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Post by Theo Bowre on May 20, 2011 23:32:03 GMT -5
The pungent smell of floo powder filled the snug interior of the fireplace, lending a degree of discomfort that exceeded that which was provided by the ill-ish green haze. The lone occupant of the space, whom had taken the Network from Hogsmeade, took several seconds to emerge on to the dark wood floors of the Ministry's Atrium. He had arrived within an auxiliary fireplace that afternoon - several of the main units being retrofitted - and the lack of standard (and ease of disembarkation) was evident. Such was the luck of his week.
Theo did his best to straighten out his appearance. Upon leaving the Three Broomsticks which, he confessed, was not at the height of his manners, the Master of Harkness House made immediate haste for the nearest transportation bureau. His suit jacket and tie were dishevelled from an earlier dispute, as was his hair, which still stuck out at awkward angles. Theo caught his reflection in the polished gold of the Fountain of Magical Bretheren. What the Merlin was he doing here like this?
Looking around, Theo could see that the other visitors were impeccably dressed for their business with the various Departments. Witches wore fine robes and hats and those warlocks not attired in their dress robes were sporting suits not unlike Theo's but decidedly neater. As the brother of the Minister of Magic, albeit an adopted one, Theo felt it a personal duty to always represent himself and his family in the most positive and professional way. Today he rather looked like a goon, but his mind was too occupied elsewhere to warrant it the time.
Was he too late? Ever since his last meeting with Minister Jack Harkness, Theo felt that something was amiss with his brother. Jack was perfectly affable and surprisingly affectionate that afternoon, but something nagged at Theo about his brother's demeanour, about his appearance, and it didn't quite fit. Theo couldn't help but feel that he had failed to protect his elder brother. He could have acted on his intuition instead of laying awake at night wondering whether he was reading too much in to an overworked man. Theo left the company at the Three Broomsticks to get answers. Earlier, he considered the fact that he might not be able to save everyone. Now, he promised himself that he would die trying.
So lost was Theo in his thoughts that he came upon the Security Wizard, Eric Munch II, without straightening his suit or tie. In fact, Munch's voice seemed to startle him.
"Can I please have your wand, sir?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Your wand. I need your wand."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Of course." Theo tiredly reached in to his suit jacket to produce a smokey oak wand for inspection and registration. It was the only wand he had ever owned and it had seen, and enacted, acts of both courage and desperation. Theo looked up towards the animated ceiling.
"State the name and nature of your business this afternoon please."
"Um, I'm Theo Bowre. I'm here to see Minister Harkness on some personal business."
Munch glanced sideways at Theo, hiding his skepticism with professional decency. From the Security Wizard's point-of-view, he saw a wacko and a deviant.
"I'm sorry, sir, but it appears your wand is empty."
"Empty?"
"When was the last time you used your wand?"
"Um, the day before last. I was, I was out of town."
"Clear your wandwork often, do you sir?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Deletrius?"
Theo looked down to his feet and closed his eyes. Had he really been that stupid?
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Deletrius."
"Coming, Ashwood!" (passing the wand)
"Thank you, young sir."
Theo looked back at Munch to find the man watching him intently.
"Just a moment, please, Mr. Bowre." Munch spotted a familiar figure in the Atrium, likely leaving for home. In the interests of the Minister's (and public's) safety, he decided to call him over. "Mr. Kameren? A moment please, if you'd be so kind."
Theo looked over his shoulder to see a tower of a man approach the security stand. He recognized him, vaguely, from his association with Caleigh Pierce.
An auror?
Oh god.
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Post by Alex Kameren on May 21, 2011 14:27:36 GMT -5
It had been a long Friday. It was now early evening, and Alex Kameren was on his way out. Work was not over for the day, however, and so he would be returning after a meal. Although it was easy to order food delivered to the ministry, and in fact, he had done so innumerable times before, Alex felt growing pressure behind his eyes and an incessant pounding that had begun at his temples an hour before while dealing with Mrs McMurrow, an uptight, stately old lady who wanted her son out of Azkaban. He was forever innocent in his mother’s eyes, although the rest of the wizarding world knew him as a murderer and thief. She cam every month, sometimes more often.
