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Post by Curse Kameren on Sept 3, 2010 23:29:27 GMT -5
"What do you bloody mean by this?! This can't even be legal. From the Department of Law Enforcment. What do you people bloody call yourselves anymore? You can't be aurors..." Ex-Head Auror Curse Kameren gripped the arms of his chair with white-knuckled fingers, his emerald eyes ablaze with anger. He felt the black spot on his right palm spike in heat.
Karen Odinsen stared blankly back at him. She would not put up with his temper, he knew; he also knew that she understood where he was coming from. And he understood her. At one point, they were on opposite sides of that very same desk. "Dr. Kameren, there's nothing we can do. The orders were sent from higher than me. Higher than Law Enforcement--"
"Then hang the bloody orders!" Curse growled, pushing his chair back violently as he stood. "What kind of Head Auror are you?! Your job isn't to take orders, it's to keep the people out there safe!" Curse pointed out the window of the Head Auror's office. His old office. "Do you know what this means if you do this? Do you know what this can do to me? Do you have any bloody idea?!"
"Kameren, I can't have you getting violent on me. The orders were sent from the Minister himself--"
"And you listen to Harkness?! What does he bloody know about Law Enforcement?! He worked in transportation for God's sake--" He stopped himself as a plume of smoke emanated from his palm. Calm down.
"You will control yourself in my office, boy. I don't care what you've been through. I've known you a long time, Curse, and I've seen you deal with worse than this. And I daresay with much less yelling involved."
"Yeah? Well now things are different."
"How so?"
Because now I have a son... Curse's eyes narrowed at Odinsen across the desk. What happened to her? Why wasn't she willing to fight? "Because then, my enemies weren't supplied with a map leading right to my doorstep. They couldn't read an article on every moment of my last seven years--of every weakness I've gotten--and every bloody reason for why they should find me laid out in front of them. If you do this it will ruin me."
Karen's stony expression faltered. She knew fully well what this would do to Curse. She also knew that she couldn't stop it. "I'm sorry, Curse I really am. I wish I could change it, could take it back... but the release has already been sent out."
The ex-auror's eyes widened.
"Your auror records and otherwise from when you began work at the Ministry up until your recent institutionalization will be made public over the next 24 hours. They won't be announced; they'll just be available. In case anyone ever tries to view them."
"And what will happen on that day, Karen? What will happen when whoever damn well pleases to can walk into the Ministry archives and find out where I live? Who I know? What my weaknesses are? Will there be a bloody auror there to save me? I think not..." Karen's eyes fell down to the desk, her steeley blue eyes belaying the guilt underneath. Curse sighed, slowly turning and exiting the office.
.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
The hallways of the Ministry's auror department was always significantly lighter during the day than the offices because of the skylight ceilings all along the wing. Curse sat against a wall in that bright hallway, staring blankly forward. He did not notice the people, his old coworkers, walking by. He felt much like he did the day he was sentenced to Azkaban; numb. Unsure of where he would go, what he would do.
This was a sentence. His files contained vital information not only about himself, but about his loved ones. Violet, Jasper, Alex... Max? Possibly. He could change his name, move somewhere else and start a whole new story, but that wouldn't change much. His characteristics were too obvious for him to blend into normal society, and blending into the muggle world with his mangled physique would be even more difficult. And then what of his loved ones? They'd be left stranded.
"I knew this peaceful time wouldn't last long," he muttered to himself bitterly, standing up straight and heading towards the lift. All he wanted to do now was leave.
The tall ex-auror ducked into the elevator, where there were already a few people inside. He nodded at them soberly, pressing the button for the base floor. The lift moved far enough to be out of reach of the Department, but then it stopped.
"Oh you've got to be bloody kidding me..." Curse pressed all the buttons on the lift, to no avail. He tried a few spells to get it moving, but still nothing. He turned towards the others in the elevator, arching a brow in impatience. He didn't bother with pleasantries. In the Ministry, anyone who had been working long knew Curse Kameren. "Well? Any ideas?"
ooc: start of a plot direction for Curse, mixed in with a fun little random rp inside. FUN!
