Hearing how awful she sounded Ingrid took a long breath to just relax herself. To the new employee she must have sounded very loud. Kicking herself inwardly she said in a calmer and quiter tone "Pleasure to meet you Royce! I hope you'll like working here. If you have any questions and can't find Laura then don't hesitate to ask me." Ingrid still felt a bit bad for coming off as so loud which hadn't been her intention at all.
"Liliana Bones, right?" Ingrid asked as she surveyed the seemingly energetic woman in front of her."Yes, I'm your boss Ingrid. Welcome to Apparition! Do you have any questions about the job or something else?" she asked with a warm tone. All new employees had an introductary meeting with Mr Trumball but with the arrival of so many at one go Ingrid figured that not everyone had had the pleasure of doing so and just came straight to the cubicles. Noticing the plaque with the name Liliana already put up on one of the desks Ingrid was glad that her employee had already found her spot.

Hearing footsteps behind her Ingrid to turned to smile brightly at Laura "Hello, Laura! How are you coping with your new division head duties?" The last aas asked with curiosity since the other woman had just taken up the role as new division head of broom control. Ingrid had herself not had the smoothest of transitions into her rolse so she hoped Laura wasnät having any troubles.

Ingrid turned to Armen and said a bit dramatically "Oh Armen. Did you miss me so much? I hope the divison hasn't been run to the ground in my absence." Glancing around it didn't appear as if the her division were in chaos or in some sort of crisis. The memos on her desk didn't even have that urgent red text. Oh well no matter.

As observant as he usually was her co-division head had noticed her menagerie pamplet. Taking the pamphlet out again Ingrid said thoughtfully some minutes "Yes, I'm thinking about bying a pet. Don't know what kind [I]though.. My grandmother is considering sending me her old and grumpy tortoise Max but i'm not sure if i want to live with one. Any pet suggestions?"

She listened as Armen told Liliana what you did in the Apparition office. Ingrid couldn't have put it better herself. With a warm smile to Armen she focused on Liliana saying "Armen is absolutley correct. In our division we test both young and old who need apparition licenses. It can be renewals for people who have apprated for many year or graduated Hogwarts students."

"And yes we also go to Hogwarts from time to time to teach the senior classes how to apparate safely. This is though on the request of the Hogwarts Headmaster so its not something we do every year or term." Ingrid heard Armens comment about them not updating each other on the on-goings in each other's divisions. She knew that they needed to get better at that but the new employees didn't need to be dragged into such a discussion/meeting.

She smiled and nodded. She was going to have a time remembering all these names, but she was sure she could. Everyone seemed to friendly and nice she was glad that she landed in the Transportation department now. Even though to be honest she didn't know anything about brooms. Other than which way was the tail and which was the handle. But she had read up on all the laws and regulations for a week after she got the owl about her job in the Ministry. "Oh I have a feeling I'm going to like it here already," she told her honestly.

OOC: Sorry Chris. Missed your post before

"Morning, Armen," Laura said. Her former boss seemed to be as chipper as ever. "Oh, I'm great. I was just getting settled into my new desk." Wow. It was going to get some getting used to, remembering that she was now a division head and not a Portkey employee anymore. And she was up at Armen's level now. Weird. "And how are you?" she asked with a smile. It was impossible to be anything but chipper with Armen around.

"Royce it is then!" she said happily. It was nice to leave behind such formalities. There was no need for that. They were all working together anyway!

"Bulgarians, eh? Yes, I do believe I've heard someone mention something about new brooms," Laura said thoughtfully. "I'm sure that the Bulgarian Ministry of Magic will have them covered though. Perhaps I'll look into it anyway." The Bulgarian Ministry was a formidable one. They could handle a Quidditch team's broom inspection. "So are you a fan of the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team, Royce?" Laura asked curiously.

"Good morning Ingrid," Laura said, smiling as she responded to her fellow division head's greeting. "Pretty well so far, thanks for asking," she replied. Yes, it had been smooth for now, the transition from Portkeys to broom regulatory. Since she had gotten the post, not much had been going on, after all. "How are you today?" she asked warmly.

