Charlie had been walking by the reception area when she heard someone's voice. She just raised her eyebrow slightly and peaked her head around the corner. She smiled over to the man who was in the room and walked over towards the desk.

"Excuse me, sir, how may I help you?" She asked kindly.

Fantastic. Right. If by fantastic she meant that he would rather put his hand in a tank full of hungry piranhas then yes, this was fantastic.

Basil gestured towards his office for the angry young women to enter when he noticed Willow out of the corner of his eye and sort of gave his writer a look. Not one that said follow us, not yet anyway, but more one that said don't go too far because I will likely be calling you into my office soon sort of look.

"Ladies first," he said, eyes back on the Miss before they darted down to his red converse.

And then the door to the Daily Prophet was opening again. Sweet Merlin that better be one of the interns back with some coffee.

Nope.

Some other person with a complaint. GAH!

Noting that one of his other employees stepped in, Basil could not help but already mentally bash his head against the figurative wall of his mind. Retraction. Right. That was another thing that finally came down to him. UG UG UUUUUUUUUUG.

"Charlie, could you get the man something to drink while I deal with this first," he said in a low voice while jabbing to the woman he had just invited into his office. Mentally groaning again, he walked back towards his office door and stepped inside.

Yes, the complainer was supposed to know that that meant she should follow him in.

Looking up as another person walked in her eyebrow lifted at the words that came out of his mouth and sighed. Alright then, so a day of complaints? Nodding as Basil shot her a look, she turned back to the desk there instead of heading out the door like she'd originally planned on doing. Giving the man a kind smile, she wondered what it was he had a problem with.

Her gaze went towards Basil's door and wondered what the look was for. Was it something Willow had said...or maybe written? Sighing she just looked down at a paper that was on the desk in front of her.

Ladies first... such a gentleman...

Following the mans gesture, Emily set her sights on a door... to an office no doubt, HIS office. Good. A much nicer location to tear an article to shreds. Leading the way, Emily couldn't help but smile to herself as somebody else turned up. Was she not the only one to complain? Interesting.

"Ah, yes. Right." Copernicus smoothed his sleeves and straightened his tie and generally fussed over his appearance as he tried to gather his thoughts. Just out with it, man. Get this over with.

"I need to speak to someone about a retraction?" No, not a question. He did need to speak to someone, that wasn't in doubt.

Coming out of his office with a slight migraine, he reached for his coffee mug to take a deep chug from it when he found it empty. BLAST! Where was one of the interns to give him his daily brew?

Finding the gentleman still waiting - he had sort of hoped that he would have left by now - Basil approached him and offered his hand for a shake. "Basil Skeeter, Editor-in-Chief. Would you like to step into my office and speak."

Because he so was not talking about retractions in a public space.

Seriously, West was looking forward to this. Why wouldn't he be? Junior Quidditch Correspondent for the win, right? He arrived early, having been dropped off by his dad, and headed into the reception area.

...

.... he wouldn't be stuck in an office the whole time right? Not with the Quidditch part, surely?

Last summer's interns had gone off with a reasonable hitch, so Basil was looking forward to this summer's haul. After stuffing some extra newspaper in the heel for some extra height and double knotting the shoe laces on his red converse, Basil emerged from his office and walked into the waiting area where he was pleasantly surprised to see one of the youngsters now.

"Ah, hello there," he said as he walked towards the young man but did not offer his hand for a handshake. Germs you see. Basil had just washed his hands. "You must be Mr. Odessa. Basil Skeeter, Daily Prophet Editor-in-Chief. Glad to have you here for the summer."

Taylor came through the door, a minute or two early and saw a familiar Slytherin and an older man, whom she assumed was Basil. Tay came towards them but didnt dare interrupt them. Taylor kept quiet as they talked and observed everything that was going on in the room. She made sure she had an ear on the conversation just in case Basil might say something to her.

What did business casual even mean? Alice was definitely having a difficult time understanding what she was supposed to wear, so she'd let her grandmother dress her for the first day of interning. Which meant skirts.

Of course, when she entered the waiting area after being dropped off on Gran's way to the bank and saw the Editor-in-Chief sporting jeans while talking to a guy- was that West?- she felt horribly overdressed. Jeans. Could SHE wear jeans? Jeans tomorrow, then. Sorted. But for now, she was stuck being a girl.

At least her shoes matched his. Converse FTW. He clearly had good taste.