Usually it was easy to get her to leave, but occasionally she was more persistent about getting around
barriers and made her way into an interview with whatever unlucky auror was available at the time. Today that had been Alex. A lucky development indeed. Although floo powder was now decreasing in price, the ministry still kept control of it, not wanting to flood the market after so many months of deprivation, now that the international incident was under control. Alex was glad for the powder, it meant he was granted a mode of transportation that was both quick and reliable, something he didn’t have anymore in Apparition, which was unreliable and occasionally not even quick for him now.
"Mr. Kameren? A moment please, if you'd be so kind."
Alex was diverted from his purpose by a voice, drawing him over to the security booth, where Munch waited, another man with him. He looked rather dismayed as he saw Alex’s approach. The auror recognized the man, more on a professional level than anything else-- it was often important to know who was who around the ministry, especially when they happened to be the Minister’s brother.
“Yes, Mr Munch?” He looked down at both men, and his stomach chose that time to betray him by giving a rather large gurgle. He closed his eyes briefly in exasperation at the noise but opened them again to give Eric Munch II his attention. “Is... there a problem?” He asked.
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Post by Theo Bowre on May 22, 2011 22:33:01 GMT -5
Theo and Munch looked to Alex's stomach in timely unison, the sound of its discontent spreading throughout the small space. It was almost thunderous.
Theo was instantly sympathetic to Alex. He could only imagine how embarrassed the young man felt about the involuntary noise and tried his best to not look "focused" on the source; guiltily, his eyes retreated to come in contact with those of the statuesque Auror. Unfortunately, Eric Munch II was not as inclined, and took several moments to regather his thoughts before continuing.
"Uuuuuuuuuh, Sir. This visitor has asked to meet with the Minister on personal business and I'm wondering if you might look at his wand. It appears it was recently erased of its activity."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Munch," Theo responded ahead of Alex, "I wasn't aware that the Ministry had a minimum retention date for spellwork. Recently, I started experiencing difficulties with my wand and its reaction time. The staff at Olivanders suggested I use Deletrius to clear its cache. I haven't had opportunity to use it since."
Munch turned his attention to Theo, giving the man a thorough look up and down. He rose to his full height, nearly reaching the size of Kameren, and fluffed himself out, showing mass that could end the orphanage master ten times over. Munch glanced over his shoulder, fixing Alex with an "Ive heard that before".
"Mr. Bowre, were I to have performed Prior Incantato before you erased your wand, what might I have found?"
"Cleaning spells."
"Cleaning spells?"
"Yes, I run an orphanage. We can be messy."
Munch huffed and turned his extruded stomach towards Alex. Certainly there was something the Auror could do. Munch felt the visitor was becoming obstinate and wanted the law to uphold his gut-feeling, no pun intended.
In a whisper to Alex-
"I'll be a blasted skrewt's arse before I let that man in to see Jack Harkness! Hiding his spells, looking like the Parole-Hour Special from Azkaban. No thanks. Not on my watch. Want me to bring down a hitwizard? We should put the Minister's Office on alert. Must be a full moon."
"I'm sorry," Theo was polite but direct. "I'd like to see Jack now. No disrespect to you, Officer Munch, or to Mr. Kameren. If it would make you feel better you can keep my wand and provide me with an escort. I'm certain Minister Harkness is about to leave for the weekend, as I am sure, Mr. Kameren, you were about to do. I respect the measures you have in place to protect the Ministry's officials however I assure you, I am not the Parole-Hour Special from Azkaban."
Munch leaned further in to Kameren, taking Bowre's words as a threat.
"We're both bigger than him. Maybe a takedown. By the by, I have a sandwich in my bureau. It's yours."
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Post by Alex Kameren on May 22, 2011 23:22:45 GMT -5
Alex waited a little impatiently as Munch was distracted. Certainly the man must have heard a stomach growl before, but it seemed to be quite the distractant all the same. He returned Bowre’s gaze in the meantime, measuring the man against what he had heard and knew from the man’s files. Not that he had a criminal record, but he was related to the minister. There was a lot of documentation on the minister’s… extensive family.
"Uuuuuuuuuh, Sir. This visitor has asked to meet with the Minister on personal business and I'm wondering if you might look at his wand. It appears it was recently erased of its activity."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Munch," Theo responded ahead of Alex, "I wasn't aware that the Ministry had a minimum retention date for spellwork. Recently, I started experiencing difficulties with my wand and its reaction time. The staff at Olivanders suggested I use Deletrius to clear its cache. I haven't had opportunity to use it since."
