If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above.
You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
The sleek, professional, and possibly slight presumptuous appearance of the Daily Prophet fades as you enter the spacious work area of the Editors and Writers of the Prophet. Not even the hustle and bustle of the staff can take away from the airiness of the large work area. The windows aren't real, though instead of being charmed to have pleasant views, they are charmed to show different locations of the wizarding world in real time, should anything news worthy happen unexpectedly.
Clusters of desks are scattered about the place in an organized fashion, grouped by sections of the prophet, and easily distinguished by the stacks of paper work atop the large desks. The editors have their own cluster of desks off near a large table that's used as extra workspace, or for when an impromptu gathering that doesn't require the conference room is needed.
Amongst a few framed articles, and moving pictures of photos from past assignments, is a large bulletin board for all important, and trivial, announcements. An eclectic clutter of old and new, scraps of paper, post it notes, and index cards push-pinned in, you can find anything from notices to the Prophet staff, birthdays, promotions, absences, story tips, employee of the month, and even silly notes and doodles. Of course there's coffee in the corner as well, though not as good as the stuff in the break room, it's there to keep you trucking through the long hours.
Puff by day, snake by night | Mj's bestie | Always UP to Something...
Jorge saw it all, he watched every movement the two did with each other. Something was going on here. He wasn't sure exactly what, but there was tension and not a bad kind. He had played all the games, he had done things to get women to pay attention to him, so he knew this tension. Whatever it was the boy did have style. He'd fully admit that. Tori was going to fall for this one, if she hadn't already.
His eyes curiously went back and forth between the two before the man was leaving. "You have a good day." Jorge said in such a bored tone he didn't even look towards the man. No his brown eyes sat straight on Tori. Watching her face, her movements. Before he could ask if it was a boyfriend she commented, "Sure you aren't." He smirked, this was going to be even more fun. "Something is going on."
Turning as she said shew as taking her lunch, "You do that, bring me back a coffee while your out." He gave her a wink before going back to his own desk.
Scout was perched on the edge of her desk, flipping through the day's Prophet as she was wont to do, when her eyes rested on Basil's article. Conspiracy? Polyjuice Potions? Assassination? These were... heavy accusations, and, unless the older woman was missing something, ones that seemed to have scant proof, at least in print. Narrowing her eyes, she wondered what the procedure here was for verifying such... potentially inflammatory exclusives. At her old papers, the writers would have gathered to discuss anonymous source and whistleblower credibility. But this... this looked like Basil had gone forward on his own with no solid evidence.
At least, not any that was apparent to her.
Scout read the article once more, shaking her head the entire way through. What would the repercussions for the paper be if the accusations were fabricated? Basil was better than this... it was why she had packed up and come thrown her lot in with the Prophet.
But something was odd.
Something was off.
__________________
Has anyone ever sung you a lullaby?
You can fly above the rain clouds
Close your eyes
Let the melody carry you
Leave all your fears behind
You can float across a rainbowsky
to once upon a time
Puff by day, snake by night | Mj's bestie | Always UP to Something...
It had been over five months since Jorge had come willingly into the office. The last time he had been here he didn't even really remember. Just a reoccurring nightmare, but was it really true? Did his last months of hell happen here? His healing and recovery had been long and still on going, but he had to get out of the house and he had to feel useful. The last few months he had felt like a worthless man, which was something that he had never felt before. Once the most confident man, Jorge was finding lately he didn't have much confidence at all. His speech was still affected by the injury and so was his work.
He made his way to his desk and looked around. Nothing had been touched since the last time he was there, the dust had proven that. So his thoughts of someone after something of his was thrown out the window. He sighed and took a seat, what to write about. His mind was just not letting him think of anything.
It definitely wasn't Bring Your Kid To Work Day, and Kenrick knew that. He'd known it all the other times he'd brought his infant son into the office too. But Spencer was six months old now, and Kenrick wasn't about to let just anyone look after his son and heir while he was at work. Merlin only knew what kinds of people the kid's mother let babysit him when it was her parenting shift.
So yes, that was why Kenrick could be found at his desk, with his head halfway inside a baby carrier, trying to hush his spawn to sleep so he could get on with his work (and trying to do so quietly, so nobody could hear him talking in... ahem... baby speak). When he finally extracted his head, instead opting for the whole 'sacrifice a hand for the baby to play with 'til he gets bored and falls asleep', Kenrick took a habitual glance around at the other desks, to check nobody was watching. That was when he spotted someone he'd not seen in months.
"... Jorge."
Now this was a special occasion, if Kenrick was the one speaking first.
__________________
Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Chocolate!
