| Selkie
Join Date: Nov 2007
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Eliza Bellerose
Slytherin Second Year
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|  Hiss!Roar!Growl!Caw! | Hermione's Double | The Little Three | Alecate
Text Cut: The Infected Quote:
Originally Posted by kayquilz  Ahh. And as he began talking, Kensi listened..and listened...intently. A TIMELY manner?! Was he kidding?! Kensi had been sick for MONTHS now...months. She didn't think it was timely in any manner of the word! But she kept her mouth shut..for now...and just glared silently at him. She shouldn't be mad at HIM though...it's not HIS fault that no one had reported any of these..mysteriously ill people to him..
Hmmm.
They could speak!
Kensi immediately raised her hand, shooting Wes a 'I am going to talk now' look! She stood up, and cleared her throat..and hooooped that she wouldn't PUKE HER GUTS OUT RIGHT THERE.
"Ah...Hi...I'm Kensington...I work for the MLE...uh...I'm one of those...whose behavior is...causing a raised eyebrow and such...uh.." she coughed again, feeling her stomach churn. She had to look green. She felt so so SO SUPER sick right now..."I have a variety of...symptoms...at first...I ws drooling a lot...then it started happening more...I would glaze out, like, my eyes would go blank and I don't remember what happens when this happens...I also started getting ill a lot...like throwing up..." she clutched her stomach and stared at the Minister...she was a bit trembly under his gaze, but that was probably due more to her...feeling ill than really being nervous. But Kensi usually didn't speak in front of large rooms...so...this was weird for her. "After Christmas, it got way way worse. I found myself drooling more, blanking out more, and doing things without..thinking. Like coming to work...without thought...just...doing it. MY teeth..my teeth are sharper than usual..this I find the most...mysterious and disturbing part of the whole thing..." she finished, breathing in relief and sitting down suddenly...grabbing the bag in case she PUKED. Because it was..
Coming.
She hoped she described the symptoms...well enough. And she hoped some of the other infected people would talk, too, and Aron and Derek..because they had the samples...and stuff...
ACK. Alexander was somewhat surprised that the first to speak was not a department head, but an employee. An infected employee, at that. He turned toward her, folded his hands in front of him, and then gave her his utmost attention. Ever so often, his eyebrows would furrow inward as he took in the details of her sudden illness. A firsthand account wasn't something he'd been given yet.
"Miss Kensington, I'm sorry to hear what you've been going through," he said, giving her an apologetic look. Although he hadn't been responsible for things, he was still a caring human being. Despite how he'd come across to most people he'd encountered in his past, he did have a heart. Listening to her symptoms made him think of his wife, who was suffering from symptoms of her own. "I appreciate the fact that you've come here today and stood before us to give the details. You have my promise that we'll not only look into this, we'll solve what's going on and do what we can to help you." Text Cut: The Loyal Junior Undersecretary Quote:
Originally Posted by dan arjay Aha! The Minister has arrived and started the meeting straight away, as expected from the big cajuna.
As needed, Zach snapped his fingers to conjure a pen and a paper, a trick he learned from South Africa. He started to make it write everything that was being stated. Giving a small nod from time to time and a bit of a chuckle when he heard the cafeteria.
Thank God for home cooked meals. he thought. He had never been to the cafeteria.
But some things never adds up to the statements. They were right to speculate that it is from the cafeteria and link the drooling symptom there, but not the airborne theory. There should be coughing or sneezing involve if it is airborne.
He wanted to speak up but he knows so little about the said issue, he needs more information. But for now, he will just have to encircle the word airborne from his notes. Alexander passed a brief glance toward his new Junior Undersecretary. The man had been instructed to take careful notes and write down every detail given. Eying the man's parchment for a moment, Alexander noted that he was doing just yet. He gave the man an approving nod before hearing another voice speak through the crowd. Text Cut: The Evidence Quote:
Originally Posted by TSnitch She shook her head as Kensi quietly apologised. Zoning out all that had happened already, she didn't want to hear it. Not now, later would be better. She knew Wes was still mad and would roll with that heat when it came.
Dacs looked at Wes and once again resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She decided to speak up and give her report just like she gave to her boss.
