MLE Reception and Foyer
 

Got a problem? Witnessed a crime? Something to report? Come on up to the Reception desk here in Law Enforcement and we'll get to you soon. There's an instant coffee machine shoved off in one corner with some uncomfortable looking chairs. Once you fill out the appropriate form, thats where you'll need to wait but don't worry the chairs have been charmed to be far more comfortable than they appear.

Through the door to the left is the booking and interrogation rooms, as well as a few cells, to the right is the conference room, the dept. head's office and the general work area. You may not enter these areas unless you are accompanied by an MLE employee.

Help yourself to the coffee... its moderately terrible.




ooc: if you want to report a crime here, please PM the department head Tegz first unless it is part of the current Wizarding World plot.

He was actually on the way out, Evander, and yet there were.... people.

He came to a stop and looked at one and then the other.

What was this about then?

He cleared his throat.

"Can I help you gentlemen?"

At once, Daniel practically leapt to his feet. He was very jumpy these days... if you could call it 'days', since it had only been a day or whatever since... well...

Yeah.

"Uhm," he began, but his voice came out all high-pitched and weird like it did when he went through puberty, so he cleared his throat and tried again. "I, uhh, need to report something... uhh... something illegal. Like, Dark."

Finally sorting himself out, Daniel nodded, straightened his shirt and pointed to the cut on his face that was from a Dark curse.

"Alright. We'll need to take a statement of course. What's your name?" Boy?

Evander relaxed when Damien showed up. The guy was reliable. He nodded. "Yeah, stick around." Van glanced at the other man who was sitting and waiting.

"Name's Upstead. Daniel Upstead," Daniel responded straight away, his nervousness kind of leaving now he was sure on what he was doing. He glanced between the two Ministry men, decided at once that he didn't like them, and then looked over at the other guy who stood and spoke up.

"Yeah... that happened to me."

AND the dude stole a book.

Damien listened to the oh so intriguing tale of what had happened to the people. Yeah they seemed like the dimmest folk he had met in a while. "Would you like to take the statements, Mr. Bole, or perhaps we take one a piece," Damien said lazily but kept a hint of humor in his voice. Mr. Bole. That was for his benefit in front of the shopkeeper folk. Gah. I was attacked... that was all he had to say in response to their needing a statement. This was going to be a looooong day.

Ikenna had certainly taken his time getting around to investigating Level Two. It was not that he had been dreading a confrontation with Evander Bole; quite the opposite, in fact. The Head of Security had instead taken care of as many menial tasks as possible so that he had a clear schedule ahead of him, all the better to relish what was certain to be an interesting interaction.

And upon strolling into the Magical Law Enforcement "reception area," Gevrik noticed immediately that he was not to be disappointed.

"Well well well," the dark man spoke, slowly, deeply and deliberately as he casually wandered into the midst of the young shopkeepers and the older auror. Uninvited, presumably unwanted, and most likely unknown, he allowed Bole a generous smirk as he came to a stop in the centre of the room with arms spread wide. "What have we here?"

One precursory flick of his eyes to either side of the room could inform him of the situation, but he felt obligated to use his words for the sake of politeness.

For now.

.... Well.

That was interesting, Evander supposed.


His brows went up. Two of them?

"And you both work in... Diagon Alley?" He suspected at least. Evander was immediately 'on', slipping right into work mode.

"We'll take your statements separately." He added, holding up one finger and smilign politely and apologetically.


"If you could take one, I'll get someone else to take the other." He himself had some other business to attend to, and an angle to approach already since... it wouldn't surprise him if this and his summons were related.

At the very least, Trelawney would have some idea of what might be going on.


Evander straightened. Not such a simple thing, it was more... usually he made effort not to cut such an imposing figure with his height and build, but playing the part of a shrinking wallflower was pointless in certain company. He turned his attention to Gevrik, frowned slightly at the man's tone and indicated that Gevrik could bloody well wait.

He turned back to Damien and the two men.

"Damien, if you would, please escort these two to the Interrogation rooms, separate rooms if you please. You can begin taking the statement of one, and I'll send someone else along shortly."

