Athena Troy
Kissed The Dawn
Posts: 14
Registered: 7-21-2007
Member Is Offline
|
![[*]](./images/aventure/default_icon.gif) posted on 7-22-2007 at 03:49 AM |
|
|
Auror Offices (Open thread, Timeline Pre-Harry Potter?)
<There was something in the air tonight. Oh, there was the usual bustle. The click of heels against stone and the swish of robes as Aurors went
about their business. But there was something else tonight, something that didn't quite -fit-. There were whispers, discreet and not so discreet
glances as well a few outright malicious smirks as Aurors and various employees moved about the task force rooms. It was only moving past the first
rooms and into the hallways beyond that the source of the whispers became more apparent.>
<Two figures stood near the door of one of the dozen offices. One was familiar to any that had lingered there long. The lovely, dark haired female
currently dressed in rich scarlet robes was a well known fixture of this place. The man however, was known only to a few. He was dressed in a
respectable, if entirely uninspired suit. Tiny wire rimmed glasses and neat hair all conspired to give him a bookish air, though his face was
attractive enough.>
<Just now, pale skin was mottled with agitation. Fear, jealousy and more than a little resentment had burst past the confines of propriety and
discretion. Blue eyes blazed beyond the glasses and he was gesturing sharply. The woman's own face had for once tightened and grown still. True
fury sharpened her to a fine point like a blade and the retorts tossed out sliced deeply.>
<In truth, Athena was struggling with the steadily growing urge to curse him then and there. Garreth hadn't even had the decency to wait until
they'd reached her office, enraged by the cheerful conversation with an (attractive) male co-worker. It had been all she could do to pull him
into the hall and from there, it had unraveled with blinding speed.>
<Athena could see the see fear in his eyes, smell the scent of it clinging cloying to his skin. It made his voice high and gestures sharp. The
resentment had since slid free and more than a few of his jabs could have come from any petulant child. Her hands dug into fists, the weight of her
want reassuring. The last remark, the oh so helpful comment about -all- the time she hadn't had for their son was what prompted the wand to be
jabbed into his chest. The threat briefly dissolved his composure and Garreth found himself looking from her hard gaze to the stretch of hallway that
led to escape.>
For the crown you\'ve placed upon my head feels too heavy now
I don\'t know what to say to you but I\'ll smile anyhow
And all the time I\'m thinking, thinking
I want to be a hunter again
Want to see the world alone again
To take a chance on life again
So let me go.
Played by Lynn
|
|
|
James Lafayette
Patriarch
Posts: 17
Registered: 10-31-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hm.
|
| posted on 7-22-2007 at 04:07 AM |
|
|
<Slow. James walked in a way that implied his life was a stress-free environment. Where aurors ran through the hallways like schoolchildren,
flinging their papers here and there, he paced himself in a way that would have implied he had no particular purpose inside of the building besides
sight-seeing from several floors up. Personally, the man saw no reason whatsoever to rush towards or away from anything. What he was doing would be
done, regardless of the pace he chose to walk at. Currently, however, James was well aware that he just so happened to be blocking a very twitchy
man's exit strategy, standing there in all of his broad-shouldered, obscenely tall, slowly paced goodness. James kept his face angled calmly
towards the papers he was riffling through without pushing up his glasses, and merely continued.>
<The truth was, he happened to be developing a rather nasty headache from the volume within what was suddenly seeming like a crampt hallway - it
didn't need to be audible volume, either. What was a concentration built upon years and years of practise studying in loud rooms was beginning to
splinter, but he didn't really see much of a purpose in addressing [Garreth] until he became the Ministry's problem - James' personal
problems did not permit him to tell people to leave.>
|
|
|
Athena Troy
Kissed The Dawn
Posts: 14
Registered: 7-21-2007
Member Is Offline
|
| posted on 7-22-2007 at 04:17 AM |
|
|
<Words were audible as such, but little more. The hall was long and stone muffled even while it echoed. Still, what there was, was enough. The
echoes carried more than enough fury over, with all the annoying messiness of emotions. Still, the fact that her wand was currently pointed a scant
few inches from the man's heart seemed to have shifted the mood. Unease flared it, as did a sliver of genuine fear as he took in this dark eyed
'stranger'. Warmth had been replaced by ice and the hand holding the wand seemed more than capable. Confidence was clear in the tilt of her
chin and the straightness of her spine. Strength was shining out and frayed his already battered nerves further. The differences between them were
glaring at that moment, all the comforting illusions stripped away.>
<A quick glance down the hall at his escape route revealed James' presence. The man's utterly unruffled air only increased his humilation
and crimson bloomed on pale cheeks. Here he was, afraid of his own bloody -wife- and that cool that stranger was standing there. Possibly in earshot.
