Here on level 2 there are some pretty nice bathrooms to be found. Mostly because this is the part of the ministry that often has visitors as well as boasting the largest department. Whatever the reason, we're all pretty glad of the result.

The bathrooms boast a baroque style, all done in chocolate, black and stainless steel. They're spacious and there are lovely fluffy hand towels for you to use. They are also equipped with showers and changing rooms with assigned lockers, since you never know when a Law Enforcement employee will get into a messy situation or have to change to go on an undercover job.

Of course the male and female bathrooms are separate, and you are NOT permitted to enter (or make use of) the bathroom that isn't allocated to your gender.

... so you'll just have to wonder forever whether or not the other bathroom is secretly better than yours.

You are here.

Everyone and anyone is welcome to RP here, but remember site rules apply, so nothing inappropriate.

There was nothing quite like a little quiet time, and this was as good a place as any to have it. After hitting the head first, Rainey washed his hands and sat on one of the plush-top benches while he dabbed his hands with the fluffy hand towel. How was it this place was more comfortable than his own office?

Nevertheless, he replaced the towel and took to laying on the bench instead, pulling a few memo's marked 'urgent' from his suit breast pocket and casting a glance over them. Dramatics. There were so much dramatics in this profession.

He was aiming to make this as normal a day as he could. It wasn't his offical last day, so things could stay relatively sane, right? Tell a few people. Hand in his notice. Hopefully avoid getting hexed, cursed or kicked. Avoid any dramatics.

A hard call to beat, when the whole prospect of giving his notice had his nerves on edge. It was the right decision, he wasn't questioning it. It was just strange. Which was why he was headed to the washroom. Splash a bit of water on his face, clear his thoughts and find Rainey.

His plan couldn't have been more normal, and interrupted by such an abnormal find. Rainey, lounging in the washroom, on the couches. The sight had him stalling right in the middle of the washroom, and for a moment, he couldn't find a single word to say. That moment, sadly, didn't last for very long.

"Office not plush enough?" He'd seen the chairs, the desk, the space in that place. So what was Rainey doing here?

This was going to be awkward.

Honestly, it was amazing that the MLE accomplished anything with such ludicrous 'emergencies' as these. It could wait, he decided, there were better things for them to be doing. On the whole, he felt the department was really coming into its own - of course, there was still the matter of insubordination that he needed to deal with, and so he made a mental note to call a meeting of some sorts on his way back to his office.

It wasn't long till he was distracted from his thoughts, and his bubble of peaceful perfection was burst.

Wonderful.

Sassy-mouth-concerned-Dakest, he'd seen sharper tongues only on women.

"Shouldn't you be working or something?" he questioned instead. Because more often than not he found this part of the level deserted - a good sign if ever he knew one.

The 'shouldn't you' reply was barely restrained, substituted for an almost lesser-evil response. "A guy's not allowed to use the facilities anymore?"

Of course, now that he said it, launching into what he actually needed to talk to Rainey about was going to be even more difficult. Then again, in his defense, he hadn't expected to find Rainey here, of all places. Merlin but the man was strange. Age-old Auror strange. He seemed to remember a few of them taking refuge on the seats in the bathroom too.

Shaking his head, Sabel moved over to the sink and did what he had come to do, splashing water on his face. Unfortunately, it did little to tide over his nerves. Especially knowing that Rainey was right there, watching him.

May as well bite the bullet now. But seriously, here of all places? He turned and tossed the paper towel in the garbage can. "Actually, do you have a minute?"

He guessed loads, given Rainey's sprawled out posture, but then, maybe he didn't.

An interesting return of question. Was he, or wasn't he allowed to use said facilities. Well, he knew where he stood on the matter. "So is this a break you're on?" Or was he wasting away the office hours? This is what he often had issues with. Productivity for the hours the man was paid, was of the utmost importance to him.

But whatever, so long as he'd be out of his hair.

Though it seemed that would be wishful thinking.

Sighing deeply, the Irishman waved a hand by way of encouraging the conversation to continue - something which he might regret.

"One minute."

He made no move to sit up, and continued to lay there, his head tilted to the side so as to fix the Auror with his stare.