Puff by day, snake by night | Mj's bestie | Always UP to Something...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Felixir
It definitely wasn't Bring Your Kid To Work Day, and Kenrick knew that. He'd known it all the other times he'd brought his infant son into the office too. But Spencer was six months old now, and Kenrick wasn't about to let just anyone look after his son and heir while he was at work. Merlin only knew what kinds of people the kid's mother let babysit him when it was her parenting shift.
So yes, that was why Kenrick could be found at his desk, with his head halfway inside a baby carrier, trying to hush his spawn to sleep so he could get on with his work (and trying to do so quietly, so nobody could hear him talking in... ahem... baby speak). When he finally extracted his head, instead opting for the whole 'sacrifice a hand for the baby to play with 'til he gets bored and falls asleep', Kenrick took a habitual glance around at the other desks, to check nobody was watching. That was when he spotted someone he'd not seen in months.
"... Jorge."
Now this was a special occasion, if Kenrick was the one speaking first.
He didn't realize how long he had been staring at his quill. Why did somethings come to him, but others were still so hard. How he took writing for granted and his talent for a good story, now he was struggling to remember the letters in his own name. The parchment sat in front of him and he wanted to do some work, but it just wasn't happening.
Being a father himself who had spent many hours working at home, the sound of a baby wasn't one to even phase him. He hadn't even been aware of it until he heard his name. A first he froze as anxiety started to rise in him. He had high anxiety coming into work as it was, but he should have realized someone would want to speak with him. He had been gone for months. Knowing Mariel had kept them informed of his progress he lifted his eyes.
Kenrick kept his eyes on Jorge, watching him carefully as he absentmindedly rocked the baby seat with one hand. Sure he'd had updates about Jorge's condition and everything, but it was very different to seeing the man in the flesh. His entire demeanour had changed entirely, that much was obvious after merely a moment or two of observation.
He'd have to tread gently, Kenrick knew that. He may have been one of the biggest grouchest to ever grouch, and did not have a whole lot of experience with... head trauma, was it? But Kenrick was no idiot. He knew things were different with Jorge now, that much was obvious.
In the back of his mind, Kenrick wondered how long the other guy had been sat there, because he looked all ready to right, but he could see from here that there were no words on the page.
"How are you doing?" The question felt unnatural, but naturally so. This was unfamiliar territory. "It's been a while." Not that he didn't know where Jorge had been, but...
Spencer had started grizzling again. Kenrick squinted at him. What timing the kid had.
__________________
Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Chocolate!
Puff by day, snake by night | Mj's bestie | Always UP to Something...
Getting up from his seat he walked a few desk down toward Kenrick's work-area. It was when he really noticed the baby and gave a soft smile, "Re..Regina liked b..b..being rocked at ... that age." He glanced down at the infant before turning his eyes back to Kenrick. "I.. I'm alright." Alright was very vague and he knew it was, but he wouldn't say if he wasn't. He knew people could tell by listening to him speak, something he was hateful of. His prize of his confidence his way with words just gone now.
His eyes glanced to the door a few times as if he waited for something to jump out at them. Trying to keep his calm he nodded, "It has. H.. how is f.. fatherhood? " He at the moment couldn't remember the child's name, but it wasn't the only thing his memory couldn't process lately.
"Wh..what's been g..going on around here? Any.. anything interesting?" Part of him wanted to know if he had missed some good stories and the other wanted to know if his dreams were actually reality. His anxiety, frustration, and confusion made him take a few deep breaths.
Kenrick nodded, looking back at Spencer, who was still fussing. He had not missed the stuttering sort of speech from Jorge, but didn't mention it. No reason to, after all. It wasn't exactly a surprising development. He nodded again at Jorge's answer to his first question. 'Alright' was fine, not something that begged further prodding.
Tiring at last of the baby's whining, Kenrick sighed to himself and carefully lifted the kid out of his seat. It did the trick at once, the closeness seemed to be something like an off switch, and Spencer quietened down at once. "Fatherhood is... a challenge," he replied, absentmindedly rubbing the baby's back. "Spencer can be a fiery little... thing. And only six months old." Got it from his mother, clearly. "You should give me some tips some time. If you're up for it." As Jorge had a daughter, and speaking about her seemed easy for him, even if speaking in general seemed difficult.
As for the office... well. Kenrick looked around the place. He'd not been giving it his full attention, but then he rarely ever did. Plus, having to look after a kid part-time (and worry about him full-time) was time consuming. "Not much. Basil wrote a weird article, mind. A few months ago. Never did find out what that was all about."
__________________
Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Chocolate!
Puff by day, snake by night | Mj's bestie | Always UP to Something...