Now.

He slowly turned to face Gevrik.

"Gevrik.Can I help you or is this a... social visit?" Keeping it... civil. Also, just to keep the bloodhound off the scent, Evander once again kept certain thoughts at the forefront of the mind.

Bad words in there. He flicked his eyes to meet Gevrik's for a split second, just enough to let a hint of those words surface, and then fixed his eyes somewhere around the man's left ear, being obvious about avoiding eye contact.

Damien let his eyes wander toward the new... guest and he couldn't help but feel a little... on edge. Not an easy thing to do to Damien Jackson, tough as nails. Not an easy thing at all. HE made sure to look away quickly, back to Van and quirk an eyebrow.

Damien nodded and started to motion the boys forward when he saw the change in Van's demeanor. He flicked his eyes back and forth between the two and noticed Van's obvious attempt to avoid eye contact. His eyes widened momentarily and he cleared his throat. Giving a nod toward Van he said, "If there is anything... else you need give me a shout."
Turning his attention, finally, back to the boys, Damien gave them a stern look and motioned them forward. "Follow me, " he called out and began his stroll to the lifts, right past the big man.

Could NOT resist
 

Arms falling casually to his sides as it became apparent that neither Bole nor his employees were welcoming him, Gevrik said nothing further as he waited for the Head of Magical Law Enforcement to divvy up simple tasks for his dimwitted employees. He was not waiting because Evander ordered him to; he was waiting because he liked the sound of trouble in Diagon Alley and wished to hear more.

Dark trouble was right up his alley.

"Nothing is ever social with you, is it Bole?" the dark man answered him levelly, meeting his eyes without so much as a single blink. He refrained from rolling his eyes as the other man resorted to his usual juvenile vocabulary and instead fixed his piercing gaze on Damien.

This one had been warned, Gevrik knew. Bot in disguise and out of it, he had witnessed enough of Bole's paranoia to be wary of this entire level. But how many of his other employees were already on edge and guarded against Ikenna's means and motives? The latest employee to enter the room at least had the sense to greet the Head of Ministry Security with a smile.

Sliding his hands into his pockets, Ikenna nodded to acknowledge the employee's greeting. He turned his head slightly, away from the other men and in the direction of the lifts.

"You should help me," was all he said lightly after a moment, as if they were continuing a conversation and were the only two in the room. Bole knew precisely what he meant even if he would never know exactly what Ikenna wanted.

Well that was easier, he supposed. Van was less familiar with places like Hogsmeade or Tinworth for example.

"Its another word for questioning." Evander offered with as much patience as he could manage. "So we can find out what happened and do our best to help you."

Or was this one wasting their time?


"As always." Van agreed dismissively, one eye still on Gevrik, and watched Damien lead the way to the questioning rooms.

Ah. Benjamin. Van nodded as if in greeting but it was more an acknowledgement.

"That'd be excellent. If you could question one, Damien can question the other. Diagon Alley shopkeepers. Attacked." He added, in a brief sort of summary."


"You want social?" Evander found that funny. "Do you bowl, perchance? Shrunken heads?" Arms still crossed over his chest, Van narrowed his eyes as Gevrik spoke again.

"And how might I do that?"

Atropos Trelawney would have to wait a bit.

Attacked??? "Gotcha." He nodded to Evander slowly turning his way towards the interrogation room, but getting a last look at Gevrik, avoiding his eyes completely, but instead, looking around his body as a whole. He then made his way down the hall, wondering what could have possibly happened to the shopkeeps.

Ikenna could have enlightened Evander on a variety of his social activities, several of which involved unusual uses of shrunken heads, but he was already growing impatient of the other man's sarcastic manners.

"Let's start with some honesty on your part, for a change." He watched and waited for the final employee to leave, the other man's continued reluctance to make eye contact not escaping his notice for one minute. Gevrik had always believed a certain amount of fear could be healthy, particularly if the one being feared had a reputation like his.