"Sure." Why not? A 'bathroom' break. Wasn't that what they were called? Unless Rainey had removed it from the employee handbook. Two fifteen minutes and a half hour. He seriously hoped no one in the department had a small bladder.

Especially not if Rainey was on bathroom patrol, which given the lounging and the staring was very possible. And extremely unnerving.

One minute. Well, best to rip the band-aid off himself. Rainey wouldn't care. Actually, Sabel had a feeling the man might be rather relieved. Pulling out the envelope from his jacket pocket, Sabel stepped forward and handed it to the man, idly wondering how good his horizontal reading capabilities were.

"My resignation." Nice. Clean. Simple. All the explanation was in the letter, if Rainey was really interested.

Sure? That didn't sound confident at all. A pity. He'd have pressed the issue further, had he actually cared more, but his attention was now on this minute that Dakest wanted to waste from him. What could be so pressing that he'd be asked for a work in the bathroom of all places?

Rainey extended a hand to accept the envelope that the Auror appeared to be giving him - and how ominous did this seem? Ooohhhhh. Spooky. Alas he wasn't extended the courtesy of a moment to inspect the document himself when the nature of it was spat out of Dakest's mouth.

"Resignation?" he echoed out of disbelief.

Circe, he didn't think he'd ever be rid of the Auror, and frankly he wasn't sure how he felt about losing his 'right hand man'.

Without a second to spare, Rainey swung his legs down off the seat and righted himself before pushing himself up to his feet, his knees clicking loudly in the process.

"And what brought this on?" he asked as he closed the gap between them. Call him curious but considering the boy scout that the man was, not to mention his record with the department, this seemed slightly out of character.

This, was why he didn't trust Rainey. The man was unreadable. For the life of him, Sabel couldn't discern a single emotion or thought behind the man's actions. Did Rainey want to deck him? Laugh at him? Tear up the resignation? Or fire him himself?

He just couldn't tell. And that made the man's approach all the more intimidating, and unnerving.

It took all his willpower to keep his feet in place, though he couldn't help his hand balling into a fist at his side. Now would have been a good time to go wash his face. It would have been a marvelous excuse to turn away, and put distance himself from the man's presence. But doing so now would just make him look like a fool.

Of course, he didn't expect Rainey was viewing him as anything different at the moment. Heck, the man was likely to laugh at him. He seemed like the lifer-Auror type, especially being Department Head.

"I received an offer from Hogwarts, to act as their Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor." The Prophet, the recent events and frustrations, they didn't factor into the equation. Hogwarts was the deciding factor. If he had never had the interview, never received the offer, he would have stayed."I've accepted."

He was waiting for this 'excuse' for the man's resignation.

And he got one.

Rainey's lips twisted up into a smirk before widening to a grin of sorts. Well now, that was an interesting change of career. Rainey chuckled. "I'd have thought that was taking the soft option, being weak, but with the school's track record for deaths in the recent years, I can see why you might want to be in the thick of things." Cursed it was. The whole damn school. Cursed.

"Do us a favour?" he added, "dissuade the kiddies from jumping head first into the YATI program, I don't know how that institute lets through some of those kids." Eager, yes, but many of them had chips on their shoulders, or were plain daft. Neither of which were particularly conducive to self preservation.

Well, that was ... surprisingly pleasant. And, the man was approving? At least, in his own way, he seemed to be, even if his perception as to why Sabel was taking the job was not entirely correct. Still, for some reason, it mattered.

A smile of his own grew in response, as he shrugged one shoulder. "Even steel has to have some softness, to be malleable."

Shaking his head with a chuckle, he couldn't well deny Rainey's request. "I'll see what I can do." It was hardly unreasonable, and it gave him a bit more faith and trust in the man. It certainly didn't strike him as something a Cultist would say, and he'd met his fair share.

"I know you don't need, let alone want, anyone telling you how to do your job or conduct your business. But regardless of what you think of the Prophet's words, the others aren't sure. They want to trust you, but they are unsure if they can." He held his hand out to the other man to shake. "Do us a favor, and give them a good reason to trust you? Look after them?"

Otherwise he would be back, and it wouldn't be to exchange pleasantries with the Department or resume his tenure.