"Minister if I may, I'm Antoni Dacosta, Chief Investigator of MLES on Level 2. I first noticed the strange behaviour a while back after a YATI was being somewhat pursued by an infected member of staff from Level 1, Kyleigh Manning and I was being pursued by one from Level 9, Demetrius Clay. At the Orientation while reporting to Mr. Ferguson, I realized it wasn't a freak occurrence as others noticed similar things. Most if not all the reports originated in the cafeteria which leaves me to believe that whatever this epidemic is and it is one, whether we want to admit it or not. I'm not sure of the exact source of the contamination, but I fully support the motion to close the cafeteria down until we can locate the source. Also, for the safety of those infected and the rest of the staff at the ministry and the wizarding community at large, I also support the move to have them quarantined until we find out how bad these symptoms can get as well as have them here for treatment. We want to be safe and not sorry, sir." she said, with military precision.
Giving him a respectful nod, she sat down and glanced half annoyed and half expectantly at Aron. He had the scientific part of it to explain. She did the tactics of investigation. That's why Wes had them there. To explain, from the expertise point of view. Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie He shouldn't be doing so, but he was. He TOTALLY was smirking at what Wes had said and was surprisingly not phased by the threat of being fired. Nope, that bit had sort of gone completely over his head because of the other stuff that had been said. The stuff that had shown this woman that he was right. Heh.
Aron adjusted himself in his seat a little, and just in time too, as the Minister finally entered and got the ball rolling.
He began to shuffle through all his paperwork, looking for the list of names that he had that matched the samples in his collection. His ear caught what Dacs had said, two more names that he did not have samples from and he wondered for a moment if Derek was keeping information from him. This was NO time for competition man! Aron quickly jotted down the two names and made a note to seek them out later for some fresh drool samples before he raised his hand and stood up to speak.
"Aron Ashburry-Hawthorne, CMEC Counterfeit Magic Identification Specialist with the MLE," he said rather quickly to get to the point. "I've been working with Mr. Meriwether in the Toxicology and Analysis lab on level three testing drool and vomit samples from those showing the symptoms just described. Here is a list of who we have so far. I will be adding Kyleigh Manning and Demetrius Clay to this list once the meeting is over." And with that he passed out copies of the report that was primarily a list of names.
"You will see that I have taken the liberty of adding myself to the list. So far we have not found anything real conclusive as of yet. The issue is that we do not have a large enough pool to test from." No pun intended, honestly. Pools of drool and all. "I took a sample of my own saliva as a control since I have no eaten in the cafeteria nor am I showing any symptoms at present, but also to make sure that the DNA patterns in the infected's saliva do not yield the same results. If the results are the same...then it means whatever is causing this is airborne and everyone in the Ministry could be at risk." Something to think about before everyone jumped down his back at this next request. "Which is why I would also like to propose that each Ministry employee supply a sample of their DNA for testing along with an inspection of the cafeteria." Yep. Aron was asking everyone to drool on a stick. "Mr. Meriwether was also...bitten by one of the infected, but it is unclear at this time if this can cause the infection to spread." Until they compare his drool to the others that is.
So there were Droolers and there were Biters...so far at least. Quote:
Originally Posted by Bazinga Victoria had been sitting very quietly. She wasn't sure of what to do exactly. Looking at the head of her department she decided just to follow her lead and whatever she did was what Victoria should do. Her stomach turned a few flips with nerves and she was sure that she was just over reacting, these meetings couldn't be that intimidating, could they. As people started chatting, she got lost in all the conversation. Everyone seemed to know each other and she wasn't sure who was who, let alone know anyone.
Then the minister walked in. She recognized him right away. As she listened to him she felt a little alarmed, so there was something strange going on. It wasn't just her imagination getting the best of her. Once others started speaking she wasn't sure if she should talk or not. Finally she put up a shaky nervous hand, "Excuse me sir.. I'm Victoria Maroon. I'm actually new to the Magical Games and Sports, but during the meet and greet we had, there were a few people that I met, well they were just a bit off. One man in particular was walking into walls, growling, and drooling." She stopped at that, hoping the information she had given could help at least a little bit. Ahh, Magical Law Enforcement. He'd suspected they'd have already been on the case, and as usual, they didn't disappoint. ...and oh, someone from Games and Sports, as well? Well done, new employee. Well done. His eyebrows furrowed even further inward as he listened to the accounts given. "The cafeteria, hmm?" he said to Dacosta. He grew quiet a bit and nodded along as he seemed to consider that option. Come to think about it, the talk of strange occurrences seemed to begin around the same time the food court got good and underway.