The double humilation was enough to undo him and with a parting snarl (that contained more than a few unprintable words), Garreth started to stalk
off. He needed a quiet place, an empty one to lick his wounds and try and soothe his battered ego.>
For the crown you\'ve placed upon my head feels too heavy now
I don\'t know what to say to you but I\'ll smile anyhow
And all the time I\'m thinking, thinking
I want to be a hunter again
Want to see the world alone again
To take a chance on life again
So let me go.
Played by Lynn
|
|
|
James Lafayette
Patriarch
Posts: 17
Registered: 10-31-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hm.
|
| posted on 7-22-2007 at 04:33 AM |
|
|
Troy.
<One quick reflex snapped the file folder shut to the tune of James' focus whipping up and locking onto the auror now just a fair few feet
away from him. He was no longer interrupting a confrontation and it was therefore no longer rude. Now, nevermind that his face never bounced between a
smile or a frown but simply retained its typical studious candor, there was simply a quality in the way that James looked her that seemed
extraordinarily off - a subtle hint that he was disgusted, irritated, or upset, but not a single frown line or muscle-tic gave it away. Just a
quality, and not a tangible one at that. The same went for his speech - while the heavy accent made it abundantly clear that he hadn't learned
English before the age of ten, James managed to sidestep the typical Italian trait of always sounding pissed off.>
I wasn't aware that we used our wands to threaten people during domestic disputes. I also wasn't aware that domestic disputes were permitted
on this floor.
<He may as well have told her to keep her fucking marital bullshit out of the Ministry, because this wasn't the place to broadcast the fact
that she was incapable as both a wife and mother - that was James' general opinion. Athena seemed absolutely incapable of subtlety, and
he was near positive she would have learned it had she remained at home for more than a handful of hours at a time to keep after the children
she'd seen fit to have, but not raise. This was what watching these little scenes unfold had taught him. Oh, her husband was to blame as well.
Wandering off to sulk, he presumed? Idiotic. James sighed through his nose and stood still with the perfect appearence of calm that bordered on
boredom.>
<Safe to say, at least internally so, he was one of the people that considered female aurors to be as useless in battle as kittens.>
James Lafayette - Hell Frozen Over
Tell me you\'ll reach it
Some of the time
What you\'re searching for.
\'Cos the love that\'s around you
Gets you down
Kick you to the floor.
sono_Katii
|
|
|
Athena Troy
Kissed The Dawn
Posts: 14
Registered: 7-21-2007
Member Is Offline
|
| posted on 7-22-2007 at 04:45 AM |
|
|
<The few choice words that sprang to mind were kept to herself as that voice registered. His 'welcome' presence had come before
she'd time to even begin to set herself in order. Athena settled for defusing the explosion into apparently effortless sarcasm, even as she
turned to face him.>
Lafayette.
<Athena intoned the word with all the slow solemnity that James managed. She'd thought about adopting her mother's accent, but decided it
was a touch too obvious. She had, however, smoothed her face out into perfect seriousness with just the most delicate touch of fine bred disdain
allowed to seep through in subtle mockery. All entirely presentable should anyone wander by.>
I'll keep that in mind.
