Well she was making friends and that was always a good thing. "Good then. We will have fun I think if you're as crazy about brooms as I am." If she loved brooms anymore she would be making them. She had thought about going into that field, but the work was repetitive and Royce hated that.

She nodded. "Oh yes it was certainly an adjustment to say the least. We had fun though and everything worked out for the best." Her brother was a tad jealous that he didn't get a letter, but then he really found his passion in basketball and soon forgot all about Royce learning to be a witch. "Well my mom is a scientist and this just intrigued her to no end. She must have examined my wand for months." She giggled. Her mom didn't like puzzles. She liked answers. And a magical wand was a puzzle that she couldn't solve. It had vexed her for years.

She hoped everyone was as nice as the people on Level 6. "Well thank you for the warm welcome. I shall wear the badge proudly." she teased. Royce was really excited to have a job and be a working girl. Her mother was a strong woman that had set out to make her mark even though she was married to a football superstar with bank breaking contracts. She wanted to stand on her own two feet and so did Royce. "Yes I hope to stay with the Ministry as long as they will have me." she answered honestly.

'Oh, I'm in Apparation too' she smiled 'So, how long have you worked at the department?'

Walking through the office towards her cubicle, Leigh was very aware that everyone seemed to already know each other, and all be deep in conversation. She felt a little out-of-place and not her usual bubbly self, and so walked through the departments work area in silence. Oh she didn't have a clue what to do. Go up to someone and talk, make conversation? Or would that be rude? Well, she thought it probably would be, and so kept to herself, dropping some equiptment onto her new desk.

Laura didn't bother hiding her frown. Dragon pox? Well she had never had them before, but she had heard that it was a downright nasty condition. She did however have the chicken pox once when she was very young. It was the worst time of her six year old life. "I'm very sorry to hear that, but I am so glad that your daughters are better now," she said, patting Theron on the shoulder. She kind of had to reach up a little. It made Laura feel short.

Yes, Theron did seem a little off today. Not quite himself, Laura would say although she hadn't gotten to know him as much as the other division heads yet. Well, they couldn't have that. "If you need a pick-me-up, I think Armen has a whole bowl full of Chocolate Frogs," she said with a giggle. "As for what's been going on in the department, you've only missed a good amount of fresh new faces, in case you haven't already noticed." Laura gestured around to bring to his attention the many new employees to the department. "Refreshing, isn't it? There were virtually no new faces around when I was in the Portkey Office," she added matter-of-factly.

Laura laughed pleasantly. Jayden sure knew how to brighten someone's day. "Thank you, Jayden," she said with a sunny smile. "Good to have you joining us. We have plenty of new faces to welcome." She hadn't had the time to check out the new files in the filing cabinet, but Laura was sure there were a good number of new Apparation employees. "And as I understand it, the school year is a busy time for you, huh?"

Laura looked up enthusiastically. "Have you been to the trophy room, Royce?" she asked. "They have brooms on display there. Of course, it's mostly devoted to the game of Quidditch and not the brooms themselves, but it's a great place if you want a little break from work. Just one level below us." Level Seven, Magical Games and Sports. Sigh. Now, Laura was crazy about brooms, but she really loved Quidditch too. If the black and white pin on her work bag wasn't a big enough hint, she was a fan of the Montrose Magpies in particular. It was too bad Royce didn't seem to be as interested in Quidditch. But that was okay because she did seem to be interested in working with the Quidditch players' brooms.

When Laura listened to her speak about her mother's reaction to her wand, she laughed lightly. Her mother was a scientist? That sounded radically different from what she was used to. "My mother was intrigued too," she simply said, nodding. Actually, her mother was a writer, and a very liberal one at that. She had spent countless hours researching voodoo in the library. Wrote a nice short story about it, though.

"Great! So what did you do before coming to the Ministry?" Laura asked curiously. From what she already knew, her mother was a scientist. And science was a far cry from the Ministry of Magic.