Jorge watched Kenrick as he lifted the baby and he couldn’t help but smile thinking of his own. Regina was growing every day and now they were going to have another, something that had come as a shock in the Hospital when Mariel had told him. “Yes it c..can be.” His eyes glanced around a bit before falling back on the infant. [b] “Re..Regina had her moments too. Still does. Tips?”[b] He laughed a bit and scratched the back of his head, was there really any tips you could give with babies? He wasn’t really sure, “Y..you seem to be doing w..well. They are…are a..all so di..di..different. Patience and k..kn..knowing when to a..ask for help is the..the best ad..advice I can give. May I?” He lifted his hands to hold the baby if allowed. “I t..t.took a lot of work home w..with me to be there so M..Mariel could be at w..work.” So he understood Kenrick bringing the boy to the office even if he didn’t say why he was there.
His eyes shot up to Kenrick’s face when Basil and an article was mentioned. Being in Mungos for a while and then the recovery at home hadn’t been a picnic so he had missed many issues of the Prophet, “What article?” He said very pointedly and felt the anxiety rise more. It could be nothing and just a random article, really truth be told he always thought Basil was a bit odd so would it really be the unusual to see a weird article? “Do..do we h..have a copy any..anywhere?” His memory not thinking about where they stored all previous articles.
“I.. I don’t th..think, I mean.. I .. I don’t re..remember.” He started trying to recall the dream as something was hitting the back of his mind. “I don’t kn..know.. if it’s safe.. here for him..him.” Him meaning the baby, “I.. I have.. a dr..dream of the..the a..attack being here, but can’t make out.. a f..face. Th..that I recognize. “ It was the most frustrating thing,
Patience and knowing when to ask for help. Well. Kenrick was pretty sure he was... half good at at least one of those. Maybe. He kept his face impassive and did a side-eye sort of glance at Spencer, figuring he already knew all that about needing to be patient. Babies were very demanding.
He had his reservations about handing the kid over to Jorge, naturally. The guy had definitely changed since he'd last seen him, and the anxiety or whatever put Kenrick slightly on edge. What if he totally freaked out and dropped his son or something? That would be unfortunate. But in the end, he figured that Jorge had his own child at home, after all, and had clearly been doing well enough there to come to the office. In any case, he was trying to be nice, so he simply nodded, and passed the baby across.
And paid very close attention, ready to take him back quickly if necessary. Whether this was a Jorge thing or a new parent thing (he was... surprisingly protective over that tiny human), Kenrick did not know. "I'm very particular about who I leave him with at the moment," he said, by way of explanation of why Spencer was here. "Nobody I trusted was free to watch him, so I brought him along." Just while he gathered enough things to work on back home, though Merlin only knew how much time he could take off before Basil put his probably-rather-small foot down.
Kenrick studied Jorge's face very very carefully then, trying to gauge the... situation. "There should be a copy somewhere. Back issues." He didn't keep any handy, but the office probably had a whole ton. "I'm surprised you've not read it, or heard about it. It was very... out of the blue." He still didn't understand, to be honest, still wanted to talk to someone about it. Scout, maybe.
Not safe. Attack. Unrecognisable faces. Kenrick nodded very slowly, eyes still on Jorge as he recounted his dream. "I try not to make a habit of bringing him," he said carefully, wondering if all this paranoid sounding stuff had any real basis. It seemed crazy to believe a dream, but he knew that sometimes it was even more crazy to totally discount those theories. Tough call, with Jorge's current... issues. "Might've just been a dream. The mind's a funny thing, after all..." He didn't sound entirely too convinced of this, but nor did he sound unconvinced. Kenrick couldn't really call it, all he knew for sure was that he suddenly felt like he really didn't want his son around here anymore. Here or Diagon Alley in general or anywhere.
Merlin help him, he was turning into a paranoid parent.
"Anything you do remember for sure? To do with this place?" Kenrick asked, still keeping a shrewd eye on the other man, ready to step in and take Spencer back if necessary.
__________________
Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Chocolate!
Puff by day, snake by night | Mj's bestie | Always UP to Something...
Taking the baby, Jorge smiled down at him and bounced a bit as he cooed at Spencer. His softer side always coming out with children. The side until Mariel and Regina he certainly didn’t show to the public. “You g..give your d..daddy a h..hard time.” He grinned as he continued to bounce as Regina always had liked at that age. He couldn’t believe in a few months he’d be doing this all over again. He was excited over that, it had been happy news through some very hard news at the time. “M.. Mariel is pregnant again.” He looked back up at Kenrick smiled at getting to announce his news to his coworkers. “She f.. f..found out when I was in the h..h..hospital.”
Yes, he figured there were back issues, but where were those he couldn’t remember at all. His eyes moved around hoping something would trigger his memory. Not wanting to look like a complete idiot he didn’t say anymore, hopefully he’d find one. “I was in the c..coma when it was p..pub.. published and it’s not been my first pr..priority.” His recovery was long and trying to get back to actually working and taking care of his family was the biggest thing on his mind, but now this, this was peeking his interest. He had to read it. “What was it a.. about?”