"Thanks, I'm glad to be here too." West said, glad that no handshakes were happening as he looked downnnn at the guy that was... the boss? Okay. "Nice to meet you Mr. Skeeter."

Oh hey, he knew that girl. Older Ravenclaw. Quidditch. Seen her around with weird people. Yeah he could place her some. West smiled tentatively, but was distracted a moment later because...

O_______________________________________O

Girlfriend.

Okay. Look. Look at Alice. Or no, nobody was allowed to look at her except for him, and he was. West WAS looking. Because skirt. And stuff. A stupid grin appeared.

Stupidest of stupid grins. And lots more looking. And appreciating.

She looked fantastic.

More looking and grinning. Just a whole lot of that. Were there other people in the room? He'd forgotten them.

What was business casual? It looked like business wear...So since Nerida had no clue what to dress in her mum had the pleasure of picking out her clothes for the first day of interning. Yay!? Of course when she walked into the waiting area everyone looked so casual, in jeans and converse. She could have worn jeans! And her converse...

Looking around who else had the internship here? West, and what was her name Alice? And Taylor, the girl who fell in her compartment on the way home. Seeing her she gave a tiny wave. She walked over to her and gave a smile as well.

SPOILER!!: all you interns <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unalii

Taylor came through the door, a minute or two early and saw a familiar Slytherin and an older man, whom she assumed was Basil. Tay came towards them but didnt dare interrupt them. Taylor kept quiet as they talked and observed everything that was going on in the room. She made sure she had an ear on the conversation just in case Basil might say something to her.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lemon

What did business casual even mean? Alice was definitely having a difficult time understanding what she was supposed to wear, so she'd let her grandmother dress her for the first day of interning. Which meant skirts.

Of course, when she entered the waiting area after being dropped off on Gran's way to the bank and saw the Editor-in-Chief sporting jeans while talking to a guy- was that West?- she felt horribly overdressed. Jeans. Could SHE wear jeans? Jeans tomorrow, then. Sorted. But for now, she was stuck being a girl.

At least her shoes matched his. Converse FTW. He clearly had good taste.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tegz

"Thanks, I'm glad to be here too." West said, glad that no handshakes were happening as he looked downnnn at the guy that was... the boss? Okay. "Nice to meet you Mr. Skeeter."



Oh hey, he knew that girl. Older Ravenclaw. Quidditch. Seen her around with weird people. Yeah he could place her some. West smiled tentatively, but was distracted a moment later because...


O_______________________________________O

Girlfriend.

Okay. Look. Look at Alice. Or no, nobody was allowed to look at her except for him, and he was. West WAS looking. Because skirt. And stuff. A stupid grin appeared.

Stupidest of stupid grins. And lots more looking. And appreciating.

She looked fantastic.

More looking and grinning. Just a whole lot of that. Were there other people in the room? He'd forgotten them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luna_Midnight

What was business casual? It looked like business wear...So since Nerida had no clue what to dress in her mum had the pleasure of picking out her clothes for the first day of interning. Yay!? Of course when she walked into the waiting area everyone looked so casual, in jeans and converse. She could have worn jeans! And her converse...

Looking around who else had the internship here? West, and what was her name Alice? And Taylor, the girl who fell in her compartment on the way home. Seeing her she gave a tiny wave. She walked over to her and gave a smile as well.

It didn't take long before the rest of the group arrived and Basil felt his Napoleon complex ironically growing with each passing moment. He should have stuffed more newspaper in his shoes. HE KNEW IT.

"Miss McIntyre, Miss Fischer," he greeted as the two girls walked in. Oh hey. That one had the same sort of shoes as him. Nice. She could be his personal assistant. Or, no, wait a second. Nope. She already had an assignment.

And she was teamed up with Mr. Googly-Eyes-Odessa. Hmmm.

"Miss Eventide," he greeted as the final intern entered the Daily Prophet.

Checking his watch, his eyes went back to all the Hogwarts kids. Best get them all situated quick so real work could be done, yes? And he could go back to his office and stuff his shoes some more.