Ohnoes! Laura noticed another new someone walk in and go straight to their cubicle without even so much as a proper greeting yet. She hadn't recalled getting a memo about so many new Broom Regulatory employees, so this woman must have been either a Floo, Portkey, or Apparation. No matter, no matter, she approached her all the same with a welcoming smile. "Hello there. I'm Laura Miller, division head of Broom Regulatory and Control. Welcome to the department," she said, offering her a hand to shake. "Are you a new Apparation employee?" Well, she was sitting in the Apparation corner of the office, so it was only safe to assume.

Turning 'round, Leighto saw someone come towards her with a smile on her face. She immediately felt better, and as she began to speak, she stepped out of her cubicle, and further towards the gathering in the office. "Hi Laura, I'm Leighton," she said with a grin back, her blond curls bouncing a little as she took Lauras hand to shake. "Thanks, it's nice to be here. And yes, I am." she added with a nod. She was beginning to feel better already, what with one of the division heads talking to her already.

"I'm not sure. A pet that is dependable and low maintenance. The job here is pretty demanding and consuming. It won't be a dog tha'ts a given." Ingrid said fingering on the pamphlet in her robe pocket. "A koi? What kind of pet is that? I'm not sure the menagerie has exotic pets." If Laura was looking for pets though then maybe she could get some pet advice.

Looking up as the door to the cubicles opened to reveal Theron she beamed "Good day, Theron! How are things? Are you're children better now?" Ingrid had gotten a memo about her co-division heads predicament and had been keeping an eye on Floo network and its employees in his absence.

Jayden entered the room after Theron which made Ingrid shoot him a bright, warm smile "Morning, Jayden! How are you? Could help me out with an important inquiery later? It has to do with the big family Higgins." If she had employees than she needed to put them to work. And Ingrid needed to be able to delegate things otherwise she would have too much on her plate. THe new employees though needed to get a bit warm in their clothes before she began giving them tougher assignments.

As blond made her way out of the cubicle Ingrid knew straight away that it was Leighton who Mr Trumball had briefed her about just the other day. Walking up to greet her new employee Ingrid smiled warmly "Hey there! You're Leighton right? I'm Ingrid Johansson. Division head of Apparition. I hope you'll like it here on level 6.. Do you have any questions about the Apparition division?"

Leighton turned slightly to smile at the other woman now talking to her. Oh, she was begining to feel a lot better now, now that two people where talking to her. Two incredibly nice people, as well. She was feeling very welcome here, and thought that she'd fit in well. Yes. "Yes, I'm Leighton," the blonde said, nodding as she realised that this was her boss. "Hi Ingrid. I can call you that, right? Or would you prefere Ms. Johansson?" Oh gosh, now she was nervous again.

Feeling her face flush a little red, Leighton went by way of an apology. "I'm sorry, I've never done a job like this before. So I'm a little lost," she was a little breathless, but thakfully the redness was receeding from her cheeks. "What will I be doing? In the divison, I mean. What does it involve?"

That didn't sound stupid, did it?

Score! Laura had guessed right on target. Of course, she did have a little clue seeing her sit in the Apparations section of the room. Hehe. And of course, Ingrid was right on cue with welcoming her new employee. Laura smiled and said, "I leave you in Ingrid's capable hands, then! And once again, welcome!" before backing away to the others again. Yep! Ingrid was division head of Apparations, so she was more than capable of handling new employees. Especially since Laura was still relatively new at the whole thing. XD

Laura nodded. "I hear ya. What about a cat? They require less maintenance than dogs," she suggested. Ahh cats. Leave them some food and water, go to work, and come home to a nice snuggly welcome. "They mostly take care of themselves. Just have to replace the food and litter and voila!" Dogs and cats were very generic pets, though. Laura wasn't sure if Ingrid was looking for something more out of the box.

"Yep, koi," she said with a nod. "It's a fish. They're popular in Asia, I think." Pretty little things, too/ "I desperately want to put them in a pond out in the garden, and I've already got a few pointers from a man I know up in Magical Creatures." Just need to find a place that sold the fish! Expensive they were, indeed.