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Post by Amara Deocaris on Sept 4, 2010 10:50:14 GMT -5
"Oh my goodness, would you look at that! It's an honest-to-goodness mmmmfffff --"
"Would you shut your mouth? It's the Department of Mysteries, in case you didn't notice it when you applied for the job." said Amara, her hand still tightly covering the other young woman's mouth. Her big blue eyes were wide and a bit manic, and Mara wondered slightly if she were causing some sort of circulation problem. She was covering both mouth and nose.
Ordinarily, a silencio would have been a lot more elegant, but Mara had lost too much patience for elegance at that moment. There must be someone at the top who hated her guts, reviled her form, despised her very existence, to have saddled her with the job of babysitter to the newest recruit to the Department -- a woman so utterly unsuited to the job of Unspeakable that she shocked even Mara when she came in that morning.
Bureaucratic nonsense is what this is. What is wrong with the government these days?! she thought.
"Are you going to stay quiet? Good." said Mara, noting the frantic shake of the young girl's head. Their steps echoed through the dark halls, approaching the brightly lit vestibule that held the only thing modern-looking in the Department -- the lift. Mara glanced at her companion and nodded in inner relief that the other girl was taking her at her word.
Two other people came in from other departments, clerical staff. The lift was lurching a bit and staggered to a stop when it reached the Auror Department, when someone who looked vaguely familiar to Mara came in. He looked haggard and really ragged at the edges... something tugged at her memories.
Before she could actually recall it, the lift suddenly halted. Amara was jolted out of her thoughts, her head jerking from side to side. It was not a very big compartment, and the man who looked familiar tried a few spells that didn't work as the lift didn't even budge.
"Well? Any ideas?" he asked, finally turning to the rest of them in the lift. Mara cocked her head to the side.. Wait a minute, it's --
"Oh my god, Oh my goodness! You're Curse Kameren, aren't you?!" squealed the girl at her side. Mara winced in utter embarrassment. The silence was pretty much palpable, except for the girl beside her who was nearly jumping up and down with excitement.
"Have you tried apparating?" asked Mara, her voice coming out in an almost squeak. Great, as if the world's biggest mouth didn't embarrass me enough, I try to be her polar opposite.
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Post by Curse Kameren on Sept 4, 2010 11:57:54 GMT -5
"Well? Any ideas?" A moment passed. Nothing. Curse rolled is emerald eyes, turning his gaze to the two women in the elevator. One seemed blissfully unaware of her surroundings at all. She was new to the job. Curse could always tell the new ones. The other woman looked simply mortified by the younger woman's presence: her mentor. Curse remembered having that look from time to time, when he trained juniors. Even Alex had been a bit slow at some times of his training.
"Oh my god, Oh my goodness! You're Curse Kameren, aren't you?!"
"No, I'm madam De Bloody Pompadour," Curse growled with impatience, "can't you see there's a problem here? We're not moving..." His brow furrowed in frustration as he kneeled down on the floor of the elevator, examining the small metal panel where, if this were a muggle lift, the electricity running the elevator would have been. With a quick incantation a screwdriver stem grew out of his palm. An uncomfortable spell, but if he could get the elevator working the old-fashioned way then they would be set. And he could get out of here.
"Have you tried apparating?"
Curse glanced at the woman speaking, the mentor-looking one. Light of recognition showed across his scarred face. "You're from Mysteries, aren't you? Ms. D-something Dio... Dirocatris? That doesn't sound right..." Curse trailed off, more or less talking to himself as he concentrated on opening the electric box. "Anyway, they've had apparating in the lifts disabled for ages. People kept trying to make the elevator that way and would end up missing and falling down the shaft. Nasty business. Stupid people. Ah! here we go..."
The slate covering the electric box finally gave way, and Curse winced as the counter-incantation pulled the screw-driver back into his hand. He knew the others noticed his pain. He glanced up at the new employee, arching a brow at her excitement. "Thing to know when working for the Ministry: avoid transfiguring with metal whenever possible. Hurts like a bloody boggart, and also causes iron deficiency." He set the door to the box aside, pulling at the unused electrical guts of the lift. "If I can fix it this way, may take a while. I'm a physics professor, not an engineer. While I'm working, any other ideas Ms. Delacart? Docarese? Descartes? Bloody Hell..." He trailed off, feeling shameful about not remembering her name.