Alexnder looked toward Ashburry-Hawthorne and then accepted the list he'd provided. His brown eyes scanned quickly across the list as he read and re-read the provided information. Once, Alexander even looked up to meet the eye of Ferguson, the man's boss. A well-deserved raise is in order, that look seemed to say. "This is very impressive work," he said to Ashburry-Hawthorne.
Then there was the account given by the new employee, who introduced herself as Maroon. "I see," Alexander said, placing the list he'd received in front of him. He wasn't suffering from a shortage of words but rather allowing each piece of information a chance to roll over in his mind as he processed things bit by bit. "Walking into walls, growling, and drooling," he said, again looking toward the Junior Undersecretary. Was he getting this? Text Cut: The Department Heads Quote:
Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl Wes shook his head initially at Kensi's question, catching the look from Thea and deciding it was possibly in his best interests to let sleeping dogs lie, then sat back and waited for the meeting to start. He'd been planning to tell Hothead #3 to settle down as well, but then Alexander appeared and called for people to speak up. Since Kensi seemed to be leading the charge, he would speak as well and would just have to reprimand her, Aron, and Dacs in his office later.
Back to the meeting. He was not going to raise his hand. School had taken up enough of his life already. He did stand, though, and smoothed out his tie before talking. Good thing he'd decided to dress up today, eh? You didn't just have a meeting with the Minister every day.
"Wes Ferguson, MLE Head, speaking for Level Two. We've started conducting an investigation into these symptoms, which initially came to my attention at the Employee Orientation, and are collecting samples of those we suspect are infected with whatever Miss Whitworth here has. Some of us," he glanced toward Aron and Dacs, "suspect the infection stems from the cafeteria, as that has been stated during questioning as something several of the infected share. We're looking to quarantine individuals with the same symptoms while we shut down the cafeteria and investigate the source of this... situation, with everyone's cooperation and the Minister's permisson."
The Specialty Area Head got a nod, as did the Minister and Althea, since some employees from her level were working closely with a few from his level. Mini-speech done, Wes sat back down again and looked to his other two to speak up. They'd had no problem with speaking their minds five minutes ago, after all. Quote:
Originally Posted by Tegz Finally. Althea gave the minister a polite nod and her full attention when he deigned to actually arrive, though she wasn't exactly for this 'raise your hand' business. Right.
She listened as a few others stood and spoke, nodding here and there when her own department or employees were mentioned and then she stood up to speak herself.
"My department, Accidents and Catastrophes, is equipped with a laboratory ideal for testing samples, as has been mentioned." She nodded at Aron and actually managed something resembling a pleasant smile. "Derek Meriwether, whom I have asked to attend with me today," She indicated the man sitting with her, "may be able to enlighten us a little in relation to his work with Ashburry-Hawthorne, testing samples and such. Furthermore, we offer our facilities for further testing as required, though as its a controlled lab environment, we would prefer to make that invitation only to those with the relevant laboratory experience." Certainly she didn't want all and sundry tramping through her level just to get a look and vials full of vomit. Rubberneckers irritated her to no end.
"Additionally, in regards to MLE's suspicions of a cafeteria-related cause," She nodded at Dacosta and then at Wes as well, "I have invited Jade Gemstone, one of my Reminisciators, who may be able to work with the.... infected, to ascertain what in relation to the cafeteria they have in common. Jade is also a former Memory Restoration Assistant and she is trained in the art of mind healing. She's ideal for this task." Nod. She turned to Wes. "Wesley," She so wanted to call him Franklin, "I think it would be useful if I loan Jade to you, so that you might continue to direct investigation of personnel, while Aron works with Derek on level 3 to continue analysis of samples and evidence." Nod. "If you need additional Reminisciator support you need only let me know." She didn't mind increasing their workload even more. Nope. In regard to her employees if they couldn't handle the heat they didn't deserve to be in the kitchen. Simple.
"For those of you who are unaware of the details of a Reminisciator's job, they are, in essence, the opposite of an Obliviator, in that they implant manufactured memories, but because of this, they also need to be able to analyse memories and identify and construct patterns within their fabric. If anyone can find a link by assessing the memories of the infected, a Reminisciator can." All they'd need is to get the memories of the infected folk - memories of the food court, that was. Assuming MLE were correct in their surmising.