"Oh, really? How exciting. I've been here for a little over a year now." Jayden replied.

"Yes it is." Jayden replied. "All those students we get to teach and test." he said. It was a good deal of work, but it was a lot of fun. Plus, he did get some pretty interesting stories out if it.

"I'm doing well, thanks." Jayden replied. "And yes, I would be delighted to help. Just let me know what you need done." he said returning her smile.

Christian practically skipped into the Work Area, clutching a folder stacked with pieces of parchment. A grin plastered across his face, he nodded to each employee that was already there as he walked past and down to the Division Head desks.

"Gather round, gather round!" Christian waved to those scattered about the room, once he reached his destination and placed the folder down as he leaned against one of the desk.

"I have something to tell you all!"

Christian Trumbull was... giddy.

'Ah, so you know what you're doing' said Liliana.

Liliana went over to where Mr Trumbull was, wondering what could possibly make him so happy.
'Afternoon, Mr Trumbull' she said politely

Laura looked up from her various conversations to see someone skipping over to the Division Head desks. Uhm... and that someone was Mr. Trumbull! Hokayy.

BUT WAIT! When she heard him announce that he had something to say to everyone, she knew that it could have been for only one thing! And that was reason enough to be excited. Even excited enough to go skipping through the room. Hehe. She made her way over to stand before the Division Head desks, gesturing for some others to follow and waiting to hear the full announcement.

Armen had to turn away from the conversation with his new employee, because someone had begun skipping through the office. Either it was someone who was really happy or had exciting news or it was the Poltergiest from earlier. Shiver

When Armen turned around he was relieved to see Mr. Trumbell and he knew why he was skipping. He walked over excitedly to the man and beckoned the other to join them.

Valeria had been sitting at a desk, looking out the window, when the Department Head strolled into the room. She couldn't help but notice how cheerful he looked, and it made her smile. As he made an announcement, blood started to pump to Valeria's ears; something told her this was going to be exciting, she could just tell by the way with which he presented himself, though she had never before met the man. She approached the small group of employees congregating around Mr. Trumbull, and eagerly awaited his proclamation.

Christian smiled and may have bounced a little in his excitement as his employees gathered round.

"Come closer, come closer!" He picked up his folder again and waved it excitedly.

"I'm just so excited, so excited about what I have to share with you," he said as he continued to wave. "We'll wait on just a few more people to show up, since there's still a little time." He pulled out a pocketwatch and checked, just to make sure. "Yep, just a little more time."

More grinning. More bouncing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poisonedbyyou

Laura didn't bother hiding her frown. Dragon pox? Well she had never had them before, but she had heard that it was a downright nasty condition. She did however have the chicken pox once when she was very young. It was the worst time of her six year old life. "I'm very sorry to hear that, but I am so glad that your daughters are better now," she said, patting Theron on the shoulder. She kind of had to reach up a little. It made Laura feel short.

Yes, Theron did seem a little off today. Not quite himself, Laura would say although she hadn't gotten to know him as much as the other division heads yet. Well, they couldn't have that. "If you need a pick-me-up, I think Armen has a whole bowl full of Chocolate Frogs," she said with a giggle. "As for what's been going on in the department, you've only missed a good amount of fresh new faces, in case you haven't already noticed." Laura gestured around to bring to his attention the many new employees to the department. "Refreshing, isn't it? There were virtually no new faces around when I was in the Portkey Office," she added matter-of-factly.

"It was probably one of the most scariest experiences of my life," Theron said as he placed his hand over his heart. "I'm sure if their mother was around she would have been able to handle it with ease." Theron smiled at the offer of chocolate frogs. "They do sound delightful, however I'm not one that trifles with candy." Theron then looked around the office, there were quite a batch of fresh new faces. "It is rather nice. Always a great opportunity to make friends of course."