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Post by James Black on Sept 4, 2010 12:21:36 GMT -5
James trudged his way into the Ministry. He was not in the greatest of moods that day. He had been woken up in the middle of the night by his centaur friend to ask him the favor of making a trip to the Department of the Regulation of Magical Creatures. Although James would do anything for the centaur population at Hogwarts, his curse of not being able to fall back asleep made him irratable. On top of that, while slugging coffee down his throat early in the morning, James spilled an entire cup over his nicest clothes, forcing him to change and causing his tardiness.
All throughout his trip to the wizarding government, James had a very unenjoyable experience. He stepped in a seemingly shallow puddle, which resulted in his right leg being soaked up to his shin. He ran into various muggles and wizards alike in his rush. One stressed and late muggle took it upon himself to take out his frustration and scream at James for accidentally knocking into him.
So by the time James arrived at the Ministry, he was wet, tired, slightly hungry, and insanely irritated. He boarded the lift and pressed the button for the floor he wanted. So much for having a good chance at getting more rights for the centaurs.. he thought as the doors opened to allow the Ministry workers from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to enter the lift.
And then the elevator froze. Perfect, James thought coldly.
The man that had just entered attempted to get the lift to work, but to no avail. It was obvious he was angry. Various members tried ideas but none seemed to work. The man was now trying to fix the lift the old-fashioned way. Remarkable transfiguration, he commented in his head. James was in no way good with fixing anything at all, so he would be no help to the efforts of getting the elevator to work.
"Is there any way we can contact someone outside of the lift?" James suggested.
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Post by Eoin Tynan on Sept 4, 2010 12:43:30 GMT -5
This place, Eoin thought to himself as he entered the Atrium of the Ministry, is a mess.
You couldn't tell, from the calm queues of people at the Floo fireplaces, or the wizards milling around him on their way to various departments. The place was clean and tidy and working like a well-oiled machine.
Only on the outside though. Eoin's smile quirked drily at the thought. He'd read the files, the department complaints, and watched every move of his opponent, the Minister of Magic. And to the observant eye, it was obvious that the Ministry was teetering on a haphazard stack of hasty revisos, new laws, and clogged arteries.
He pressed the button to the lift and got in, punching in the number for the top department. Several more people stepped in on the way up at various levels, until they reached the Dept of Law Enforcement. He peeked out at the department - his department. Or soon to be.
The sudden bump of the halted lift jogged him out of his thoughts. Crammed in the back corner behind several people, he escaped the notice of those working on the problem. A face came into view.
Kameran. Curse, hmmm, this one will be interesting to work with.
Sliding around the packed bodies, the broad-shouldered man approached Kameran. "Give us a boost, will you?" With curly golden hair, pale blue eyes and an easy smile, Eoin looked more like a flimsy politician, and people often mistook him for being an easy pushover.
Reaching up, Eoin snagged one of the paper messenger birds flitting about over their heads. Pulling a quill out, he wrote a quick message to the Dept. of Maintenance and folded the bird back up. He flicked his hand towards the access hatch above their heads. "Mind giving me a leg up?" He repeated.
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Post by Amara Deocaris on Sept 4, 2010 23:30:26 GMT -5
"Oh my gosh, oh my goodness! I've never ever seen that spell before, how did you do that, I swear to Merlin's high holy--"
"Ehem." Mara cleared her throat, bopping Yvonne on the head. "Miss Oronofsky, that is enough, thank you."
"Oh, but--!"
A glare, with one delicately lifted eyebrow, silenced the bubbly young girl for the moment. Mara pushed her way into the front, where Kameren and some others were trying to work through the problem. Though the lift itself was roomy, it was getting a bit cramped with rising temperatures and tempers. Hers in particular, for the little twit she had been so unfortunately saddled with.
"I'd love to be Descartes, but it's Deocaris actually." she said, sparing the older man the effort of trying to remember. It was a little known name, so she wasn't that surprised. Mara looked at the twisty little things the little box near the floor had revealed -- she knew some things about electricity, but not everything. She did know though that twisty things had to be connected to more twisty things, that had to be connected to the source of the electricity so that it would move.