<There were a few replies she could have made to that. Excuses, pleas that Athena's pride wouldn't allow her, especially in current
company. The mild reply was as close as she was planning to get, as she watched him with that borrowed 'face'.>
For the crown you\'ve placed upon my head feels too heavy now
I don\'t know what to say to you but I\'ll smile anyhow
And all the time I\'m thinking, thinking
I want to be a hunter again
Want to see the world alone again
To take a chance on life again
So let me go.
Played by Lynn
|
|
|
James Lafayette
Patriarch
Posts: 17
Registered: 10-31-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hm.
|
| posted on 7-22-2007 at 04:53 AM |
|
|
<For a moment, James paused and wondered whether or not he could find a file on her - perhaps her next position during the next confrontation, in
order that he could very casually lure one of his finest to execute a killing curse so that her damned curtness and her damned arguments would be
banned from the Ministry halls forever. It wasn't likely, he thought, that anyone would miss her. Her husband would crack under the pressures of
being a single father and leave, and her child would more than likely not remember who or what his mother had been.>
<Terrible shame that James was actually only half correct in his predictions.>
Good girl.
<Insultingly paternal, wasn't he? As though Athena were just a stupid girl - not a woman, not at all - who had done something wrong and would
have faced time-out had she not straightened up immediately. It wasn't that he'd worked longer than everyone on the floor, but his presence
that presented this impression. A few choice words slipped in like tiny needles here and there, asserting dominance, opinions, but never loudly enough
for anyone to bring to higher authority as abuse. James' thumb traced along the edge of one of the papers in his hand, and he looked down the
hallway as an afterthought, wondering vaguely what her husband was doing.>
And do you understand why things like that hurt both you and your co-workers?
<Slower now, more respectful in tone while he drew out the confession. James sounded as though he honestly cared about his colleague learning
something from all of this.>
James Lafayette - Hell Frozen Over
Tell me you\'ll reach it
Some of the time
What you\'re searching for.
\'Cos the love that\'s around you
Gets you down
Kick you to the floor.
sono_Katii
|
|
|
Athena Troy
Kissed The Dawn
Posts: 14
Registered: 7-21-2007
Member Is Offline
|
| posted on 7-22-2007 at 05:06 AM |
|
|
<Athena's file was likely findable, if highly dull reading. Her family had a respectable, if not famous lineage. 'Comfortable'
resources, but nothing approaching the Lafayettes. Neither her family nor her unexceptionable upbringing explained how she'd been led to this
path and what might lead her astray. As for position, it was possible, but far from certain. Athena had showed an irritating knack of avoiding death
thus far, likely caused by her rumored association with Dumbledore and his allies. Annoying.>
<Athena had seen and heard enough of James Lafayette to not bat an eye at the mild, if patronizing comment. It did prompt her to take a lazy step
or two towards him, stopping a polite distance away. Brown eyes met blue as her chin lifted, Athena adopting that same cultured, yet entirely
patronizing tone as the words spilled smoothly over.>
My dear 'boy', I am, of course, horrified to have inflicted such.. trauma on you. This is, however, the part where I remind you that you are
not the department psychologist or my boss. If you should become either of these within the next week, I will report back for the lecture.
<Athena kept the smooth glance in place, half soothed by the mockery though she fully expected James to ignore it. It made an amusing game for the
moment.>
Make whatever report you will and do let me know if you're promoted soon, hm?
For the crown you\'ve placed upon my head feels too heavy now
I don\'t know what to say to you but I\'ll smile anyhow
And all the time I\'m thinking, thinking
I want to be a hunter again
Want to see the world alone again
To take a chance on life again
So let me go.
Played by Lynn
|
|
|
James Lafayette
Patriarch
Posts: 17
Registered: 10-31-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hm.
|
| posted on 7-22-2007 at 05:19 AM |
|
|
<Oh, he didn't ignore it. To ignore such a childish outburst would have been both irresponsible and rude, but it was nothing that chided him
to raise his eyebrows or react in any way physical.>
Hm.