“I have w..worked at home a.. a lot with Regina.” Though he figured Kenrick had known that, he had been out of the office a bit more before the attack. It was to help with the care of his daughter. He understood not wanting them watched by just anyone. He was looking at the baby when Kenrick said about the dream, “I don’t kn.know, I think it was w..what happened.” Now being here he was fully believing it. The question made him thinking and look around, more so towards Basil’s office. “They g..got me out of b…bed. B..brought me to B..B..Basil’s office. They used the Cruciatus C..c..curse on me.” That much he knew was true, the healers confirmed it, though it was the full reason for his condition.
Kenrick's eyebrows shot up an infinitesimal amount at that news. It was surprising, not what he'd expected to hear for some reason, but obviously good news all the same.
"Congratulations," he replied, and he meant it. It was a funny thing about Jorge. He was one of those dad types, but not in an obvious way. Seemed almost the opposite sometimes, but when you saw him with a kid or he spoke about his daughter or, like just now, his unborn child, you could see that sort of stuff meant the world to him. Definite dad type. "Some great news to balance out all that other... stuff."
Still he watched Jorge, puzzling over what might be going on in that mind of his, but really having no idea. He simply nodded, before responding with, "Cult of Walpurgis. He thinks they infiltrated the Ministry." It really had been completely out of the blue, as far as Kenrick was concerned. Out of the blue... but completely unbelievable? Jury was still out on that one.
In any case, Kenrick was feeling more and more like he was going to start just taking his work home. That weird article, and now what Jorge was saying about his weird dream... it scared him a little. No shame in admitting that. Not... that he was admitting that.
Kenrick took his eyes off Jorge and Spencer for a moment to stare in the direction of Basil's office as well, an automatic reaction, with a tiny frown on his face. True or dream? Once again, he didn't want to just dismiss anything, but it was a weird set of circumstances. And why would Jorge have been attacked like that; it clearly wasn't just some random thing, was it? Definitely put the shivers up him a little bit. "Strange..." And... awful, actually. The Cruciatus Curse was something Kenrick never wanted to even dream about, let alone experience. He looked back at Jorge. "You told anyone? Spoke to an Auror, something like that?" Generally they liked to spring up in times of trouble, but you never know.
He left it unsaid that clearly someone had it out for Jorge, wanted to hurt him but not kill him. Something told him it would be a bad idea to remind his fellow reporter of that.
__________________
Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Chocolate!
Puff by day, snake by night | Mj's bestie | Always UP to Something...
He was smiling, of course he was smiling, the thought of a new baby was exciting even in this type of circumstances. “Y..Yes, though it m..makes me nerves s..since we don’t know who or why.” Could they come after Mariel, he was already freaked about that and to add an unborn baby it just made him even more nervous. He looked down at the baby smiling, he did enjoy babies around. He cherished his nieces and now his own kids, they just brought some hope into the world through his eyes. “Are you e..enjoy fatherhood even if it’s a ch..challenge?” He did understand the challenges that came with it, but he didn’t know Kenrick’s situation with the child’s mother. He didn’t like to ask about coworkers personal lives. If they wanted to give the information they could, but he wouldn’t be nosy.
A Cult article? Now this he had to see. He vaguely remembered coming across something about the cult in the ministry before, “D..Didn’t that actually happen, y..years ago?” Damn it Basil, that sounded right up Jorge’s alley of articles or well articles he use to write, but old habits don’t typically die so his interest was piqued. “I’ll h..have to find it.” He will be finding it to read it over, this he had to see.
Handing back the baby, he thought a moment at Kenrick’s question, “Has there b..been any around here?” He knew he was answering a question with a question, but that made him think about if anyone had shown up. “M..Mariel went s..straight to MLE w..when I was in the c..coma. She g..got them to the h..house too.” Putting on stronger charms though after his year’s experiences he thought his were strong enough. “I..it’s not the f..first time I’ve had this, but j..just not here.” It had been years since he left Spain for this very reason, it was seeming clearer that his past might be catching up with him again.
Scout was back. From her literal wild goose chase. Why on earth she'd been sent to the middle of nowhere to cover the fact that the pet geese had escaped from a transitional boarding school for squibs learning to adjust to muggle society, she had no idea. Wouldn't, at least, a feature on the school itself have been more interesting? But no. Basil wanted the geese.
She'd owled the story ahead, but it really wasn't very good. She doubted it would even make it to print.
The older woman had her suspicions, of course, as she sat at her desk and set her bag down. She'd been poking. Trying to verify any little fact in Basil's stories about the cult and as soon she thought she maybe had a lead, it disappeared or she'd been sent off on some inane assignment. And she couldn't exactly ask her questions aloud, directly.