A tall blonde man came into view, hastily writing a note on one of the paper messenger birds. Mara squinted, and shook her head. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Used to be that the lifts just went from levels 1-9, but the Ministry has expanded so much that the lifts even go sideways sometimes. Or diagonally."
The inner lights of the lift flickered once or twice, eliciting a short high pitched scream from Yvonne. Mara gritted her teeth and pulled the young woman towards her. "Helping would be much more appreciated than hysterics, young lady."
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Post by Curse Kameren on Sept 5, 2010 2:07:36 GMT -5
Curse's eyes narrowed on the wires and workings of the elevator. He slid into a sitting position in the corner of the control system of the lift. It was obviously something made by muggles, but adapted for magical purposes. That was better for them in this predicament, he supposed. "Now how do I put it together..." He mumbled to himself, his pale bony fingers pushing around in the mess of wire, "When it was never meant to be hooked up electrically?"
"Is there any way we can contact someone outside of the lift?"
Curse shook his head at the dark-haired man who spoke up. All he had was a cell phone, and the only other wizard he could contact with it was nine years old and sitting at his grandmother's watching Doctor Who. How was the Ministry not prepared for predicaments like this? Hadn't Curse been stuck in this elevator before? He must have, he'd been here seven years... why couldn't he remember it? He could remember being stuck, but not how they fixed it. Was it really so simple as waiting in the elevator for some git from maintenance to finally notice them?
"Give us a boost, will you?"
Curse looked up into another familiar face. This one he did know; Tynan, from his own office. Tynan was one of the few other aurors--other wizards in general--that Curse was intimidated by. Tynan's work made Curse's methods look like a lucky stroke of raggedy improvisations. Which was true, but he didn't like having that pointed out. Tynan represented, to Curse, what an auror probably should be, compared to Curse's haphazard line of work. He heard Tynan was who would be replacing him as Head. He arched a brow at him, then moving from a sitting position back to a kneeling one. "Shoulders," he replied, indicating where he should step. He braced himself for the other man's weight as Tynan stepped up to release a note bird. "Ha! I forgot about those things. I always just amplified across the office..." he grinned slightly, glancing up to watch the enchanted paper flutter off.
"Mind giving me a leg up?"
"Ah--" Curse started, but Ms. Deocaris beat him to the point.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Used to be that the lifts just went from levels 1-9, but the Ministry has expanded so much that the lifts even go sideways sometimes. Or diagonally."
"She's got a point, mate," Curse agreed, trying to help Tynan down off his shoulders. "You remember when they lost that maintenance bloke? Wouldn't want the new Head Auror taken out before he gets a chance to take office..." His emerald eyes flashed knowingly at the other auror, but he didn't say more. He wondered, for a moment, if Tynan had anything to do with his files being released...
"Yvonne, was it?" Curse stood and smiled kindly at the Mysteries intern, his scar stretching across his face. "Would you help me with something please?" He crouched, pointing at the wired mess spilling out of the elevator wall. "See all this? I need the red and black wires separated. Could you do that for me, please?"
Curse stood back up, winking surreptitiously at Amara "I realized right after I opened that wall that I had no idea what I was doing. May as well have that mess useful for something..." He smirked, his emerald eyes once more examining the walls of the lift. "I've been stuck like this before, but I can't remember for the life of me how I got out. My memory's been failing me often lately," Curse leaned against the side of the lift, his arms crossed. "I suppose the only option we really have right now is to hope maintenance gets that note and comes for us. We can enjoy each other's company until we figure something else out..." He smirked sardonically. He was in no mood to enjoy anyone's company at the moment, but what choice did he have?
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Post by James Black on Sept 5, 2010 9:01:24 GMT -5
James stood there leaning against the back wall of the elevator, and watched all of the passengers' attempts at making progress towards their escape. This will certainly be an interesting ordeal for all of us, he thought to himself. As the man shook his head to indicate there was no possibility of communication, James sighed. I keep on forgetting that normal wizards don't often carry cell phones. Crap.
He smiled to himself as he realized what the man was asking the intern to do just to shut her up. Seems like this guy knows what he's doing, he thought. James was trying to think of the time when he had been stuck in a muggle elevator, and what had happened then. Granted, this was a completely different situation, but it was worth the shot.