Alex returned the guard’s sceptical look with a inscrutable one of his own. So the man had cleared his wand. Alex was a naturally suspicious person, but even though the man looked rather rumpled, he didn’t seem very threatening, and all the information he had pointed to one overarching, glaring fact: Theo and Jack were as close as brothers could be, considering.
And Alex knew how that could be, the younger brother in the shadow of a more powerful older one-- though the situations were different, he saw the similarities. And he really did not want to deal with the paranoia of Eric Munch. The Second.
"Mr. Bowre, were I to have performed Prior Incantato before you erased your wand, what might I have found?"
"Cleaning spells."
"Cleaning spells?"
"Yes, I run an orphanage. We can be messy."
The interrogation continued as Alex’s thoughts went over this analysis, though now Munch turned his attention to the auror. Merlin, what an end-- well, the day wasn’t over. What an interlude, then.
"I'll be a blasted skrewt's arse before I let that man in to see Jack Harkness! Hiding his spells, looking like the Parole-Hour Special from Azkaban. No thanks. Not on my watch. Want me to bring down a hitwizard? We should put the Minister's Office on alert. Must be a full moon."
“I’m not certain what the full moon has to do with this.” Alex said evenly, and a little coldly. He was not inclined to patience with idiots, and Eric Munch. The Second. Was one such person tonight.
"I'm sorry," Theo was polite but direct. "I'd like to see Jack now. No disrespect to you, Officer Munch, or to Mr. Kameren. If it would make you feel better you can keep my wand and provide me with an escort. I'm certain Minister Harkness is about to leave for the weekend, as I am sure, Mr. Kameren, you were about to do. I respect the measures you have in place to protect the Ministry's officials however I assure you, I am not the Parole-Hour Special from Azkaban."
"We're both bigger than him. Maybe a takedown. By the by, I have a sandwich in my bureau. It's yours."
“Mr Bowre.” Alex stepped away from Munch, ignoring his stomach as it growled again. “I will escort you to see your brother. I’m sure Mr Munch, that you will not object to an auror keeping an eye,” here he allowed himself a bit of humor, “on the ‘Parole-Hour Special from Azkaban.’ Though,” He leaned close to the guard, as if to let him in on a secret, “I have it on good authority that Azkaban does not do paroles.”
He held out his hand to Munch for Bowre's wand. "Coming, Mr Bowre?"
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Post by Theo Bowre on May 23, 2011 0:34:00 GMT -5
“Mr Bowre. I will escort you to see your brother. I’m sure Mr Munch, that you will not object to an auror keeping an eye, though I have it on good authority that Azkaban does not do paroles.” He held out his hand to Munch for Bowre's wand. "Coming, Mr Bowre?"
Theo looked from Alex to Munch and back to Alex, ignoring the Security Wizard's smug expression. He was surprised that such a measure was being taken. While he didn't visit Jack at work on a regular basis, he figured his last several visits at least afforded him a bit of a break. What would his brother think to see him escorted to his office? By an Auror nonetheless! Jack would get that look, and Travert Salt would probably take notes on it for some critical expose that would bring down the family Harkness.
Today was sucking badly and Theo's promise to himself to not use the family card was quickly losing its shine. What would he tell Alex about his purpose for visiting Jack?
I think my brother may be in trouble.
I think my brother is facing extortion from an outside source.
I think my brother is a pawn.
I'm a salesman selling empty wands.
Merlin. His racing thoughts were stalled by a pompous sneer that suddenly took on a new pitch.
"My pleasure, Mr. Kameren!" Munch carefully placed Theo's wand in Alex's hand and waited by the guard stand. He wouldn't break his observation of Theo until he and Alex were out of sight; Bowre felt it like a wet blanket sliding down his back.
Uncomfortable, Theo muttered a soft "Thank you" and walked slightly ahead of Alex, taking his usual route towards Jack's office. He could have been heading to the gallows: the feeling would be no different.
"I apologize for this, Mr. Kameren. I'll wager you were about to head home and this is probably the last thing you want to do. I'm sorry, but do you have a brother that teaches at Hogwarts?" Theo caught himself rambling and silenced himself with an internal scold. He didn't want to be one of those wizards that tried to talk their way out of everything. Theo took an unusual corner that served as his shortcut to Jack's. Jack had shown it to him early on in his career and Theo never thought of going another way.