<James waited an appropriate few seconds - to make the silence seem awkward on someone's end, he supposed, and continued casually thumbing the
sheets in his hand. It was actually a packet of paperwork on several new interns that he'd been appointed, nearly identical to the paperwork
sitting upon the desks of other aurors that didn't deign to work quite as late as he did. These days, half the Ministry was up in arms taking new
hire-ees that were under the impression that these were no longer war days and that they could take up a summer job without clutching their office
chairs for fear that they'd be asked to go out and actually demonstrate any offensive skill. Laziness was a plague.>
<He'd waited long enough.>
I apologize if anything I said offended you. I didn't believe I would provoke that kind of reaction.
<Mockery and sarcasm. Very professional. Predictable, but not an admirable quality nonetheless. The upside was that Athena's trigger was a
simple one. It made her seem like an easy lure, simple to provoke in a fight with that hot temper of hers. Shame.>
James Lafayette - Hell Frozen Over
Tell me you\'ll reach it
Some of the time
What you\'re searching for.
\'Cos the love that\'s around you
Gets you down
Kick you to the floor.
sono_Katii
|
|
|
Athena Troy
Kissed The Dawn
Posts: 14
Registered: 7-21-2007
Member Is Offline
|
| posted on 7-22-2007 at 05:32 AM |
|
|
<Athena had considered walking on as the pause stretched on and James began flipping again through paperwork. Tempting, but it would be taken as
either a victory or a show of a childishness. Neither of which she wanted to reward him with. She wasn't exactly unaware of the idea that he
thought her childish/annoying and whatever else. Or that he thought himself always the victor. The alien mindset was hard to grasp, but Athena was
brilliant if nothing else. It was just that, at the end of the day, attempting to decipher and please James Lafayette took far more effort than the
young Auror could bring herself to make. And in the end, it really didn't matter. Athena made an attempt to keep that thought in mind, the
silence giving her a few moments to clear her head and work her emotions back into something like proper order.>
Thank you. That's probably somewhat true. People usually don't say anything because you stop -just- short of crossing the line that would
get you actual unwelcome attention.
<Athena's temper hadn't blinded here. James wasn't married to her and there were no cozy memories or closeness to draw the veil over
her eyes. Even if there had been the few dozen unpleasant encounters would have taken care of it. The mockery had slowly faded and Athena was simply
studying him, the way one might look at interesting painting or book. The last came out in softer tones, just above a whisper.>
But you're smarter than them all, aren't you?
For the crown you\'ve placed upon my head feels too heavy now
I don\'t know what to say to you but I\'ll smile anyhow
And all the time I\'m thinking, thinking
I want to be a hunter again
Want to see the world alone again
To take a chance on life again
So let me go.
Played by Lynn
|
|
|
James Lafayette
Patriarch
Posts: 17
Registered: 10-31-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hm.
|
| posted on 7-22-2007 at 05:45 AM |
|
|
<Athena's first three sentences didn't reach him. It was like becoming temporarily deaf and blind, though neither sense was completely
blocked out so much as ignored for the time being, the way things in the corner of one's vision could become shapeless or blurry. A hum and an
overexposed picture. James was listening to something else - a tangle, a jumble of words and ideas that stirred underneath her eyes, concepts, her
reluctance to walk away because she considered it a reward, (Strange, how?) and it was all a mess. Such a large, quick mess that it was hard
to latch onto one particular thought because that one was always swept away, drowned by the rest. It was absolutely bizarre when most of them slowed
into silence and faded into simple watching. Looking. She was studying in her head, quiet as a church, just the same as he was, and James found his
reflection oddly blurry when looking at it through another person's eyes.>
<Perhaps if he smiled, he would have. But James' mouth didn't pull that way. Instead, he glanced towards a nondescript corner of the room
and slid out of Athena's mind just as subtly as he'd come, like the slightest brush of touch.>
No amount of intelligence helps when dealing with someone whose reactions are unusual.
<Neither was it something he cared about. Intelligence and one's impulse level were completely different. Geniuses could get themselves hanged
because of a slip of the tongue just the same as an idiot could.>
James Lafayette - Hell Frozen Over
Tell me you\'ll reach it
Some of the time
What you\'re searching for.