"I know in muggle elevators there is normally some sort of button you can push in case of an emergency, such as when you get stuck. Maybe there is one here?" James suggested, not quite sure what else to add to the efforts.
"I suppose the only option we really have right now is to hope maintenance gets that note and comes for us. We can enjoy each other's company until we figure something else out..."
He certainly has a point, he thought. "Well, then, we might as well introduce ourselves, even though it seems some of you know each other. I'm James Black." James said holding out his hand to the man.
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Post by Curse Kameren on Sept 5, 2010 12:22:17 GMT -5
"I know in muggle elevators there is normally some sort of button you can push in case of an emergency, such as when you get stuck. Maybe there is one here?"
Curse listened to the man, his emerald eyes forward, watching the intern work with the wires. "You see those wires, how they're all loose-ended? They're mostly all supposed to be connected to the buttons. The buttons won't run on electricity, they run on magic." Curse looked, up, his emerald eyes examining the walls of the lift once more; it was plain to see there were gears turning in the ex-auror's head. Curse was a thinker; there was rarely a problem he couldn't get out of with his mind. "Problem is, there seems to be something wrong with that magic. It hasn't gone out, or else we would all be bloody pulp on the bottom floor of the Ministry right now. It's just... stopped." Curse's eyes still moved around the elevator, moving to the ceiling. What could make magic, especially the Ministry's powerful magic, just stop?
"Well, then, we might as well introduce ourselves, even though it seems some of you know each other. I'm James Black."
"Black? Ha! We must be cousins then. Curse Kameren," Curse held out a scarred and calloused hand to shake James'. If anything, Curse was realizing, being in this elevator was improving his mood; the stopped elevator gave him a problem to solve, and that was always a good thing for him. "You're not a Ministry type, are you? Where you from, Black?"
Curse turned his head towards Deocaris, his emerald eyes meeting hers kindly. "And I'm sorry about your name, Ms. What was your first name again? I remember working with you when I found that object on one of our fugitives..." Curse trailed off, not wanting to go into it any further. It was Mysteries work, after all; best to remain unsaid.
ooc: HA! magic malfunction! found another way to bring this rp into the plot a tiny bit!
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Post by Eoin Tynan on Sept 6, 2010 0:05:08 GMT -5
[[Nice posts everyone! So great to be writing with you again ]] The warning came a wee bit late, as Eoin had a firm grasp on the hatch and was opening it when Curse attempted to get him down. The blonde man hung on gamely to the hatch and managed to crack it open, slipping the little paper crane out and then dropping lightly to his feet again, managing to not crunch anyone's fingers or toes upon landing. The cramped elevator was starting to get hot and uncomfortable, and he knew tempers would start rising with the temperature too. Though the two men in front of him seemed to be handling it all right. Oh well, might as well continue introductions... His smile brightened the cramped interior as he offered his hand, first to the older woman who had been trying to keep her younger charge from embarrassing her too much. "Eoin Tynan, pleasure to meet you all. I hadn't planned on making new acquaintances today, but I guess the elevator had other plans." He waved his hand towards the ceiling. "Who knows if the bird will find its way out to maintenance, but it's worth a shot. This is odd though," he frowned at the tangle of wires spilling out from the wall. "Kameran, right? I remember seeing you around the department." His pale blue eyes fixed on the other Auror, ignoring the man's subtle hint at his new position. "You think there's something wrong with the magic itself, not the lift's mechanics? What makes you think that?" His question was not doubtful, but actually very curious, showing he was open to new ideas. After all, the department, even the whole Ministry, needed some fresh thinking to breathe life into the stagnant operation.
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Post by Amara Deocaris on Sept 6, 2010 7:36:37 GMT -5
Yvonne's wide blue eyes immediately widened at the recognition, and she practically jumped at the chance to help (as if she weren't already jumping like a 10-year-old). The kind of energy she was emitting could probably power an entire fleet of lifts.
The girl immediately knelt down towards the wires and began separating them into colors, and Mara smiled gratefully at the more seasoned ex-Auror.
