Office of Department Head Bryce Howell
 

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The office itself looks pretty much what you'd expect an office of the Department Head of Environmental Regulation and Protection to look like; the colour scheme of greens and browns gives the idea that this is the office of a plant lover. Even moreso, dotted here and there are a few potted plants, some quite large and others rather small. If you come early enough, a mixture of coffee and pastry scents hangs in the air.

Upon entering the office, the first thing you see is the desk sitting opposite you. Behind the desk stands an array of shelves, which covers the entire back wall. Some sections are filled with more potted plants and others with various books on botany. If you ask nicely enough, Bryce would be willing to let you borrow one for a spot of light reading.

An array of items can be seen on the desk, from framed pictures of the Department Head and his family to paperweights, spare quills, inkpots and a small sheaf of parchment. In front of the desk sits two comfy-looking chairs for any visitors. On your left and in front of the desks and chairs sits a corner-sofa and a small coffee table. On the opposite side of the sofa stands a filing cabinet and a large whiteboard on the wall, upon which Howell likes to draw his rather bad diagrams.

Come in for a chat or a meeting, the Department Head is usually inside. Do make sure to knock first, it's only polite.

OOC: Any/all visitors welcome! Just post arriving and I'll get to it asap!

Welcoming the New Head :3
 

:3
 

First week at a new job and he was already being bombarded with quite a few owls. At first they were congratulatory and he kept the cards sitting on his desk. Then came the letters from concerned parents and the like and Bryce had no idea what to do. Parents were always worried about one thing or the other and while he understood their concern, half of them needed to take a calming potion or the like. Seriously.

The thirty year old merely glanced over his shoulder as another owl swooped in through the window and deposited a letter on his desk. Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, he turned back to the whiteboard to continue writing up important notices he could mention in his first meeting when......

......... there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" he called, capping the lid of the marker and turning to look towards the door.

Jasmine heard his request for her to come into the room. She breathed in and out and opened the door. She saw the guy, he actually seemed old for her taste but he did seem presentable. She appreciated that. It seemed like he knew what he was doing. "Hi..." she began and then cleared her throat to make herself seem more professional. "Good morning. I am Jasmine Lenkim. I just wanted to come here and....welcome you to our department." she smiled.

Old XD
 

Hi.

Hi wasn't a bad greeting, so to say, he was just surprised by it. Especially in a workplace. Bryce did smile at the woman who went on to introduce herself as Jasmine Lenkim. At least he had met one of his employees now. "Morning, Miss Lenkim. That's very nice of you." It was.

He placed his marker down near the whiteboard before turning to look at Jasmine. "Care to take a seat?" he asked, gesturing to one of the comfy chairs near his desk. Not his one, obviously. He went over to sit in that one himself before reaching into his bag and pulling out a box. "My mum sent me these to welcome me into the job. Chocolate chip cookies." He opened the box and set it down on the table. "Help yourself. Just do me a favour and don't tell the others that I'm a big softie; it would ruin my scary Department Head image."

Joking, he was.

Maybe.

It was nice of his mum. Of course, there was no need to mention the fact that she had sent numerous letters asking him how he was doing and settling in and how happy she was that he had come back to the UK. "She worries too much. Only boy in the family and all." And the youngest one in the family, too. There was always the constant worrying that Bryce hated.

"I'll pass the message onto her," he said, smiling warmly, and even moreso when it turned out that Jasmine did like the cookies, "Merlin, I wish! Imagine growing up near a bakery your mum owns." Sounded great, didn't it? "No, she's a pianist. She used to play in theatres." Used to. Key words, those were.

"And what about you? How are you settling in?" he asked, leaning over and grabbing a chocolate chip cookie for himself, "Any trouble in the Department?"

Totally joining you guys yay :D
 

YAY! It's a party! <3
 

Before he could listen out for a response from Jasmine, there was another knock on the door. Bryce looked over at Jasmine and gave her a questioning look. Had she invited anyone else over? Or was this a concerned parent person who had somehow managed to get into the Ministry and ended up here just to give him a piece of their mind?

Way to make him look incompetent on his first day.

"Come in!"