It didn't take long for her eyes to rest on the parchment on her desk. Eyes flicking to the unoccupied Editor's office, she sighed. He must have left her assignments before he'd gone... where ever it was he went. As she read, however, her eyes narrowed and her lip drew into a thin line.
Rubber ducks.
Underground toilet-cafes.
Mop discrimination.
...ride the Tube for an entire day's service
Yeah. Someone was being given the run-around.
__________________
Has anyone ever sung you a lullaby?
You can fly above the rain clouds
Close your eyes
Let the melody carry you
Leave all your fears behind
You can float across a rainbowsky
to once upon a time
He was smiling, of course he was smiling, the thought of a new baby was exciting even in this type of circumstances. “Y..Yes, though it m..makes me nerves s..since we don’t know who or why.” Could they come after Mariel, he was already freaked about that and to add an unborn baby it just made him even more nervous. He looked down at the baby smiling, he did enjoy babies around. He cherished his nieces and now his own kids, they just brought some hope into the world through his eyes. “Are you e..enjoy fatherhood even if it’s a ch..challenge?” He did understand the challenges that came with it, but he didn’t know Kenrick’s situation with the child’s mother. He didn’t like to ask about coworkers personal lives. If they wanted to give the information they could, but he wouldn’t be nosy.
A Cult article? Now this he had to see. He vaguely remembered coming across something about the cult in the ministry before, “D..Didn’t that actually happen, y..years ago?” Damn it Basil, that sounded right up Jorge’s alley of articles or well articles he use to write, but old habits don’t typically die so his interest was piqued. “I’ll h..have to find it.” He will be finding it to read it over, this he had to see.
Handing back the baby, he thought a moment at Kenrick’s question, “Has there b..been any around here?” He knew he was answering a question with a question, but that made him think about if anyone had shown up. “M..Mariel went s..straight to MLE w..when I was in the c..coma. She g..got them to the h..house too.” Putting on stronger charms though after his year’s experiences he thought his were strong enough. “I..it’s not the f..first time I’ve had this, but j..just not here.” It had been years since he left Spain for this very reason, it was seeming clearer that his past might be catching up with him again.
As someone who had never been in Jorge's situation - or indeed anything remotely like it - Kenrick of course couldn't really truly relate to the bloke. Still, sometimes the job meant relating to other situations, and empathy and sympathy could be easily developed if you knew how, so he nodded again as Jorge spoke. It wasn't exactly difficult to imagine why someone might be nervous to bring a new kid into their world when they had some mysterious attacker just... floating around somewhere.
"Oh, I'd say so," Kenrick replied, watching Spencer, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I hear they turn into right little, uh... blighters after a couple of years, though. I suppose the challenges are just going to keep coming."
And something told him that this kid would keep him very busy, even though Kenrick only had him about 50% of the time, occasionally more. Merlin. The horror.
"Mhm, I believe so." The Cult stuff, yes. That was why it was such a shock to see Basil's article about it all over again. It had been a... good few years since all that. A decade, maybe more, but still recent enough to cause... friction. Not for the first time, Kenrick hoped Basil knew what he was doing.
"There's always people 'round here," Kenrick said, an apologetic hint to his tone as he took Spencer back into his arms and started to instinctively bounce a little on the spot, preemptively soothing the kid so he wouldn't start screaming or something. That would be... unpleasant. "People in and around here for interviews, meetings. Can't rightly say I've seen anyone who looks particularly dodgy, but then I suppose they wouldn't be that obvious would they? If they even came back."
As Spencer fussed and then settled in his arms, Kenrick regarded Jorge, and considered what he said. MLE, well... yes, that was good. They generally seemed to know what they were doing, in Kenrick's opinion, even if his boss seemed to think otherwise. Kenrick... thought it best to not bring up that latter point. "How about we get out of here? Go for a walk, drink at the Leaky. Talk some more about this?" If the office was causing a reaction, maybe changing the scenery was for the best. And in any case, it might get the kid off to sleep once and for all.
__________________
Days of Potter 2023:___________________________ Which Bertie Botts Flavour Are You? You are Chocolate!
Puff by day, snake by night | Mj's bestie | Always UP to Something...
Jorge sat at his desk flipping through notes and ideas. He was wanting a good story, he hadn't had a strong first pager in awhile. This wasn't like him and he didn't want his career to go down just because of the incident a year and a half ago. No he would be back on top and he'd find the perfect story to make that happen.
Eyes lifting he listened to the almost quiet office. He could hear some coworkers working, but for the most part it had been quiet. Though he couldn't help but realize part of that was lack of the editor being seen. He half wondered where she was, but not enough of a concern get up from his desk.