\'Cos the love that\'s around you
Gets you down
Kick you to the floor.
sono_Katii
|
|
|
Athena Troy
Kissed The Dawn
Posts: 14
Registered: 7-21-2007
Member Is Offline
|
| posted on 7-22-2007 at 06:01 AM |
|
|
<Athena's mind wasn't that disorganized, though it might be a matter of perspective. The current conversation was certainly being ran
through a few channels, with more care than her defiance might suggest. James' expressions (such as they were), words and actions were all taken
into consideration now that the fury had passed into something far more practical. Her mind did move quickly though and likely with more than a little
taint of the horrible conversation of not ten minutes ago, even if the bulk of it had been pushed to the shadowy corners of him.>
<The shiver that brushed across her mind was delicate, like a whisper or a kiss. It might have been overlooked entirely, if not for that spark of
unease that flared even as he withdrew. The quiet sense that told her something was off, even if she couldn't quite be sure. So.. soft, but.. The
thought was halted there and tucked away to deal with later. Preferably with Dumbledore or Moody.>
Untrue. It's just not always enough.
<The images that played now were careful chosen. Flashes of Garreth's stricken face, earlier choice remarks made by James, all the
predictable, expected things that a silly female should be pondering. But for Athena at least, this had ceased to be a game.>
For the crown you\'ve placed upon my head feels too heavy now
I don\'t know what to say to you but I\'ll smile anyhow
And all the time I\'m thinking, thinking
I want to be a hunter again
Want to see the world alone again
To take a chance on life again
So let me go.
Played by Lynn
|
|
|
Helen Rhoads
|
| posted on 7-22-2007 at 03:50 PM |
|
|
Primar rodentis.
<The words hardly carried, almost a whisper from further down the hallway, but the effect was obvious enough. James' scalp began to itch and
soon enough crying bats began to emerge from his hair, tangled within, caught and beating against his head to free themselves. Three of them
altogether seemed to be imprisoned on James' head, caught between his scalp and his hair.>
<There was a brief pause before Helen's footsteps rushed over to the pair, concern painted across her features with a faint gasp.>
Oh, James, I am so sorry. I didn't realize... I was just working on something, a new spell, and I didn't realize that it would...
<She seemed to be horrified at the fact that the bats had been brought to life within James' hair, but hadn't as of yet brought up her
wand to rectify the situation.>
<In truth, she remembered Athena from Hogwarts. The woman had been in the year above hers and while they'd never struck true friendship, it
had always been congenial enough. When she'd seen the marital issues brought out in the open in the Auror offices she'd felt a pang of
sympathy for Athena. Having all that publicity and this on top of it couldn't be good for the mind of any witch.>
<And then James had appeared and managed to make the situation worse. It had been true that Helen was practicing a new spell, but she'd known
where the target would be and what it would do.>
<However, she was doing a passable job of feigning humiliation over the situation, eyes widened as she looked between the bats and James.>
Helen Rhoads
I\'m a science genius girl
I won the science fair
I wear a white lab coat
DNA strands in my hair
When I clone a human being
It will to hold my hand
Scientific method girl
The theorems speak to me
Microscope is in my hand
x1, x2, x3
Measure out the chemicals
Safety goggles on my eyes
Turn the Bunsen burner on
My creation comes alive!
Chris
|
|
|
James Lafayette
Patriarch
Posts: 17
Registered: 10-31-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: Hm.
|
| posted on 7-22-2007 at 04:10 PM |
|
|
<Actually, Athena's very last comment had innitially been James' cue to wander back to his office and finish signing the volley of forms
and legal documents in his arms, but, one couldn't get all that far with the beginnings of a spell irritating their scalp. Bats? It took James
several long seconds to finally notice Helen, simply because all the squeaking from the crown of his head was both distracting and it tended
to drown out the voices of others - the same went for when a good amount of them started struggling and bludgeoning him just enough to cause something
of a headache.>
<Once the actual concept of what was happening was sorted out, though, James managed to dully shift some papers into the crook of one arm and fish
his wand out with the other. Most people weren't usually confident enough to aim a magical weapon towards their own head, but he managed,
suffering a slight cringe every couple of seconds when something was pulled on too hard or one of his nerves felt pinched, and muttered a quick set of
spells. One by one, each of the bats turned into more manageable feathers in several small explosions that scattered them between James' broad
shoulders and the floor. Noiseless, now, but he needed something for the headache and idly rubbed two fingers against his temple.>
<That was about the time he bothered to pay Helen any mind.>
Hm.