Party time yay
 

When she heard a voice from inside telling her to come in, the red head pushed open the door and smiled at the two in the office. "Hello!" she said as she shut the door behind her. "Just thought I'd come introduce myself...hope I'm not interrupting anything important?" she asked as she made her way closer to them. But then again, he had indeed told her to come in...but she wanted to be polite.

It was funny how many of his employees Bryce was yet to meet, and here was another one. The first thing he noticed was the red hair, only because of its vibrancy. "You're not interrupting anything, Miss," Unknown lady. Someone whose name he should find out otherwise he was going to call her a redhead. Or worse, gingeraffe.

"Oh no, you're not interrupting anything. We were just being introduced and sharing cookies," he started, picking up the box of cookies and holding it out to the woman, "Want some? My mum made them so they're not likely to be burnt." If he kept on mentioning his mum, he was going to end up looking like a dork.

This was the LAST time.

Gingeraffe. Xd
 

Not interrupting? Phew! That was good. Smiling, she made her way in. Oh. She should have introduced herself, shouldn't she? How silly of her. She had been so worried about interrupting that she had forgotten. "Hawkins. Veronica Hawkins, but you can call me Ronnie." PLEASE do. Because she did not like that bloody name Veronica. Bleh. "I'm the personal assistant." she added. He'd probably like to know, yeah?

They were sharing cookies? What cookies? WHERE? Ronnie wanted some. If she was like a dog or something right now, her ears would be PERKED UP and her tail would be wagging like MAD.... But since she was no dog, she just raised her eyebrows and looked around for the cookies he spoke of. Smiling when she saw them and when he asked if she wanted some, she nodded and took one, taking a seat in the chair next to Jazz. "Oh thank you!" she said before taking a bite. Her eyes widened slightly. "These are delicious! Your mum is a brilliant cook." she said.

Mention of Ronnie :3
 

His very own personal assistant? Oh, that would make things a LOT simpler. Because Merlin knows, Bryce passed his own messy nature off as 'organisation' and left it at that. She'd would probably be able to keep him in check. "Nice to meet you, Ronnie." Not gingeraffe or redhead. "The name's Bryce Howell." And unfortunately, he didn't have many nicknames. Unless you counted B.O.

Hello primary school/Hogwarts flashbacks.

It was funny the effect food can have on people. Bryce was amused by the raised eyebrow look and the smile when she did see the cookies. And thank you for sitting down; it made him feel less tired seeing other people sitting down as well. "You're welcome! You two are lucky that I'm in a sharing mood." Joking. He was joking. And apparently, she liked the cookies, too? Bonus! "Merlin, she's going to think that she has her own fan club now," he said, looking between the two ladies with a very amused expression spread across his face, "Thank you. I'll be sure to let her know."

The only child in her family? "You must have had a lot of freedom growing up," he commented, picking up another cookie and munching on it while the woman talked about her family. Er. Had he hit a nerve? A weak spot? Something the woman didn't particularly enjoy talking about? "Why doesn't she approve of it? Surely, she should be proud that you're working in the Ministry now." He didn't understand this concept from parents. Thank Merlin that they were not talking about something lighter. A jokey matter. Bryce let out a small chuckle before saying, "Come off it, that would be nothing compared to those baked goods. Pastries, especially. They're hard to resist." And there went his weakness. Was he from a rich family? "I wouldn't say rich, I'd say that we manage. No mansions for me. I'd get lost in one."

It turned out that the two ladies did know each other. Well, wouldn't you know. Bryce munched on his cookies and watched the two out of vague interest. Did they get along? Good. He had no time to be breaking up silly playground fights. When Jasmine spoke next, his hazel eyes landed on her again. "You're allowed to call me whatever you want," Nothing rude, mind you. "Very glad to hear that. I was hoping it'd be a department people can fit into. How long have you been working here?"

Through the standard means and secure delivery postage channels, a very important piece of owl mail is placed on the Environmental Protection Department Head's desk. The missive is on special letterhead and sealed with a lime green wax seal.


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__

Text Cut:

June 8th, 2084

To the Ministry Department Heads:

If you have not been informed, St Mungo’s Hospital, in conjunction with Mr. Anthony J. Cresswell and his team of Ministry Healers, will be conducting Health Evaluations starting late this afternoon within the Ministry building.