Moving back to his notes he thought about interviews. Maybe he could score a big one, but who was big right now to get.
Jorge sat at his desk flipping through notes and ideas. He was wanting a good story, he hadn't had a strong first pager in awhile. This wasn't like him and he didn't want his career to go down just because of the incident a year and a half ago. No he would be back on top and he'd find the perfect story to make that happen.
Eyes lifting he listened to the almost quiet office. He could hear some coworkers working, but for the most part it had been quiet. Though he couldn't help but realize part of that was lack of the editor being seen. He half wondered where she was, but not enough of a concern get up from his desk.
Moving back to his notes he thought about interviews. Maybe he could score a big one, but who was big right now to get.
After her morning meeting, Mariel picked up Regina from the Ministry daycare for a brief girls outing. She needed to get a few more things for Alejandro's birthday and thought her daughter might enjoy a little shopping and maybe even some lunch before heading back. She had a few things to do at work in the afternoon, but figured they'd have plenty of time. Alejandro, of course, would have to stay at the daycare a little longer, but she was sure to pick up Regina out of his sight so he wouldn't get upset.
They had spent the rest of the morning shopping, having gotten a few more toys and another outfit for the nearly one year old. It was about lunchtime and she thought they'd see if Jorge could join them for lunch. Mariel was unsure if he could take the time off so she got takeout at the cafe for the three of them. Worst case, he couldn't stop for lunch but she could at least bring him something.
Regina had been pretty excited about visiting Daddy at work and, though the thought of taking her into the place where Jorge had been attacked gave her pause, she ultimately decided that it was perfectly safe. It had been nearly two years now - even if they didn't seem any closer to catching anyone - and it was daytime with no further incident. It would be fine.
Regina loved having a special shopping trip with Mommy. Of course she did get a little distracted looking at the toys and started to get bored while they were clothes shopping. But it was starting to take too long and her attention only lasted so long. The nearly three year old felt like such a big girl though because Mommy even let her carry one of the bags.
Even better was that they were going to see Daddy at his work! Once they got the food, she held Mommy's hand as they walked into the big building. Brown eyes looked everywhere searching each face to find Daddy's, till they went into another room and there he was, sitting at a desk like the one at home. "Daddy!" she exclaimed with a big smile, letting go of Mommy's hand to run to him.
__________________
started like a knight in a fairytale_______________________________________________
ended like a moth in flames______________________ ______________________don't you worry I'll be fine _________________________________________________you were good for the plot line
Puff by day, snake by night | Mj's bestie | Always UP to Something...
SPOILER!!: Family
Quote:
Originally Posted by emjay
After her morning meeting, Mariel picked up Regina from the Ministry daycare for a brief girls outing. She needed to get a few more things for Alejandro's birthday and thought her daughter might enjoy a little shopping and maybe even some lunch before heading back. She had a few things to do at work in the afternoon, but figured they'd have plenty of time. Alejandro, of course, would have to stay at the daycare a little longer, but she was sure to pick up Regina out of his sight so he wouldn't get upset.
They had spent the rest of the morning shopping, having gotten a few more toys and another outfit for the nearly one year old. It was about lunchtime and she thought they'd see if Jorge could join them for lunch. Mariel was unsure if he could take the time off so she got takeout at the cafe for the three of them. Worst case, he couldn't stop for lunch but she could at least bring him something.
Regina had been pretty excited about visiting Daddy at work and, though the thought of taking her into the place where Jorge had been attacked gave her pause, she ultimately decided that it was perfectly safe. It had been nearly two years now - even if they didn't seem any closer to catching anyone - and it was daytime with no further incident. It would be fine.
Regina loved having a special shopping trip with Mommy. Of course she did get a little distracted looking at the toys and started to get bored while they were clothes shopping. But it was starting to take too long and her attention only lasted so long. The nearly three year old felt like such a big girl though because Mommy even let her carry one of the bags.
Even better was that they were going to see Daddy at his work! Once they got the food, she held Mommy's hand as they walked into the big building. Brown eyes looked everywhere searching each face to find Daddy's, till they went into another room and there he was, sitting at a desk like the one at home. "Daddy!" she exclaimed with a big smile, letting go of Mommy's hand to run to him.
He was starting to let his mind go to other things when he heard footsteps coming into the quiet office. Hearing a familiar little voice he grinned before turning in his chair and catching the little princess as she came close. Placing her on his lap he hugged her and looked to his wife. "What a nice surprise. Where is your brother?" He assumed at the daycare but he figured Regina would give him the scoop of what they were doing.
"This place was a little too quiet and I was just thinking about going for some coffee. I'm glad I spent a bit longer at my seat." He would have hated if he had left and they would have come. He wasn't too keen on any of his family members being inside the Prophet since whomever did what they did to Basil and him hadn't been caught, but nothing had been done as of lately so he figured it was alright.