'Oh, right' she said 'It's good to have all that expalained, but' she paused 'I do have one question... What job am I in, exactly. I was told I was in the Apparations Office and that was it. I haven't neen to see Mr Trumball yet, though' she told Ingrid, a little emabarrassed

"No, I don't mind; Valeria is fine, of course." she said, "I can't think of any questions at the moment... I'll be sure to do that, though, thank you. Is there anything I should be getting started on?" She glanced around the room at the other workers who were present, small-talking and mingling lightly, and she smiled slightly.

Ingrid turned to beam at Laura "Good, good! Let me know if you have any problems. My first time in the position wasn't so smooth." Which was a slight understatement but Ingrid wasn't planning on scaring Laura. Instead she said "I'm okay. I've just been at the pet shop in the Alley looking at pets."

Ingrid turned away from Laura to focus her attention to Liliana saying "I handle assignments as they pop up and keep my eye out for anything unusual. But for the most part i process lisences. You will do the same thing Liliana. Do you have any other questions?" Explaining what one did in words wasn't the easiest but she hoped she had answered well enough.

Crumbs.

Royce really wanted to get a gander at those new brooms the Bulgarians were riding and she was hoping since they were playing the UK they would get the chance to inspect them. "Oh no not particularly. I'm a fan of brooms. The best thing about finding out I was a witch if you ask me." she said. Well other than the fact that no one knew about her family. She hated all the wanna be athletes trying to get her to talk to her dad for them. Not that she wouldn't its just she hated being put in that position. "Have you worked here long?" she asked setting her bag down on a empty desk she was going to claim for herself. It was near an enchanted window that kept flashing the most amazing things. She could have sworn she saw a unicorn fly by a second ago.

'Oh, thanks for clearing that up!' said Liliana 'I really didn't have a clue! And no, I don't think I have any other questions...'

Briony walked into her new Department and stood near the doorway with the feeling of awkwardness. For the past year she had lived and breathed in the Education Department practically but this was all new and a big change. She was looking forward to meeting people but was feeling shy at the minute.

The petite blond held a box of her stuff to move into her new cubicle. She wondered where her Division Head guy was. Maybe she could ask him where to go and what to do. Gah! This was so confusing.

Liliana saw a pretty blonde woman in fron of an empty cubicle. She looked a bit confused, so Liliana went over.
'Hello' she said 'I'm Liliana Bones. You look a bit confused, do you need some help?'

"Hello Liliana," Briony said, to the woman who came to offer her help. "I'm Briony Whitehall, pleasure to meet you," she added after a seconds thought. Well, she was really hoping to meet the Division Head of the Portkey Office, but asking this woman some questions wouldn't be so bad either. "I'm actually in need of talking to my new Division Head you see. I'm a transfer from the Education Department." Might as well tell your new co-worker so random facts about you.

'Oh, you're in the Portkey Office. I'm afraid I can't help you much then, as I'm in the Apparations Office. I can help you with all that, though' she said, gesturing at Briony's box of things for her desk.

Ingrid gave up a small sigh of relief smiling "Great. But Liliana if you think up some more questions, then just come over and ask me." Turning away from her employee she headed over to her desk. The pile of parchments and letters in her inbox tray looked dooming. It was going to take all day to siff through the load. The first item was a question from a concerned mother who wondered why her sons still hadn't recieved their licenses. Ingrid grabbed the right scroll from the cabinet behind her and started to look for the notification.

The door to the cubicles slammed shut and an unfamiliar girl came into the work area. She seemed desoriented which made Ingrid draw the direct conclusion that the girl was either a transfer or a newbie to the Ministry. Dropping her scroll on her desk she dusted off her hands and then walked towards the girl saying "Welcome to Magical Transportation! I'm Ingrid Johansson. Division head of Apparition. Can I help you with something?"

"No problemo," Laura said smiling. She was a division head blessed with polite employees. Yep. "Well, we seem to be taking it easy at the moment. I'd love to see some work get underway, but you'll be no use to us not knowing the rest of your colleagues." Especially now that all the divisions worked together in the same area, even Laura made a point to get to know everyone in the department. "So it's up to you whether you want to dive into some work. But it's not a bad idea to mingle," she said with a nod.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Laura said when Ingrid confided about her not-so-smooth transition. Laura still somewhat remembered when Ingrid took over the position from Miss Goldbloom. But that had been back when the divisions were virtually separated, so she didn't know the two women well.