Are all Kameren's pre-disposed to great height, he thought, as Alex's shadow overcame his own.
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Post by Alex Kameren on May 23, 2011 23:07:47 GMT -5
"My pleasure, Mr. Kameren!" Munch carefully placed Theo's wand in Alex's hand and waited by the guard stand. He wouldn't break his observation of Theo until he and Alex were out of sight; Bowre felt it like a wet blanket sliding down his back.
Alex’s hand closed over the wand, he nodded stiffly to Munch, motioning Theo to go on ahead of him. Alex could still feel his stomach rumble slightly to itself as it adjusted to the idea that food was not forthcoming. Alex also sighed internally and resigned himself to a longer day.
"I apologize for this, Mr. Kameren. I'll wager you were about to head home and this is probably the last thing you want to do. I'm sorry, but do you have a brother that teaches at Hogwarts?"
“I do.” Alex said, ignoring the apology as was his way with uncomfortable topics. If ignored, they often went away. Obviously, this had worked out wondrously well for him in the past. It is at this point that the reader should pause, considering that perhaps this character’s writer has a particular wish of torment for Alex. Moving on--
“Interesting shortcut.” He commented as they entered the main hall that led to the minister’s office again. The traffic here was sparse, most wizards and witches having departed for the evening.
“Mr Bowre.” Salt said, coming up on the pair from behind. “Looking for your brother, sir?” Balancing a sizable stack of papers, files and books (was that a scroll?) Travert Salt nevertheless managed to open the doors into the waiting area and bow both men inside with considerable grace.
“SALT!” A voice greeted them, shouted from the inner offices. “Have you got that scroll we misplaced?” The greeting increased in volume as they drew near to the office, Salt leading the way, his own voice rising to banter with his bosses’ before Jack’s voice finally grew quieter as he realized he needn’t shout across the rather large office space any more.
“Theodore?” Jack asked, one word rising above the murmur. Alex stopped behind Bowre. “I’m sure your brother won’t bite.” He said drily, noticing the hesitation.
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Post by Theo Bowre on May 23, 2011 23:38:53 GMT -5
“I do.” And then silence. Uncomfortable silence. The silence to end all silence. For the first time in his life, Theo was actually the talkative one, and it horrifically backfired. He wanted desperately to look back at his escort; he wanted to see if he could distinguish where in the family line this Auror fit in with the man - the friend? - he knew as Curse Kameren. It must be an awkward existence to have family - formerly - on both sides of the law. Or, at least, the written law. Sometimes Theo wasn't sure that the criminal code of the Ministry wasn't criminal.
“Interesting shortcut.”
Oh, he talked.
It wasn't an invitation for a conversation but Theo still decided to fill in the blanks.
"Jack- Minister Harkness was actually the one to show me. It cuts off a few offices and that nasty set of stairs from the floor below. Don't want to be anywhere near that stairwell on property tax day. You'll lose your hat and your head."
“Mr Bowre.” Salt said, coming up on the pair from behind. “Looking for your brother, sir?” Balancing a sizable stack of papers, files and books (was that a scroll?) Travert Salt nevertheless managed to open the doors into the waiting area and bow both men inside with considerable grace.
"Travert, let me at least help you with- Thank you." Theo sighed as Salt refused to accept his assistance and nodded gratefully as his brother's aide let them inside. Well, he could forget being low key on the family connection. Salt had outed him rather innocently. "Actually, I would love to see him. Is he still here?"
“SALT!” A voice greeted them, shouted from the inner offices. “Have you got that scroll we misplaced?” The greeting increased in volume as they drew near to the office, Salt leading the way, his own voice rising to banter with his bosses’ before Jack’s voice finally grew quieter as he realized he needn’t shout across the rather large office space any more.
Theo listened to the verbal tennis between Jack and Salt with great interest. His brother sounded like he was about to explode: not necessarily in anger but absolutely in intensity. His usual calmness, his gentleness, was replaced with an audible level of stress that threatened to bring down the ceiling. He was hurried, almost panicked. Jack was reaching a critical break.
"Theodore?"
And that's when Theo realized that something was seriously wrong. The slip stopped him dead in his tracks. Left him cold.
Alex stopped behind Bowre. “I’m sure your brother won’t bite.” He said drily, noticing the hesitation.
"Perhaps not. Mr. Kameren, may I please have my wand?"