Levels 1 though 4 will attend their examinations in the Technology Lounge on Level 1. Levels 5 though 9 will proceed to the Atrium on Level 8. Appointments are being scheduled for you and your employees and will be sent out via memo shortly.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation during this time.

Wandastian Epitaph
St. Mungo’s Head Healer
M.H.D.

There were quite a few things he was picking up from Jasmine. And cheerleading? He was going to ignore the activity but be internally proud of the leadership role. "You had your nanny, it's a start. And if they didn't care then, they have no right to judge what you do now." Harsh? Probably. But it was true. They should have cared from the beginning and not start caring later on. He also didn't understand the whole nonsense about being a doctor or something similar. That's exactly what it was: nonsense. "You're working for the Ministry. Surely that has to be good enough." Maybe it was a part of him that didn't want anyone in his department to think that they shouldn't be here. Or that they didn't want to. "How does your nanny feel about you working in the Ministry?"

Baking = riches? That equation seemed all sorts of weird to him. "Nah, I certainly earn enough but you didn't hear that from me, okay?" he joked, picking up another pastry from the dish. "Looks like you're the rich one, then. And certainly! Your own hard work pays off." See? That was more of the type of thing a Department Head was meant to say. At the mention of her time here, Bryce let out a low whistle. "Merlin, am I really the newbie here?" He was. He really really was.



Having stepped out of the office to grab himself a pastry and a coffee -- Ronnie needed a break of her own -- Bryce wasn't too surprised to find yet another letter on his desk. The man had been bombarded with those ever since that article about Hogwarts had been published. Not that he could complain; they provided him with enough warmth when he decided to burn them.

But this? This was new and therefore peeked his interest. He placed the pastry and cup of coffee down on his table before ripping open the envelope and unfolding the horror within.

...

A letter. A letter from St. Mungo's. His confused features turned into a scowl as he scanned the letter over and over again. The words 'Health Evaluations' stuck out to him, along with 'examinations' and 'appointments'. A few choice words that would make a house elf faint in horror were muttered under the Department Head's voice. Perfect. Just perfect. This was exactly the icing on the cupcake what with everything else that was going on.

It also meant that he needed to go to Ronnie and tell her to cancel any appointments he had for the day because according to St. Mungo's and this Anthony Cresswell, health examinations were more important than any work they needed to get done. And what were they basing this on? Being detached from the Ministry?! The concept seemed dumb. Downright dumb.

Letting out a small groan, Bryce placed both elbows on the table and his head in his hands. Please be a dream, please be a horrible, horrific dream...

Jasmine smiled at the new head of the department. He had a point. He could really relate to her. It was nice to have someone to talk to especially an upper level type of person. They had no right to judge her about what she does now. I mean she was living on her own right? She didn't have to beg on her hands and knees for money. She was an independent women. But the next thing for her is to find a new man. That would happen eventually. But onto the task at hand. Talking to her new boss who she seemed to really like. How does her nanny feel about her working in the ministry.

Jazz smiled and replied, "She is really proud of me. I went out of my comfort zone and got a job. It pays well and I am able to afford an apartment which is saying something right?" It means it tells her nanny she is capable. Aahh he was a jokester. She chuckled at his little joke. It was cute he was trying to not to make the meeting too serious. It is true her hard work always pays off. It does in the end. "I can also rub it in my parents face that I can make my own living. I can call them after their trip to Spain.." she rolled her eyes. Her mom loved going to Europe and spending the funds while her father worked his butt off. "Hate to break it you but you are the newbie.." Jazz winked. "I mean I sort of am too come to think of it. We are in the same boat..!" she smiled.

Then she saw the letter come in and she gave it a quizzical look. Hmm what would that be? "Are you okay Bryce?" she asked her new head. He seemed worried about it.

hi Kita hiii
 

Ignoring whatever else was currently going on in the office, a head full of luscious red hair successfully poked through the fireplace.

"Hellllllllllllllllo," the Headmistress called out impatiently, "is anyone home? I need to speak with the DERP Head. Now, please, this is an urgent call from Hogwarts."

Then she seemingly noticed the two people by a desk. Oh, hello! "HELLLLLLLLO!!"