But all the same, too much caution made it impossible for him to use his subtle skill set that made him such an asset to the Cult. He needed Bole to stop his charade of pretending to care for the mental health of a few employees.

"I want to know exactly what you are up to," Ikenna spoke quietly, turning from the door to command Evander's attention. He took a step toward the man, still appearing to be at ease with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders sloping downward. "There is no need to overcomplicate matters."

sorry for so long <3
 

Van folded his arms across his chest. Honesty? That was a joke, coming from a man who used as much subterfuge in his life as Evander did in his job. Van held his ground as Gevrik stepped forward.

"I'm doing my job." He answered. The unexpected role of Department Head had been... well not exactly thrust on him, but he had his suspicions about why he'd been asked to step up. Sure, sure, he was qualified. But Evander Bole, in his life, had learned nothing comes free, and everything has a catch, and usually, a puppet master pulling the strings. He'd happily bet at least some of his galleons on Martel D'Isigny.

Not all of them.

He wasn't a gambling man after all.

"No. There is no need to complicate matters, as you put it. Or to interfere. Did you need staff, Gevrik? I have noticed Security seems a little.... short." And Maintenance was... not so much a concern to one Evander Bole.

It's okay; time makes a fool of me too.
 

"No, Evander, you are not doing your job. Not the way we see fit."

Gevrik took another warning step toward Bole. "And you know that is not why I am intervening, for now." Damn stubborn man. He was quite possibly the last person Ikenna would have wanted to know about the staffing issues in Security.

The shady man took another step toward the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. "I'm here to give you one last warning, Evander." They were eye to eye now with no room for Bole to squirm away, even with his arms crossed as they were.

"If you know what is best for you and yours, you will work with me and stop working against me. I know of your plans, your potions, your thinly-veiled warnings....and I will not have a repeat of your past performances working with my associates and myself. I have significant leverage against you this time that you may not even be aware of."

Ikenna's eyes could have drilled a hole clear through Bole's with their intensity as he allowed an image of one Lilyan Moretti and her son to flit to the surface of his thoughts.

"Are we clear?"

"We." Van repeated flatly. "As in you and D'Isigny?" Or should that be, D'Isigny's since there were two of them in the ministry now.

He stared Gevrik down, not flinching or even swaying as the other man stepped closer in a way that Evander was sure would intimidate the crap out of almost anyone else.

Sometimes it was a good thing being built like a brick house.

"You do not know all of my plans, Gevrik. You're more limited by your talents than you know." Van smirked but it faded somewhat and turned into something a little more brassed off as he caught a vague sort of impression. He wouldn't? Not Lily. Not the bloody kid.

Evander went quiet for a moment but still stood his ground.

"I'm on to you Gevrik. I know you're here for your own interests." Or at least, for D'Isigny's interests. "If I choose to cooperate with you." And he had no bloody intentions of doing so, as the man must be aware. "It'll be my choice and not because of your manipulations. As for my staff...." He glanced away, towards the door that Benjamin and Damien had disappeared through in order to question the two shopkeepers. "I have no intention of throwing them under the proverbial bus." And you may not be the bus, Gevrik, but you're the conductor to D'Isigny's driver. "And we have other means of getting around." MLE was not going to be Gevrik's plaything.

But if the man could legitimately convince his people to join his cause? More power to him.

"Are we done here? Do you need an escort back to your floor, Gevrik?"

"...and others."

Ikenna would not be elaborating. He knew he had gotten through to Evander but the other man had gotten through to him too. Gevrik's anger would only continue building the longer he remained in this frustrating man's presence and the bus metaphor was like pouring kerosene on a fire.

Just how suspicious would it look if he took out the Head of Law Enforcement right here, right now?

"I have many interests, Bole," the dark man hissed through a clenched jaw. "Apparently we were done before we began but know this: Neither you nor your staff is incorruptible and soon they will see just how law-abiding their superiors can be. You may have means of getting around but that doesn't mean you can get around me."

He turned on his heel like a bull after the matador and strode out of the foyer, obviously ruffled by the stubborn Evander Bole.