"Problem is, there seems to be something wrong with that magic. It hasn't gone out, or else we would all be bloody pulp on the bottom floor of the Ministry right now. It's just... stopped."
"...You think there's something wrong with the magic itself, not the lift's mechanics? What makes you think that?" said the blonde tall man. Kameren mentioned that he was the new Head Auror, which made her appraise the other in a new light. This was quite a development, former and new in the same sticky situation. The two seemed to be handling it coolly, neither showing much emotion about it.
"That is kind of strange." said Mara. "To answer your question, Sir... hmm. I don't think we've met yet." she said a bit apologetically. "Since we're all introducing ourselves, I'm Amara Deocaris from the Department of Mysteries. This is Yvonne Oronofsky, a ... welcome... addition to our department."
After gesturing to both herself and Yvonne, who just nodded, Mara went back to the topic at hand. "Kameren does have it right."
She gestured to the wires her intern was currently rearranging, shrugging her shoulders delicately. "If it were the lift, there would be information from the Department of Maintenance seconds or minutes after we stopped. It has been around... 15 to 20 minutes, and the only communication was the memo that you sent. Also, there are backups for the lifts not working, but I don't think there are any... at the moment."
Mara listened intently for any sound outside. Ordinarily, there would be wooshing and swishing sounds, indicating the fast progress of lifts going to wherever floor they had to go. That had been the original danger of poking their heads outside, as losing those heads was a distinct possibility. But now...
"In fact, I don't think any of the lifts are working. Listen --"
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Post by Curse Kameren on Sept 6, 2010 13:23:39 GMT -5
"Eoin Tynan, pleasure to meet you all. I hadn't planned on making new acquaintances today, but I guess the elevator had other plans." Curse could practically smell politics radiating off of Tynan. A subtle smirk grew on the ex-auror's face, his eyebrow cokcing slightly. He's a politician. He'll make an excellent Head, then. As long as he keeps out of the way of the rest of his department. Curse had no stomach for politics, and that was what had lead him awry during his term as Head. "Kameran, right? I remember seeing you around the department."
"Kameren, with an 'e'," Curse replied, his emerald gaze locking with Tynan's. "I've been out of the department for almost a year now, though. Personal reasons." The ex-auror's last sentence was said solidly, unmovingly. In a way that said don't ask. Though he didn't want to go into it, he was sure at least Tynan knew about his institutionalization, if not Amara. It was all over the auror department, and rumors in others.
"You think there's something wrong with the magic itself, not the lift's mechanics? What makes you think that?"
Curse opened his mouth to speak, but once again Amara beat him to his point: "Kameren does have it right. If it were the lift, there would be information from the Department of Maintenance seconds or minutes after we stopped. It has been around... 15 to 20 minutes, and the only communication was the memo that you sent. Also, there are backups for the lifts not working, but I don't think there are any... at the moment."
"Exactly," Curse only nodded, folding his arms. His eyes flashed at Deocaris in approval. Finally, someone who thinks before they speak... "We better hope they find us soon, though. Don't want to think about what will happen if one of the other lifts tries to arrive at the Law Enforcement wing," His eyes rose towards the ceiling, "We're too close for it to get to the doorway, and if It runs into us we could start to fall..."
"In fact," Curse's head turned back towards Deocaris as she spoke again, "I don't think any of the lifts are working. Listen --"
For a moment, they were all silent. There was nothing. No sound. No nothing.
Curse's breath caught in his throat, and his face lit up into a bright grin. "You're bloody brilliant, you are," Curse complemented Deocaris, "Noticing all that. Got two bloody aurors in the lift and neither of us noticed. There should be noises coming from the other elevators..."
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Post by James Black on Sept 6, 2010 16:11:29 GMT -5
"Black? Ha! We must be cousins then. Curse Kameren,"
James shook the man's hand, noticed a firm and steady grip. "Who knows? My immediate family and I are not familiar with extended family.. anyways, nice to meet you." He studied the man for a second, realizing that it was actually quite possible they were related. James brushed the thought off though, due to the more pressing matters before the wizards stuck in the lift.
"You're not a Ministry type, are you? Where you from, Black?"