Hi Roro HAI :3
 

"There you go." She had nothing to worry about. If her nanny was proud, that was all that mattered. And to Bryce, it sounded a lot like the nanny was the one who had raised Jazz and not her actual parents. Serious judging was going on. "It's saying a lot. I wouldn't let them make me feel bad about it, if I were you." This may have a little to do with the fact that he didn't want someone in his department feeling bad about working there. "Spain's a great place, by the looks of it. Have you ever been?"

SNORT. "Don't tell me I have to go through an initiation process in the department." Was that a joke? Even he didn't know. "Two years is quite some time. And you already know Ronnie."

Was he good at hiding his feelings? No. DID he wish he could have hidden this from Jasmine? In a heartbeat. "You could say that," he said slowly, "We might need to stop work for a while so that--"

One word: rude.

And unexpected. Three words.

Before he could finish his sentence, a head of red hair popped out of his fireplace, making Bryce jump and yell out, "Gulping Gargoyles!" Was this planned?! Had Ronnie mentioned that he was going to have a guest today? His guess was no for both, because this was an urgent call. From Hogwarts.

The letter from St. Mungo's was going to be swept off to one side. Didn't need to bother her with that.

"Hello, Ms! Take a seat, have a pastry," he said, nodding at the seat on the other side of his desk and at the tray of pastries on his desk that were meant to be for himself and his employees. Surely, they could share, yes? "What brings you here?"

Would it be rude to call her a gingeraffe as well?

It's just her head going through, a la Amos Diggory/Sirius Black xD
 

Whoops XD
 

So she wasn't coming in, then? Shame. He gave Jasmine a single nod and said, "Excuse me, Miss Jasmine," before taking a pastry and a napkin and heading over towards the redhead. The thirty year old man sat down cross legged in front of her because according to her, this was urgent.

And it was. It really really was.

"Howell. Bryce Howell. I am the Department Head." And he was speaking to the Headmistress, of all people. The man did wonder why it took so long for her to get in touch with him or someone at the Ministry but no matter. "We were discussing the school situation at a recent meeting, funnily enough. Were going to try and contact you so thank you for contacting me." They thought that the Cold Ones were attacking but that was something he wasn't about to mention.

As for the Chorts, all he could say was thank Merlin and Circe and all the Wizarding hierarchy that he wasn't in the Creatures department.

He DID brighten up when she mentioned something about helping. "I'll talk to Harmony, the Creatures Head," Who was a little... eccentric was a good word, wasn't it? "and we'll gather up our best teams. Might need to borrow one other employee from another team too." Because if Max knew enough about Cold Ones, he probably knew lots about chorts too.

"Has the situation gotten worse since..." When had the article been released? "... March? April?"

Bryce raised an eyebrow. To him, that sounded a lot like sarcasm, which wasn't something he expected from the Headmistress of a school. The stern, high-bun type? Sure. This? Not really. "I imagine that'd be quite difficult."

Was he glad that they had a bunch of professors -- and students too, no doubt -- that knew a thing or two about the creatures? Very. Someone would need to fill him in because the man knew squilch about these chorts. "Good. We'd need to know as much as possible, I expect." We being him, of course, but he wasn't about to dumb himself down. Not yet. Not ever, if he could help it. "We'll be there very soon."

Her answer to his question was disappointing. Not even the story about the precious icicle was helping. It was more like a weak ray of sunlight in the midst of snow. It was that small glimmer of hope that wasn't doing anything to help. Funny how that image fitted well with the situation.

What was the most disappointing was that she was gone before she could even finish what she was about to say. And to think he hadn't gotten the chance to give her a pastry. The shame.

Sighing, Bryce grabbed the pastry and napkin, got up from his spot on the floor and headed back to his desk. He picked up his quill and started jotting down as much as he could remember from the conversation. Flop network not working properly, Chorts living in the forest, need to get rid of the weather and the beasts, June 1st, digging. All of that was transcribed in scribbles and messy scrawls onto his parchment.

Done. Now another thing. "Jasmine, I need to take care of some business and see Miss Skylark. You may stay here if you wish. If you leave, close the door behind you."

And he was off with one main thought in his mind: Harmoy Skylark had better be in that office of hers.

Knock knock.