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Post by Alex Kameren on May 24, 2011 0:02:41 GMT -5
"Jack- Minister Harkness was actually the one to show me. It cuts off a few offices and that nasty set of stairs from the floor below. Don't want to be anywhere near that stairwell on property tax day. You'll lose your hat and your head."
“Mm.” Alex made a non-committal grunt, stepping out of the aide’s way as he brushed past, rather close for Alex’s comfort. Nevertheless, he pocketed the scrap that had somehow tucked itself in his sleeve, sauntering along behind the pair as they entered the huge oaken doors of the outer sanctum.
"Travert, let me at least help you with- Thank you." Theo sighed as Salt refused to accept his assistance and nodded gratefully as his brother's aide let them inside. Well, he could forget being low key on the family connection. Salt had outed him rather innocently. "Actually, I would love to see him. Is he still here?"
“Of course sir.” Salt said, readjusting his load. Another slip of paper found its way into Bowre’s jacket pocket, to be found later. Bowre was certainly too distracted now to notice. Travert let the doors swing shut, hurrying on past the others and into the inner offices, the door was propped open.
Theo listened to the verbal tennis between Jack and Salt with great interest. His brother sounded like he was about to explode: not necessarily in anger but absolutely in intensity. His usual calmness, his gentleness, was replaced with an audible level of stress that threatened to bring down the ceiling. He was hurried, almost panicked. Jack was reaching a critical break.
"Perhaps not. Mr. Kameren, may I please have my wand?"
Alex’s finger’s twitched in surprise, he looked down to see that he did indeed, still hold Bowre’s wand. He’d meant to give the older man back his wand sometime before. It mussed have slipped his mind. “Ooovvf c-course.” He didn’t often slip in his words anymore, but when he did, it could be rather noticeable. He made no comment on the slips, instead handing Bowre his wand wordlessly.
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Post by Theo Bowre on May 24, 2011 1:22:30 GMT -5
"Thank you, sir," Theo accepted his wand back, grateful. He took little notice of Alex's slip of words, except to wonder whether it was the result of fatigue or an impediment. One of his wards had an awkward stutter and Theo was incredibly patient with him. It was just something that they learned to work around.
Theo wanted desperately to say something to Alex about Jack. He wanted to share his fears for his brother's well-being, to say that there was something amiss with the man he cared for above all else. He would protect Jack at all costs, and if Alex Kameren was even an inch of the man his brother was, he hoped he could count on him to hear him out and lend a hand. Alex was the Auror. Theo had no credentials that he could count upon in this instance that would not result in his incarceration. And then he'd be of no help to Jack whatsoever.
Theo took in a deep breath and entered the space that held his brother figuratively captive. The air was dense with an uneasy energy, creating a heat that was as uncomfortable and draining as the stagnant air of deep summer. The papers that Travert hauled in to the space were now tossed haphazardly across Jack's working surface, and the Minister appeared to pour over them like nothing else mattered. Theo approached the edge of the desk with caution. He glanced quickly at Alex, hoping he would take his cue to stand back.
"Jack?"
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Post by Minister Jack Harkness on May 27, 2011 0:36:05 GMT -5
“Theodore?”
Jack asked absently as Salt unloaded his arms, letting the minister know who was at his door at such a late hour. Jack focused on one item-- about the size of a large book, it looked like dark, opaque glass and was engraved with runes that glowed sporadically. “Excellent.” He tapped it several times with his wand hand, muttering a strange incantation as he did so. This accomplished, he turned to the other papers. “Did you also bring the scroll?” He asked his aide needlessly, it was right there on the huge table. He crossed to his desk, pacing back and forth. Papers were rapidly spreading, his normal neatness lost in the urgency that seemed to take hold of the minister.
The artefact had been entrusted to his care years before, when he had had no aspirations to be minister. Given to him for protection, but now he was about to break that trust. It was very important that he--
"Jack?"
He looked up at Theo, his smile just a tad false, it was something only a person who knew him for years could discern. As his brother entered, he moved his hand, shoving a pile of paper over the artefact.
Must act natural.
“Hey Theo, what’s up?” He asked, his gaze flickering with puzzlement to Alex as he entered the room.