Quote:

Originally Posted by KatieTessa

Looking up as the door to the cubicles opened to reveal Theron she beamed "Good day, Theron! How are things? Are you're children better now?" Ingrid had gotten a memo about her co-division heads predicament and had been keeping an eye on Floo network and its employees in his absence.

Theron then heard another familiar voice. "'Ello Ingrid, Looks like you've definitely kept up with things," Theron said as he stood from his desk and went to the front of it and leaned."The girls are much better and off at Hogwarts, I've never been in a house quite so quiet." Theron then clapped his hands together, "Now! I'm ready to get down to business!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmbiguouslyMe

Christian smiled and may have bounced a little in his excitement as his employees gathered round.

"Come closer, come closer!" He picked up his folder again and waved it excitedly.

"I'm just so excited, so excited about what I have to share with you," he said as he continued to wave. "We'll wait on just a few more people to show up, since there's still a little time." He pulled out a pocketwatch and checked, just to make sure. "Yep, just a little more time."

More grinning. More bouncing.

Theron then turned his attention to the Department Head. He was very excited to be back at work and couldn't want to see what was in store.

Jayden raised an eyebrow as Mr. Trumbull entered the office. Someone was happy today. He walked a bit closer and leaned against the desk wondering what the great news was.

Christian's smile simply beamed as he watched his employees gather.

"First, he said, bouncing on the balls of his feet, "let me officially welcome everyone who has joined our office since the last time we gathered all together. It is wonderful to have you."

Christian tucked the folder under his arm and clapped his hands together in a bit of appreciative applause. "And, to those of you who are still here, my gratitude for all your work."

Grasping the folder once more, Christian scanned the room, searching the faces of his employees.

"Transportation is magical. And I don't just mean that we use magic in our transportation systems. I mean, like a muggle might view - or how I view - the way a plane holds itself up in the air. Or the way all the moving pieces on a train just seem to all work together." The grin on his face grew, his eyes twinkling.

"Magic. Awe. Wonder." Christian paused, watching.

"Yes, it is possible to do your job without any of this. But I think it's much more fun when you're passionate about something."

And Christian Trumbull was passionate about Transportation.

Ingrid shrugged "Maybe. But i don't know if i'm a catperson..My aunt wants to send me her tortoise on test.. I've accepted.. Just not sure if i have done the right thing.." Yes why had she done that? That tortoise in partciular need a lot of attention and care. Maybe Ingrid was just being nice to her aunt.

"Oh, a fish. I get it but wouldn't you be afraid that birds would come and eat the fish if you stick them in a pond, Laura?" Ingrid asked knowing that that was a possibility with all fish in general. If brids didn't flock then you could bet a few cats would gather just as quickly.

Ingrid had put it into routine to speak to all her employees as often as possible. A good chef made sure that her employees were liking their work and were capable to fulfill the assignments handed to them. "I need you to look up the apparition licenses for the whole family. A few concerned neighbours have sent letters to me about bad splinching and other weird happenings emanating from the Higgins estate." Jayden had worked in the division for over a year which made Ingrid trust that he would be able to fulfill the task without too many problems.

Ingrid smiled "I've done my best to keep up. But managing two divisions hasn't been easy. Luckily though the new employees have made things easier. I didn't know you're girls went to Hogwarts..In what houses are they?" She was definitley glad that Theron was finally back at work. Ingrid had considered going to Chritians to ask for help but now it that things were returning to normal she didn't need to.

Smiling warmly Ingrid nodded "Yes, please do call me Ingrid. Ms Johansson sounds so old." Waving away Leighton's apology she said "That's nothing to apologise for. We are always beginners when we start out." Squeezing the blond womans arm gently she said "In the apparition division we supervise the apparition network for odd occurances or irrgularities. We also test and retest people in need of apparition licenses. It can be both Hogwarts graduates and adults."

"And lastly we also go to Hogwarts now and then to teach the senior classes Apparition but that is by invitation from the Hogwarts Headmaster." Ingrid finished and then waited to see if Leighton had any more questions. Starting in a new job and division wasn't the easiest but she was going to do her best to ease all her new employees into their jobs with a careful hand.