Smelling the food he grinned, "You two are so sweet, did you bring me lunch?" He stood still holding Regina and leaned to kiss Mariel. "Slow day?" Though he couldn't imagine Mariel's day ever being slow she was always working so hard.
He was starting to let his mind go to other things when he heard footsteps coming into the quiet office. Hearing a familiar little voice he grinned before turning in his chair and catching the little princess as she came close. Placing her on his lap he hugged her and looked to his wife. "What a nice surprise. Where is your brother?" He assumed at the daycare but he figured Regina would give him the scoop of what they were doing.
"This place was a little too quiet and I was just thinking about going for some coffee. I'm glad I spent a bit longer at my seat." He would have hated if he had left and they would have come. He wasn't too keen on any of his family members being inside the Prophet since whomever did what they did to Basil and him hadn't been caught, but nothing had been done as of lately so he figured it was alright.
Smelling the food he grinned, "You two are so sweet, did you bring me lunch?" He stood still holding Regina and leaned to kiss Mariel. "Slow day?" Though he couldn't imagine Mariel's day ever being slow she was always working so hard.
Mariel smiled as they headed into the Writer's Desks area and saw her husband sitting at his own desk, hard at work. Her smile faded a moment as Regina tore away from her, startling her slightly, but the smile resumed a place on her face as Jorge caught their daughter and placed her on his lap. Their relationship was so sweet.
"No, not particularly," she chuckled as he asked if her day was slow, and she leaned to return his kiss, allowing her free hand to stay resting on his should for a moment longer. "But I did take a few hours off so we could have a special shopping trip." She held up one of the bags. "We needed to get a few more things for Alejandro's birthday. And then we thought we'd see if you'd like to have some lunch with us." Mariel gave him a small smile. Of course she had gotten them steak salads, that had been their long-standing favorite. "I wasn't sure how busy you were or if you could take time off, so we brought it to you."
Regina giggled as Daddy caught her and put her on his lap. "He at daycare," she informed him when he asked where her brother was. And she wasn't. She was a big girl that got special shopping trips with Mommy, not that she really minded daycare. It was actually pretty fun there sometimes. But she'd rather see Mommy and Daddy.
She put her arms around Daddy's neck and clung to him as he stood up, still holding her. The nearly three year old allowed her eyes to roam around Daddy's work as he talked to Mommy, her eyes soon snapping back as she heard them talking about lunch. "We get lunch." She pointed her finger to one of the bags that Mommy was still holding. "I have chicken." But she wasn't going anywhere, she could sit on Daddy's lap.
__________________
started like a knight in a fairytale_______________________________________________
ended like a moth in flames______________________ ______________________don't you worry I'll be fine _________________________________________________you were good for the plot line
Puff by day, snake by night | Mj's bestie | Always UP to Something...
"Well aren't you the lucky one to get to spend time with mommy." He smiled at his daughter glad to see her so happy. He loved that his family got to spend special moments together. It didn't feel like that long ago that it was almost all ripped away. He still struggled to remember most of it, but he didn't want to try at that moment.
"You have chicken? Well that sounds good, but I bet mommy brought our favorite." He looked up at his wife and smiled figuring she brought salads from the cafe. He probably could use a refill on his coffee too.
"Would you to ladies want to sit at my desk to eat or go to the break room?" He had enough chairs if they wanted to just stay here.
"Well aren't you the lucky one to get to spend time with mommy." He smiled at his daughter glad to see her so happy. He loved that his family got to spend special moments together. It didn't feel like that long ago that it was almost all ripped away. He still struggled to remember most of it, but he didn't want to try at that moment.
"You have chicken? Well that sounds good, but I bet mommy brought our favorite." He looked up at his wife and smiled figuring she brought salads from the cafe. He probably could use a refill on his coffee too.
"Would you to ladies want to sit at my desk to eat or go to the break room?" He had enough chairs if they wanted to just stay here.
Mariel chuckled as Jorge guessed what she brought the two of them for lunch. "Of course, I did," she said as she set the bags down and started to get the food out of one of them. It was like tradition, really, and a good thing that neither of them really got tired of it even if they might get something else once in a while.
"Oh, we could just stay here, if that's alright." She thought that his desk might afford them a little more privacy, not that they necessarily needed it, but it was nice to just be the three of them for lunch. She set his steak salad on his desk in front of his seat, then pulled two more chairs closer to his desk before getting hers and Regina's plates ready. "So what are you working on today? Anything exciting?" She was always interested in any story he wrote.
Regina beamed at Daddy as she stayed in his arms. Yes, she agreed, she was lucky to go shopping with Mommy. She just wished she got a new toy too.