When Ingrid mentioned looking for pets, a smile spread on Laura's face. Awwh, pet shopping! "That sounds great. What kind of pet were you looking for?" she asked out of curiosity. "I'm looking to buy some pets myself. I don't suppose I could find any koi at Magical Menagerie?" Laura bit her lower lip. She didn't think they sold koi there.

"Ah, I see," Laura said, a smile playing on her lips. "I'm a fan of brooms myself. This division is the first I've applied for." Yep. Brooms, flying, Quidditch. She was a fan of it all.

Laura nodded in half-surprise, half-excitement at her next statement. "You found out you were a witch?" she repeated. "So are you Muggleborn?" she asked curiously. Laura herself was Muggleborn. Mhm, and proud of it. It wasn't often that she met others like her, surprisingly.

"I've worked here a while," Laura admitted. "I was an employee in the Portkey Office for several years and I recently was appointed to the division head position." Oh, those were the days. Laura giggled inwardly. "How about you? Been working at the Ministry long?" she asked.

It was nearly impossible to notice the entrance of yet another new face, but Laura noticed. She looked up from where she was standing with the others to see a young woman walk in. As she looked the slightest bit shy and possible with a small dash of confusion, Laura approached her. "Hello! Welcome to Transportation," she said with a smile. "I'm Laura Miller, Broom Regulatory division head. It's good to see another new face in the department." Yep! Since Ingrid had already offered her help to the girl, Laura waited to see which division she was in.

Theron came in in a solemn mood. He'd taken a bit of time off work to be with his girls who got Dragon Pox, luckily they were all better now and off to school, but he had to be with them and didn't dare leave their side. They were his everything after all. But, now if was time to get back to work!

"Good day everyone!" he said as cheerfully as he could as he walked over to his desk and placed his briefcase on it. He hoped he hadn't missed much. He did feel guilty for his absence and knew he had a lot to make up for it!

Valeria's eyes widened at her division head. She nodded, "Oh, er, of course." Not exactly what she'd had in mind, but she supposed it was inevitable. She'd have to make friends sooner or later. "Well," she shrugged one shoulder, "Uhm, thank you." She smiled at Laura, and then turned to survery her fellow workers.
As Valeria's blue eyes scanned the room, she bit her lip, feeling a bit anxious. Finally, she spotted someone else walk in looking slightly unsure, presumably new, and decided she should take some initiative. Valeria pulled her golden hair off her neck, and strolled over to the woman holding a box, "Hey there," she smiled cheerfully, "I'm Valeria Knowling. I'm new to the area, and couldn't help but notice you seem to be, too. Always easier to stick together, right?" She laughed and glanced over her shoulder at the wall and then turned back to the woman, "Need any help with that box....Er, what's your name?"

Briony smiled at Liliana. "You know, that would be great if you would," she said with a nod. This box wasn't going to sort itself right? Then a lot of new people she had never met before came up to her and introduced themselves and asked other questions. She was a bit overwhelmed by the sudden commotion but was pleased that people were so friendly. "Hello, nice to meet you all. I'm Briony Whitehall and transferred from the Education Department to here. I'm in the Portkey Office and I'd very much like to speak to the Division Head if any of you has seen him," she said, declaring this those who had come up to her so she wouldn't have to repeat this. She looked over to the later who was Valeria and chuckled, "Very true. Though the Ministry has been a home for quite some time."

Laura smiled back at Valeria. She was a nice woman. Yep. "You're welcome," she said.

Noticing the arrival of the Floo division head, Laura turned to Valeria once again. "Well, I hope your arrival to the department has been welcome enough," she said before excusing herself. Then, she looked over at Theron and waved. "Good day yourself, Theron," she replied cheerily to him. He looked a little bit down, even though his voice was chipper. "Anything the matter?" Laura asked. She hoped he was feeling okay.

"Nice to meet you, Briony," Laura said. She smiled when she heard that she was in the Portkey Office. "Portkeys, huh? So you're looking for Armen!" She looked around the room. He was around here somewhere. Yeppers.