As if he had heard her Christian Trumball the residing level 6 department head made his way into the work area. Ingrid knew that he was there to announce the thing that they had been planning for a few weeks now. Waving a hello to him she took a seat her desk and waited for everything to be revealed.

Laura felt her lips tug up into a smile as she listened on to what Mr. Trumbull was saying. He was clearly enthusiastic about Transportation, and he had a way of pumping them up for what he had called the meeting for.

"A... tortoise?" Laura said. Cool! She grinned. "Well, I don't know much about tortoises. Do they live long? What are you going to feed it?" Laura had never known anyone to have a pet tortoise. It seemed sort of out of the box. And definitely not generic like dogs or cats.

When Ingrid asked about the fish, Laura shrugged. "I know. I was a little worried too. I was told that their natural predators are raccoons and herons. I think the birds around my area are too small to carry off a koi," she said. Koi were of a decent size, after all. "But there's nothing that a little enchantment can't take care of. Just in case."

Christian caught Laura's smile out of the corner of his eye, his own becoming even bigger, if that was possible.

"Since so many of us are new to working with each other, I thought it might be a good idea to do a little team-building. Work together on something fun." Christian opened the folder and removed a stack of parchment. "Put that together with what I said about being passionate about our work, and we're going to have a little friendly... competition." Christian grinned as he began to pass the parchments around the room.



(click for larger version)

"These are your guidelines. What you create could be nearly anything," he said as he began to walk amongst his employees. "But you will work together in two teams and there WILL be prizes." His eyes shone with enthusiasm.

"I'll be around checking on both teams, answering your questions, giving you suggestions, and I will be one of a panel of judges who will determine the winner." Christian came to a stop, once again in front of everyone. "You will have one week to plan and make your creation, and then your team will present."

"Are there questions before we split up? I'll post a copy on the bulletin board for reference."

(some ooc 'rules' will also be in the bulletin board post).

Eep! A competition! That sounded like loads of fun!

Laura took one of the handouts that Mr. Trumbull was passing around and scanned over it. So, Brooms was working with Portkeys, and Apparation was working with Floo. Laura narrowed her eyes and jokingly shot Ingrid and Theron a competitive grin. Oh, it was on.

"Mr. Trumbull, could Brooms and Portkeys work in the conference room?" she piped up. "That way there'll be no copying off each other." The last part Laura said jokingly again. Like Mr. Trumbull said, it was all friendly competition.

Armen had been so excited for this announcement and had been awaiting the time that it would be announced. It was finally here and he could tell why Christian was so exctied.

Armen looked at the sheet he had held up and saw that his Division was going to be with brooms and Laura!! "Psst! Laura, can't wait to get started!" he also moved his head through the crowd, meetin eyes with all of his and her emplyees and exchanging excited looks.

Questions? Questions? Did no one have any questions?

Christian scanned the group in front of him, perhaps a bit hyper, bouncing to attention when Laura asked a question.

"Oooo, yes. Excellent idea. Excellent idea." Digging a hand into his vest pocket, Christian extracted a key. Tossing it in the direction of the Div Head, he grinned. "Catch!"

Looking around, he nodded. "Welll, I'll be here if there are any other questions, but I guess we're good to get started! Laura, if you could lock the room and return the key to me when you're done, that would be fantastic."

Clapping his hands together, Christian addressed them all. "Ok, Brooms and Portkey to the conference room; Apparition and Floo, you stay and work here. Go go go! And most importantly, have fun!"

Christian gave a dramatic flourish with his arm to dismiss them all.

And the games were afoot!

Laura caught Armen's eye. The Portkeys division head looked positively excited. And Laura was too! "Me neither," she said, grinning.

Then, Mr. Trumbull was tossing a key over to her. She plucked it from the air with two hands and smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Trumbull! I'll certainly remember to relock and return," she assured him. Then she turned to Armen and the rest of their team. "Let's get to it, then," she said, turning to leave the room.