"You have salad, Daddy?" She gave him a questioning look. That was what he meant by his favorite, right? She remembered that that was what Mommy had ordered and she looked to see it on his desk now. "See?" Regina pointed at it. She saw her own lunch too, but she wasn't going to sit in that chair. She wanted Daddy's lap.
__________________
started like a knight in a fairytale_______________________________________________
ended like a moth in flames______________________ ______________________don't you worry I'll be fine _________________________________________________you were good for the plot line
Puff by day, snake by night | Mj's bestie | Always UP to Something...
He couldn't help but smile at his wife. She was so thoughtful to think of him for lunch. [b] "I'm starved"[b] Grinning towards Regina he set her down so she could go to her seat. "So what did you two buy? Anything good?" He knew they were shopping for his son, but he was curious as to what they bought.
Looking to his daughter he smiled, "You talked mommy into buying you at least one thing didn't you?" He assumed so, but he could never say no to her little smile. "Your cousin's birthday is coming up soon too, we might need to do a little more shopping for that." He couldn't forget his nieces birthday.
Sitting back at his desk he shrugged to his wife's question, "Nothing really. I haven't had much of a lead to a good story in awhile." Since he had given up chasing the more dangerous stories he found himself never hitting front page news anymore.
He couldn't help but smile at his wife. She was so thoughtful to think of him for lunch. [b] "I'm starved"[b] Grinning towards Regina he set her down so she could go to her seat. "So what did you two buy? Anything good?" He knew they were shopping for his son, but he was curious as to what they bought.
Looking to his daughter he smiled, "You talked mommy into buying you at least one thing didn't you?" He assumed so, but he could never say no to her little smile. "Your cousin's birthday is coming up soon too, we might need to do a little more shopping for that." He couldn't forget his nieces birthday.
Sitting back at his desk he shrugged to his wife's question, "Nothing really. I haven't had much of a lead to a good story in awhile." Since he had given up chasing the more dangerous stories he found himself never hitting front page news anymore.
"Oh, just a few more toys and a couple more outfits," Mariel said as she took a seat on the chair at the front of his desk. They were really cute baby toys and clothes, though she figured Alejandro might be just as interested in the wrapping paper and boxes as he would be in the actual gifts. But she could hardly resist as she was one to spoil her children at least a little bit. "Would you like to see?" She'd be happy to show him after they ate a little bit.
She gave Jorge an amused sort of look and shook her head. "Her birthday is coming up very soon too. We don't need to teach her that she gets something every time we go to the store." Alright, so she did get her her favorite dessert to go with her lunch, but she didn't think she needed a new toy every time they went out, especially with her birthday so soon. But she also knew that she was Daddy's girl and that Jorge spoiled her even more than she did.
Mariel couldn't help but to feel slightly conflicted. On the one hand, she felt a little bad that her husband hadn't had much bite with his stories in recent times. His controversial view points was one of the first things that attracted her to him and she knew that his was passion. But she also knew how dangerous it could be, a notion that became all too real a year and a half ago. "I'm sure something will turn up," she said with a supportive smile. And there was still WSPM that could easily take up someone's time.
Regina looked up at Daddy as he set her down. "We buy baby toys. For Al'jandro." She wasn't a baby anymore so she didn't need baby toys, though she did secretly think those toys were kind of neat. Maybe it was because they were new. Or maybe it was because she wanted toys too.
Wait, Mommy was supposed to buy her something? She looked at her after Daddy asked what she had gotten. "I get toys, too?" She started towards her, but Mommy was eating lunch now and Daddy was sitting... Wait. She wanted his lap. Regina climbed up on him as he sat instead of getting in her own seat. She could sit here to eat lunch.
__________________
started like a knight in a fairytale_______________________________________________
ended like a moth in flames______________________ ______________________don't you worry I'll be fine _________________________________________________you were good for the plot line
Puff by day, snake by night | Mj's bestie | Always UP to Something...
Yes, his son would be one soon. That just seemed so unreal that he was going to be one already. It felt like it had been just yesterday he had been terrified to have another child in his condition and now he had two wonderful children and he was for the most part back to normal. "Yes I'd love to see what you got." Watching Regina he couldn't help but smile, "What a great big sister you are."
He chuckled seeing both their looks and opened his desk drawer. "Daddy has some color changing quills for you." She could use them for drawing pictures if she wanted. He hated the color changing ones and really since the attack he had relied on his self writer to make sure he got everything down.
As Regina climbed back on his lap, he moved her food in front of them and pushed his off to the side. She could eat her food first as she sat on his lap. "Yeah, it probably will." Once always confident, he wasn't sounding it at that moment. He had hopes to run this place one day and now it seemed he was stuck for even a headliner story.
Writer and Editor Desks 
x11 
x9