Another kindred spirit, "Well we shall have to go visit the Firebolt factory together then. I hear they are working on a new prototype." Actually she wanted to test out the broom herself if they would let her.

She looked up at the question. She knew there weren't many muggleborns in the magical world. Most people had at least one magical parent. Royce didn't. "It was a surprise to the whole family. I think my mom was more excited than my father. But he came around." Royce nodded as a swag of her cut bob swung into her face. She pushed it back out of her face. "Yes I'm muggleborn." She looked at Laura waiting for the sneer of the smart alack remark, but it didn't come and Royce relaxed.

She smiled, "This is my first day actually." she admitted. "Its not that I need the money but I want to have an identity outside of my parents you know. I want to be Royce Norwood. Not Tamia's or Harlem's daughter." It was the fist time she said it out loud but it was true. She was Royce and she wanted to make her mark on the world like her parents did.

"Looks like there's new faces." Jayden said happily as he walked into work. "I'm Jayden." he said introducing himself. New faces, that was much better than having such a large office space and not so many people. "Morning Ingrid." he said greeting his boss.

'Hello, Jayden!' smiled Liliana 'It's nice to meet you, I'm Liliana Bones. Which department are you in?' she asked, leaning against her desk.

Squee!

Well, no. Laura didn't squee. Nope. "What a wonderful idea," she said, grinning instead. In all seriousness though, testing out new Firebolts seemed like a great idea. Or perhaps the British or Irish national teams' brooms, if not the Bulgarians. She would count the days until either team purchased new brooms.

Laura listened to her detailing her family's reaction to finding out she was a witch, and nodded in understanding. "My family was immensely surprised too. And my sister was especially excited. Couldn't wait until she got her letter too, but she didn't know that she was already too old," she said smiling softly at the memories. Poor Kenzie. She had been jealous the first year or so. "I suppose adjusting is a difficult task for most Muggleborns," she added as an afterthought.

"Ah, in that case, welcome to the Ministry as well!" Laura said, clapping her hands together. Yep yep, the first day on the job was an exciting one. "Now you can be Royce Norwood, Magical Transportation-ator," she said with an air of magnificence. Oh to be part of another person's first stop on their path in the Ministry. "Do you intend on staying with the Ministry long, then?"

Laura looked up as she heard a familiar voice. She smiled and waved to him. "Hello, Jayden!" she called. It looked as if everyone was mingling quite pleasantly, new and old employees alike!

Armen had snuck back to his desk and had begun rummaging through some paperwork that had fallen to the ground when he heard his name. He looked up and saw that there was another new face in the work area infront of his desk. This one must be one of his!

He dropped the papers he had just stacked and rushed around the front of his desk, grabbing the bowl of Chocolate frogs, and approached the new woman. "Well hello there! I am Armen Recard, Divison Head of Portkeys, Welcome!" he said holding the bowl out to her and then extending his hand for a handshake.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poisonedbyyou

Laura smiled back at Valeria. She was a nice woman. Yep. "You're welcome," she said.

Noticing the arrival of the Floo division head, Laura turned to Valeria once again. "Well, I hope your arrival to the department has been welcome enough," she said before excusing herself. Then, she looked over at Theron and waved. "Good day yourself, Theron," she replied cheerily to him. He looked a little bit down, even though his voice was chipper. "Anything the matter?" Laura asked. She hoped he was feeling okay.

"Oh, hey Laura," Theron said with a forced smile. "My girls had a bad case of Dragon pox, but they're all better now and off to school. It's just so weird with home being so quiet without them." He certainly wasn't used to the silence, but certainly was looking forward to work distracting him from it all. Theron took in a deep breath and tried to push the thought to the back of his mind. "Anyways, I've been a bit loopy lately. Anything new I might've missed in the department?"

"It's a pleasure." Jayden replied with a smile. "I'm in Apparition. How about yourself?" he asked walking toward his desk.

"Hello again Laura." Jayden said waving back. "Looking lovely as always." he said to her with a smile before settling into his desk. Another year at Hogwarts had just began. Which meant soon Apparition would be busy with that. But he didn't mind. He'd been there over a year now and actually enjoyed the work.