"Good morning and welcome to the Daily Prophet, primary source of news for British witches and wizards. I am Basil Skeeter, Editor-in-Chief," he greeted as he not-so-obviously used the front desk to prop himself up a bit to make himself look taller. Oh, right, he had things to hand out to them. "Before I take you all into the main offices, I want each of you to put one of these pins on as well as take one of these," he said as he pushed forward a box of Daily Prophet badges and journals towards them. "I want you all to keep a careful record of your time spent here at the Prophet during your summer. Most well known journalists had diaries when they were younger to practice their writing skills. Journalist DOES have the word journal in it after all. It doesn't matter what you write about when you're starting out, just write. There are some pencils and pens in the main office you can use. Remember, you never know when a newsworthy story will come up."

He would wait for them each to grab these before moving on.

"While I have you here, are any of you interested in photojournalism, not just writing?" If so he had slightly different things to lend out to them.

Taylor nodded to the girl she didnt knew and to West. She smiled at the other girl, recognizing her immediately. Her attention went back to the older man as he started to talk. Tay glanced at the badges and journals and carefully took one of each as she was told. Oooooo... they needed to write in them... this will be so fun! Taylor tilted her head as he asked about photojournalism and debated. Do I want to do that? Hmmmm... She tried to picture herself as it and then shrugged. Nah...

Was it just her, or were West's eyes WAY too big for his head right now? She blushed and fiddled with the hem of her skirt, willing it to fall to her ankles instead of inches above the knees, because he wasn't supposed to be staring. At all. Ahem. Professionalism, you know?

Alice had it.

Basil. Funny he was named after a culinary herb. Did people name their children Oregano, too? Paprika? The fifteen year old took a badge and pinned it to her chest, grabbing a journal while she was at it. Were they allowed to do both photojournalism and writing? Not that Alice was particularly interested in either of them, mind you, it was only the whole sports aspect that tied this together. Junior Quidditch Correspondent, no way she was going to be stuck in an office all summer, right?

But if they were going to write actual articles, there would have to be pictures. "I could be interested in it." Keyword was could. Like if he needed someone. Or if she'd be doing it at a Quidditch match. Or if he was handing out free photography equipment, then she was definitely interested.

She went back to examining the Editor-in-Chief's converse and avoiding certain googly eyes.

It was kinda funny the whole looks West was giving Alice. Though she kept her smirks and smiles inside...Because she was a professional...Basil? If it wasn't the time to be professional...Which meant no laughing or giggling...Even if his name was kinda funny! Hes a plant...Herb..Nerida didn't know. He just had a funny name. Maybe it was pronounced different then the herb... For now though he would remain a herb. Cute badges! Awesome...She grabbed one and pinned it to her jacket and then picked up a journal. Those were also pretty cute as well. Photojournalism...Hmm....Not just writing...She loved photography!! Sure she would be interested in doing that. "I would be interested."

Huh well, there was quite the crowd huh? West managed to tear his eyes away from the prettiest girlfriend ever (hint: his), and go ahead and take a badge and notebook.

Also, smiles for people.


And photojournalism?

"Probably a good idea, for the Quidditch action shots." Yeah? Yeah. He was down. West wasn't here for the writing part anyways, he was here for the Quidditch.

.... so when would he get to go to a game for free?

Could be? He sort of just started at the one taller than him young lady wondering what all this could could imply. It was the way some of his children spoke to him about things. Didn't help that he only saw them on weekends and they were only allowed to stay with him one weekend a month. So, you, missy, were hitting him right in his Hufflepuff feels.

Which meant he was not a fan.

Concentrating instead on the positives and the fact that there were some interested in photojournalism. "If you want to try your hand at it, we have some top notch equipment for you to use. Just remember that if you break it you will be paying for the repairs." Crystal clear? "If you are looking to take action shots, there is a special lens for you to use." More on that once they got moving.

Speaking of moving.

"Now that you all have your badges and journals, I want you all to follow me into the working area," he said as he opened the door leading into the writer and editor desks. "You will each find that you have a desk with your own name plaque. Go ahead find yours and make yourself comfortable." They would also find a Quick Quotes Quill in the topmost desk drawer for them to keep should they get nosey and snoop around their desk like all good reporters should.

Vesper Bayliss was trying her hardest to simply blend in...and this was mostly because of her chosen outfit of the day. Business casual...Her mother had insisted on something...and that something included a dress. A dress on the shorter side. On her walk over, the fifteen year old had tugged and fiddled with her hem, totally self-conscious.

Why couldn't she just wear a business suit like she'd planned?

Parents.

Luckily, she'd stepped into the room just behind Alice and West...and was almost positive not even those two had seen her. Fortune smiling upon her!! There was nothing out of the ordinary about her level of observation...an they were just observing each other...