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Post by Theo Bowre on May 31, 2011 0:40:44 GMT -5
"Um, I actually came to ask you the same...um, you know Mr. Kameren? The auror? He very kindly provided me with an escort to your office. After-hours precautions; the Ministry is closed to the public at this time of night." Theo approached his brother slowly, bothered by the mask he wore. The change in Jack had grown exponentially since their encounter earlier in the week and left a raw burn in Theo's stomach. He would have preferred to have seen Jack look on the verge of a meltdown, like he was about to toss a lobbyist or two out the 7th floor window without their broom. But this off-smile - this fakeness - was dangerous. Theo cast a quick look at Travert and then observed the items on his brother's desk.
"The kids miss you. I checked in on Annie and Georgie the other night. They said you haven't been home in days. What is this you're working on, dear brother?" Theo picked up an antique parchment from among Jack's clutter, revealing an insignificant amount of the rune-charged artefact. It wasn't enough of a glimpse to catch the man's attention but its emergence was uncomfortably close to exposure.
He shot a glance above the document.
"I thought that perhaps I could take you to dinner, and then maybe convince you to go home. The Ministry and this..all this...will still be here for you in the morning. I promise. The cleaning staff here are amazing, but that pile, Jack, requires a miracle beyond Merlin, magic and Mother Nature. Travert can lock it away. Why don't you come with me?"
Theo stood tall in front of his brother, suggesting that his offer was not so much an option. He loved Jack. He would die for Jack. But he would not be small for Jack.
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Post by Mosrael//Ranna on Jun 1, 2011 1:00:44 GMT -5
[[ Ranna will only be here momentarily so she doesn't interrupt Theo taking Jack to lunch, hope you don't mind! ]]
She wore a cheerful, open expression on her face, this mask of flesh and blood, but underneath, Ranna was thinking quickly. It was another puzzle, another element to the spiderweb of plots she had begun to weave in the Ministry. The key piece being her hold over Jack Harkness' mind. Through the tenuous link she maintained to him at all times (just a thread, so he wasn't constantly aware of her, and she of him) there was the brief sense of unease and stress on Harkness' mind. A visitor?
Well she was on her way over anyways, to see how he was progressing with the artifact. Time enough to see who his visitor was.
"Minister, it's Miss Nienmorhai, from Department of Magical Creatures?"
Without waiting for an invitation, Ranna stepped into the office, disguising her lack of decorum for enthusiasm, smiling at both men as she entered, wearing robes of plum, her black hair spilling down her back in curls.
"Ah, Minister!" She beamed, but to the close observer, there was something slightly...off about her smile. The fact that there was a coldness, deep within her gaze, that no smile would touch.
"Great news sir, I have that report you wanted on the dragons migrating through Scotland's airspace. It's all done! And you sent me a message you had something for me as well, the research I requested?"
She didn't recognize the man opposite the minister, but Ranna could tell that he wasn't happy with what he saw of the Minister's condition. Reaching out with a coercive thought, Ranna mentally ordered Jack to relax and drop the fake smile. Can't have the man...ah, his brother? Ranna caught the thought that flitted through Harkness' thoughts. Very intriguing... she cast another glance at the man.
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Post by Theo Bowre on Jun 1, 2011 21:07:38 GMT -5
The arrival of Miss Nienmorhai in Jack's office caught Theo off guard and he unconsciously took a step back. Frustrated. He had felt that he was getting somewhere with Jack...making a point. The researcher from the Department of Magical Creatures had innocently severed that connection, snapping his brother away from a balanced life and back to the business of managing government.
Theo rubbed a hand over his face, his shoulders sinking in fatigue and defeat. Perhaps he was paranoid but Miss Nienmorhal was wearing the same unconvincing grin of his brother; Theo momentarily considered that someone was tampering with the Ministry's air supply.
"Great news sir, I have that report you wanted on the dragons migrating through Scotland's airspace. It's all done! And you sent me a message you had something for me as well, the research I requested?"
Theo stalled. Bizarre. He caught the researcher glancing in his direction and looked for some sign from Kameren and Salt that the scientist should be there.
"Well, we can be thankful, then, that most dragons fly below 10,000 feet. Well beneath the altitude range of most Muggle commercial aircraft and certainly less of a target for the recreational aircraft and helicopter enthusiasts of Scotland. Might I suggest spelling the migratory direction of their feeding flocks through the airspace recently restricted by the erupting volcano in Iceland?"
Theo returned her gaze with a small smile and then redirected his attention back to Jack.