<Whether or not the whole thing about a mass of bats swarming while he'd been in a questionably motivated conversation with a semi-popular
auror was believable wasn't relevant. He simply picked a feather from where it sat upon his suit, examined it, and shrugged. Man of few words or
reactions, as usual.>
Of course. Make sure the Head of Department isn't circulating next time you attempt it.
<Women.>
James Lafayette - Hell Frozen Over
Tell me you\'ll reach it
Some of the time
What you\'re searching for.
\'Cos the love that\'s around you
Gets you down
Kick you to the floor.
sono_Katii
|
|
|
Athena Troy
Kissed The Dawn
Posts: 14
Registered: 7-21-2007
Member Is Offline
|
| posted on 7-24-2007 at 03:04 PM |
|
|
<First, there was shock. Shock that quickly shifting to vast and deep amusement. It took a large, large amount of willpower to keep a straight
face. To not crumble into laughter or shoot Helen a bright, pleased grin. Athena (somehow) managed to keep the bulk of amusement from her face, but
her lips kept tilting up at the corners and her eyes had crinkled merrily at the edges. She mentioned to turn a would be chuckle into a cough and in
the end, she had to look discreetly down at the scarlet folds of her robe. Breathe, breathe.. not the time to be hysterically amused even if this
scene would be burned pleasantly into memory for years to come. Athena could have kissed her, but this was not the time or the audience.>
I.. Hello Helen, it's good to see you.
<A blink as dark eyes slid around James to Helen, desperately trying to appear unamused.>
For the crown you\'ve placed upon my head feels too heavy now
I don\'t know what to say to you but I\'ll smile anyhow
And all the time I\'m thinking, thinking
I want to be a hunter again
Want to see the world alone again
To take a chance on life again
So let me go.
Played by Lynn
|
|
|
Helen Rhoads
|
| posted on 7-28-2007 at 11:02 PM |
|
|
Of course, James. I am so sorry.
<She smiled again apologetically to James, playing once more the mistaken lady. She played for a few moments longer, seeming to fawn over James for
a few seconds before she nodded to Athena.>
It's good to see you, too, Athena. Actually, it was you that I was looking for.
<She gestured further down the hallway.>
If I could have a word.
Helen Rhoads
I\'m a science genius girl
I won the science fair
I wear a white lab coat
DNA strands in my hair
When I clone a human being
It will to hold my hand
Scientific method girl
The theorems speak to me
Microscope is in my hand
x1, x2, x3
Measure out the chemicals
Safety goggles on my eyes
Turn the Bunsen burner on
My creation comes alive!
Chris
|
|
|
Athena Troy
Kissed The Dawn
Posts: 14
Registered: 7-21-2007
Member Is Offline
|
| posted on 7-29-2007 at 02:41 AM |
|
|
<Athena settled for relative sobriety versus hysterics to be a victory. Fawning was entirely beyond her, as she feigned distraction with the
clearly feminine (if random) urge, to straighten her hair. She was drifting leisurely back toward her office, not trusting the relative composure to
last indefinitely.>
Of course. Mr. Lafayette and I were finished.
<Athena accepted the distraction readily and her head lifted long enough to flash a smile that had won the hearts of more than a few male
employees. She walked quietly back with Helen, waiting until they were out of audible earshot (a quiet spell would help on the magical end), before
giving a quick look to Helen.>
My office or is this a hallway sort of conversation?
For the crown you\'ve placed upon my head feels too heavy now
I don\'t know what to say to you but I\'ll smile anyhow
And all the time I\'m thinking, thinking
I want to be a hunter again
Want to see the world alone again
To take a chance on life again
So let me go.
Played by Lynn
|
|
|
|