Ves tried to maintain this level of inconspicuousness by ducking her head down as she moved forward to collect her badge and journal. Yep, they were getting a journal. This was the perfect way to make her feel totally at home. They were meant to write their thoughts down in it....Well, Vesper did this everyday in her Warhol journal...In fact, she went ahead and cracked her journal open, producing a quill that he been tucked behind her ear. This was not unusual for her. The girl liked to write, okay? Nothing weird or strange about it...

Scribble.....scribble.....scribble.....

Oh, Mr. Basil was speaking again. She lifted her head to look at his curiously. Oh, a workroom with desks...Vesper paused in her jotting to enter the room as instructed...

Shrug. He had no problems. He had no plans to break anything. West just nodded and listened further. A desk? They had desks? With plaques? Could they keep the plaques? Was his desk near Alice's? Did it have a good view of Alice?

Best go see.

And we noticed you, Miss Vesper. West grinned to himself. It was her note taking that gave her away. He went on into the writers room too. Lesseeee what happens next.

The guy was giving her looks, and Alice was at a loss for more words or comments. Or not really, but comments she was allowed to be vocal about. Had she done something wrong already? It had been.. what, three minutes? It sure didn't take long to make an impression, that was for sure.

He still had nice shoes, though. And probably a brother named Cardamom. She'd let the looks slide.

Desks? Hm. Alice followed the Editor-in-Chief into the work area, making sure to stay at the back of the group to avoid any more staring. And also behind Vesper, who she'd definitely noticed. Still being quiet and professional, though, so no greetings yet, see? She definitely had this working girl thing down.

Stepping out of his office and disinfecting the doorknob on his way out, Basil looked down and saw that his shoelaces were untied and groaned. He had JUST washed his hands and now he had to get them all germy again by tying his shoe laces. If this was a sign of things to come, then this summer was going to be a bloody disaster filled with bad press.

Leave it to the Hufflepuff to see the world as always having the glass half empty, eh?

Shoelaces tied, He quickly made his way to the disinfectant spray kept behind the desk and began to spray the Merlin out of his hands, arms, shoes, and then the top of the desk for good measure. He eyed the clock all the while he was doing this and wondered when this new wave of iterns would show up.

Not to mention his staff.

Brodie walked in quickly and gave a weak smile around the office. The new graduate was clearly excited, after all, it was his first summer since he was seven that he didn't go to his summer camp and he just thought this would be a great place to get an idea of what he'd like to do. He paused and looked around the entrance, could anyone really blame him for being so thrilled about this? He use to love to read the profit with his parents.

He turned to look at an older man, he was guessing this would be his boss over the summer so he stood tall, or... as tall as the 5'8" boy could. He gave a small nod, figuring that was the best way to introduce himself, "Hello sir, I'm Brodie Livingston... One of the summer interns." Where were the others anyways? Was he the only one this summer or something... He really prayed not, but then, maybe it wouldn't be an overload of work... Hopefully not anyways.

Enzo was not feeling that confident today. If anyone knew anything about Beauxbatons, they would know he had the same first name as the Headmistress's last name. Really? Really, maman? She had been friends with Headmistress Enzo, and ba dum daaaa... There you had it. His first name.

But he only needed to say that with his application, right? He could set a good image right now. He straightened his collar and walked confidently up to the person who looked in charge, nodding at the other intern along the way.

"Hello," (He almost said bonjour) "I'm Enz. Nice to meet you." Extending his hand, he waited for a response.

Jorge wasn't late at all he was perfectly on time, because anytime he got somewhere was the time everyone should be there or so that was how he felt at least. As he walked into the entrance the first thing he saw was his boss with some kids. Why would kids be here, oh that's right he remembered a memo about interns. School interns, hmmm. His brain started going over the possibility to be able to use them for his security or discipline stories. This might not be a bad idea after all, plus he was sick of going for his own snacks and coffee.

Interns.. Yes this could be the best idea yet. Giving his most charming grin he walked over towards Basil, "Morning Boss" giving a nod before turning towards the interns. Only two, well hopefully they would be two good ones or maybe there were more "Hello" He looked at the two boys. The one seemed a little older for a school internship, but maybe a Uni student coming to study. It didn't matter he had other thoughts on his mind and wasn't sure if he was to stay here or if he could head to his little cube where his desk was.