She wasn't done.
"Additionally to all this, my charms developers are working on a quarantine spell so that we can ensure certain areas remain infection free." Starting with her own department, thank you very much. "And hopefully contain this infection to the Ministry." Because... Circe forbid if it began infecting the Wizarding Public as a whole.
"There is another consideration, which relates directly to containment - both large scale in respect to the Statute and keeping infected individuals out of Muggle sight, and smaller scale, where we need to ascertain if this matter should be brought to the attention of the Wizarding Public, and if not, how do we prevent it?" She paused to let that sink in. "Accidents and Catastrophes can and will prevent it gaining Muggle notice of course, and I can make Obliviators available if we require them for... other purposes." Y'know. Like hushing up the pesky media? Yup.
NOW she was done. "I'm perfectly happy to address any questions, but Derek and Jade can answer those which are more specific to their tasks." She smiled politely and then sat down.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PotterHeadforLife Well, it was about time Minister Greingoth arrived at Courtroom Seven. The people in the place were buzzing and chatting. Lulu obviously was out-of-place for that moment. She felt sorry for her employee, Victoria, for even dragging her here. It was sort of a weird place to be, since they both were very new to the Ministry. But Lulu regrets nothing, and what she chooses and decides on cannot be changed. She was confident that Victoria would be able to help with this 'disease' that the Ministry is currently handling.
Hand raised, Lulu went to stand. "Lourdes Black, Games and Sports Head Level Seven," Introduction first. It was a rather formal event for them. "Currently, I have not noticed anything strange in my level but during the orientation though there were a group of employees whom I don't know of acting oddly." BESIDES, Mr. Armstrong though. He was acting a bit too weird. There, that was her observation and if that was needed in this whole thing, there it was.
"But I assure you, Minister, that if anything suspicious occurs in not only my level, but anywhere else in the Ministry, I will inform you or anyone who could deal with this." He had his Senior Undersecretary, right? And maybe the Environmental Protection could help... or the Magical Creatures. As of now, Lulu will keep an eye on what's going to happen in front of her. Glancing at Victoria, Lulu gave her an approving nod. See? No regrets. ...and then came the time for the department heads to chime in, lead by Ferguson, the Law Enforcement Head. "Mr. Ferguson, your department is to be commended for their investigations into this matter," he commented, looking first at Wes and then at his present employees. "I don't see an immediate issue with the temporary shutting down of the food court, and as a matter of fact, I support the decision. Ms. Schirmer," he said, and then stopped as he'd realized he'd hired two of them. This earned a brief scowl from him before he turned toward the Specialty Area head. "If there's no issue with this shutting down, which I don't see where it would be, you'll need to notify your employees immediately. Perhaps Mr. Ferguson and those involved in the investigation might have a few questions for them, as well." This was no vacation for them and if anything, they'd need to present each day of the investigation.
Speaking of Schirmers, the cousin then spoke. Long winded, that one was. He entertained that thought for a bit until he was sure he'd begun inwardly smirking. She'd have a field day if she'd somehow overheard his line of thinking. Back to the meeting, though. He briefly regarded Meriwether before turning once again to Schirmer. He nodded along as she detailed her plans for lab usage and the borrowing of employees. She seemed to have this all hammered out and although his pride would not allow him to properly do so, he should really commend her, as well.
He opened his mouth to move on, but before a thought could even reach his tongue, Schirmer was trucking on. His mouth snapped closed, and he again turned toward her. He passed her a smirk when she mentioned making her Obliviators available for other purposes. "Well done," he said. He raised his hands in a half shrug and said, "There are no questions on my end. I think your plans are thorough, and I can't wait to see the results your team is able to come up with."
His attention turned toward the new Games and Sports head as one of his newest department heads took a turn to speak. "Thank you, Miss Black. We can use any information we can get at this point," he said, giving her a nod.
-----
He sighed to himself as he tried to mentally sort through all the information now floating around in his head. "We've got all departments on board and ready to gather and use any information available," he said, giving the Junior Undersecretary a chance to catch up, "and the upcoming temporary closing of the food court." He looked out over the gathered crowd. "Anybody else?" Because now was the time to speak up if they had thoughts to share, as well.
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