"No, not at all. I work for Hogwarts, I'm the school's groundskeeper. On my way up to a meeting with Magical Creature Regulation, or was, I should say." James replied. I really hope they aren't angry about this, he thought uneasily.
He shook hands with the other members of the lift respectively as they all introduced themselves. James was listening intently on the conversation, hoping to be able to contribute information whenever possible. He was definitely no auror, and it seemed that there were two of the best in the business conveniently in the lift. Well that's one thing gone right today, he thought sarcastically. It was very peculiar, though, that there were no other lifts working either.
"Wait, so if the Ministry's magic has somehow stopped, wouldn't people be noticing that the elevators aren't opening? Surely there has have to been employees that are trying to get to another floor by now." he suggested, "And wouldn't basically everything come to a standstill within the Ministry itself? Please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm in no means familiar with how this building operates."
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Post by Eoin Tynan on Sept 6, 2010 18:50:58 GMT -5
Eoin returned Kameren's hard green gaze with a mild expression. Clearly the man had assumed the same thing many people did upon meeting Eoin; that he was a politician first, flimsy and not fitted to be an actual Auror. But that was okay. Underestimation could be a useful tool. But he did want the man's support, and maybe even his approval. They were more kindred spirits than Kameren realized. Eoin had read his files, and knew the department was losing a valuable wizard. And part of him itched to ask the skilled ex-auror what he knew about powerful rare curses...and how to dispell them.
He listened to the conversation, nodding when Miss Deocaris brought the point home by indicating the silence in the lift shafts around them. As they talked, he worked over the problem of the actual magic malfunctioning. Could this have anything to do with those items... But no, he pushed that thought back. Hopefully this was only a local effect. Maybe the Dept of Mysteries testing something new.
"Good point, Mr. Black." Eoin nodded, rubbing his hands together thoughtfully. "Maybe this is a local bubble effect in magic, but we don't know the extent of it. Aside from trying to climb up...or down or sideways through the actual shaft, we're stuck if Maintenance can't reach us by another lift. Unless they remove the anti-apparition stasis on the Ministry, which I doubt they'd do unless it's an emergency."
He pulled out his wand. "Just to test our theory, let's see if it's the magic in the lift, or all magic in this area."
He pointed the wand at the wall, just in case. "Lumos." The familiar twinge of pain radiated through his chest as he cast the simple spell. But nothing happened. His wand remained unlit.
Eyeing the door, he looked around at the others. "How far from the department floor do you think we are?"
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Post by Amara Deocaris on Sept 7, 2010 9:08:54 GMT -5
"...No, not at all. I work for Hogwarts, I'm the school's groundskeeper. On my way up to a meeting with Magical Creature Regulation, or was, I should say." said the tall lean man with black hair. Mara seemed surrounded by tall men in that small, growing ever smaller, lift.
James Black. Now there's a familiar name... she thought, glancing at the tall man again. The groundskeeper had been all her half-sister Care could talk about in her last owl. Care was at that age when boys were immature and men were mana from heaven. Mara thanked the benevolent god who allowed her to skip all over that stage and just go on to the next one fully equipped.
At least, that's how she viewed herself.
Mara went back to concentrating on the conversation at hand, and watched the new Head Auror trying an incantation. She thought about what he had just said, replying "I suppose if most of the lifts aren't working they're all trying to get to all of the lifts as well as ours... and ours is a low priority."
Not that low if they considered the company they had at the moment, but Mara didn't know yet if there were safeguards that indicated the names of individual people inside lifts... that might be something to look into when they got out. If they got out.
"How far from the department floor do you think we are?"
Mara looked at the man, dumbfounded. "Are you suggesting we--"
A shriek cut off Mara's protest, and Mara jumped as a shower of sparks suddenly radiated from the corner where Yvonne was. Yvonne herself was suddenly attached to Amara like a fresh limpet. "Oh my goodness, oh my gosh, I didn't do anything I swear, I was just rearranging them like Auror Kameren said, I'm so sorry!!"
Another rain of sparks burst out of the opened and unconnected wires, and the people crowded into the opposite corner. "What in Merlin's big toe is happening here?!" said Mara, panicking (just a little bit).
Suddenly, going out into the deep dark shaft didn't seem like such a bad idea.
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