I still have the position of Head Auror to fill .... just something to keep in mind." Please her, prove himself, and the position might be his. But either way ... "Any questions?" |
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Head Auror. Something to keep in mind. Legend tilted his head just a bit. Did he actually want to be Head Auror? Yes and No. It was a giant responsibility but the thought alone made him excited. Pushing the thought away, Legend nodded. "I will do the absolute best that I can do." In the position he had now. Though not because he wanted to become Head Auror. Because that's what the MLE deserved, Aurors who did their best. Questions? Uhhh "First of all how did this lockout take place, because i'm sure you guys are aware how silly the Ministry looks but...it looks really silly." Legend finished lamely. "And second...." There was no second. That was it. "Actually that's all I got." |
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The best he can. That was really all she asked of any of her employees, but it was something she didn't need to worry about enforcing, they were already good at what they did. They were all passionate, though some were more passionate than others. "I'm confident your work ethic won't be a concern," she agreed, idly sitting back in her chair, her fingers lacing together and resting in her lap. Emily was content in observing the returned Auror, but his question did elicit a brow raise from her and then a small shrug. "We are aware of how it looks," that much was obvious, "but unfortunately we're no closer to knowing why we were locked out than we were some six months ago." At least it was absolutely clear that it had nothing to do with dark magic. They hadn't stumbled in a lair of some evil genius hell bent on making their lives difficult. No. "It's a mystery... that we're currently working on solving. We have teams going over the building as we speak." So something ought to pop up, sooner or later. |
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Legend grinned and suddenly stood up. "I'll just be getting back to work boss.-Er- thanks." For letting him come back so easily, and all that. Question time was over though, it was time to work. |
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"Of course... and welcome back," she nodded, rising from her seat. No hand extension this time. At the risk of him attempting to wrap his arms around her again. She wouldn't be making that mistake again. |
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.....But Legend still reached out and pulled her into one anyways. "Last one promise!!!" Never again! Maybe. And just like that the Gryffindor pulled away and nearly flew out of the office. Ministry of Magic beware, Legend Chosen was back! |
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.......................... ........... Emily resisted, but there was little that could be done about pushing him away with her arms pinned to her side. Dammit! Chosen!!!! Her expression was perhaps warning enough, and she hoped for his sake it was the last time he'd be attacking her with hugs... ugh... affection... ugh. Merlin. MER---LIN. She watched as the man fled from her office, content with cracking her neck and returned to her seat, contemplating drafting up a law against hugging her. Gavin would sign that, no? |
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