"Shall we go to dinner?"
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Post by Minister Jack Harkness on Jun 1, 2011 23:14:50 GMT -5
Alex returned the Minister’s look with a bland one of his own, his thoughts hidden behind a unreadable face as he stood near the door. His sole purpose here was for Bowre, to get him in and to get him out-- lest Munch the Second take it upon himself to once again take umbrage to the minister’s relatives visiting him. Alex’s stomach rumbled again, this time to him alone. Alex sighed and returned to his observations.
"The kids miss you. I checked in on Annie and Georgie the other night. They said you haven't been home in days. What is this you're working on, dear brother?"
“I need that.” Jack said almost gently, easing the parchment from his brother’s fingers with one hand while the other swept lightly over the table, hiding the tablet once more from view. Travert Salt’s fingers twitched, clutching tight over the file he was holding before the aide relaxed, his air of competency once again settling over him like an aura.
Jack didn’t seem to hear much of his brother’s conversation, at one point waving a hand and muttering as he plotted something on a map. “No, no, impossible. Still in school. Can’t come home.” He drew an ‘x’ with vigour. “They must stay the full term.”
Unfortunately, Jack’s back was turned when Theo made his stand, the gesture lost. He was peering at a detailed map thumbnailed to the wall when he felt the touch, questing in his mind. He woke slightly from his work-induced fog, part of him welcoming her presence, a calming touch in his mind, some smaller, currently repressed side wanting to strike out, end this threat to his world. Unfortunately, this was not possible. His shoulders twitched, tensing slightly with the conflict.
“Ah Miss Nienmorhai.” He waved at her as she entered his office. Nice girl, very polite.
"Great news sir, I have that report you wanted on the dragons migrating through Scotland's airspace. It's all done! And you sent me a message you had something for me as well, the research I requested?"
Act natural. the voice whispered again.
He shook himself, a genuine smile returning to his face. “Thank you, miss.” He scooped a sheaf of papers from his desk, handing it off. “Now, you must go, I’m sorry. Terribly busy, you know.” She was firmly but courteously shown the door by Salt.
Jack, not attaching any significance to earlier conversations, of which he remembered little, looked at his brother in slight confusion. “I’m sorry Theos. Why are you here again?” A pause. Pallor came quickly to his cheeks. “Annie and George??” He crossed to his desk, sweeping papers onto the floor to unearth a small glowing sphere. “It can’t possibly be end of term already…”
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Post by Theo Bowre on Jun 2, 2011 23:52:22 GMT -5
"I’m sorry Theos. Why are you here again?...Annie and George?? It can’t possibly be end of term already…”
"A week and a half ago, yes." Theo's alarm at Jack's removal from reality was hidden behind a soft and deliberate manner of speaking. It was a skill the man had developed through years of speaking to irrational individuals. If he lost his cool, they won. The same went for Jack, and Theo needed to step carefully "That's a peculiar object. Have you stopped using he quartz ball that dad gave you? I thought you'd never part from that thing."
Having nothing of Jack's silent treatment, Theo walked towards the wall behind his brother's desk, observing a map that had been tacked and marked with numerous, charcoal Xs. He made a mental image of the scrap and glanced another look at the glowing sphere that occupied the Minister's attention. For a moment, he thought he spotted a familiar language ~ the Elder Futhark ~ but as quickly as the runes appeared, they were gone.
"Well, I can see that you have matters of great importance to attend to. It's a shame that you will not be able to honour your commitment to the public appearance you were to make tonight at the orphanage. I know black tie affairs are not really your thing, but I thought, you know, that you'd want the publicity. Can a failing government really afford to pass up good press right now? Hmmmmm. Food for thought." Theo turned and gave Alex and Travert a respectful farewell. He looked at both men carefully, hoping that they would acknowledge a similar hesitation at the Minister's odd behaviour. "Good night, Minister Harkness."
Theo headed straight out the door, taking a mental inventory of everything he could: every piece of paper, every book, every file, every annotation. He had lied about the event at the orphanage. There was no formal soiree, no press, no commitment by the Minister's office. Hell, the kids were already heading towards bed. But it was the last vestige of hope that Theo had this evening, and he prayed that a seed of doubt was planted in Jack's mind; that he may have missed a booking, a crucial social engagement, that was for the good of the Ministry. If he could get Jack in to his arena, he had a chance to change the course of the game.
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