Lysander could feel the stranger's dark eyes on him...still. It felt as if it had been several minutes of this staring thing and yet only perhaps thirty seconds had passed. He glanced very briefly at her only to see a large goofy smile directed straight at him and immediately diverted his gaze to the tablecloth. Eek. Was everyone in this building under contract to smile constantly? It seemed an exhausting practice.

His green eyes only looked up from the table as the woman spoke, introducing herself as the Senior Undersecretary -- Delphine. A pretty name and a pretty woman and yet Lysander would never let these compliments slip from his mind, they were merely observations, not flattery. "Lysander Norman Ryle," the young man replied in his surprisingly deep voice, smooth and controlled in both tone and cadence. "New Junior Reversal Agent in the Department of Accidents and Catastrophes." As per usual, after saying the obvious answers, he didn't know what else was appropriate to say in conversation. It was normally about now that the awkward set in and someone cleared their throat, though he never minded the silence. Luckily, Delphine filled the conversation by complimenting his sharp dressing.

Lysander looked down as if surprised, as though he had forgotten he was wearing clothes to begin with, and let out a brief sigh of vague recognition. Ah, yes. His best suit. "Thank you," he replied curtly. At least someone noticed. He glanced back at her, once again feeling the pressure to speak. "Ah... Well.." How annoying these social obligations could be. It was the only time he felt he didn't have the answers. "What does the Senior Undersecretary do, exactly?"

just when Jose thought that no one would come sit and talk with him , he heard a voice just as he was sipping his black coffee. His eyes lit up... it was someone he knew and someone he was glad to see "Jasmine" she said really excitedly as he got up quickly and hugged her. but he could tell that she didn't really hug him back as hard. "Its me Jose... we went to Hogwarts together about two years ago to help them out with the cold ones?" he reminded her, hopefully that would have jogged her memory for her.

Letting go of her he sat back down and gestured with his hand for her to join him, it was going to be great to catch up with her. See whats been new for her and about her work.

Perwyn turned to look at the woman who laughed when she had read the conversation starter. She did not recognize her, but then again she didn't recognize almost anyone who was from a different department. "Were you laughing at this?" Perwyn asked her, lifting up the envelope. "Is the answer obvious?" She didn't ask this in a rude or pointed tone, just with honest curiosity.

Oh, right... The Experiment... That had not gone well, Tala had not been prepared for the Wolfsbane potion's effects to weaken and that moon had been one of the harsher ones she'd faced, the pain and the anger, rather than lessening had felt all the more intense. Needless to say, she wouldn't be trying that mixture again.

"Yeah, um, I dunno if Iwin ever told you- " It felt so weird mentioning Iwin's name to Emmalee, would it bother the older woman? Annoy her? Tala hoped not, she hardly meant anything by it. "But, like, werewolf rights and support have always been big issues for me." The next bit of Emmalee's sentence definitely caught the blonde's attention, and she stopped for a moment to consider it before speaking. "... oh, I had no idea that we'd be working on the same level..."

There it was, the universe giggling at her again. Giving her the job she'd wanted, in the city she'd hoped, but naturally there had to be a hitch, a catch, a fly in the ointment.

And right now, that hitch was Emmalee Quinn, soon-to-be-Howell working literally on the same floor as herself. Awkward, awkward, awkward.

But not as much as this.... Exchange about the woman's engagement. Tala nodded and smiled, opting to say nothing more, least she stick her foot in her mouth. "Um.... This event is... Pretty cool..." She lamely remarked, tucking back her hair and glancing around the room. She was sort of praying for an interruption, and not because she didn't like Emmalee or might have been jealous... It was simply that this was weird and unpleasant and Tala really just wanted some normality right now....

sigh.

Lysander Norman Ryle. Lysander. "Lyyyyyysanderrrrrrrrrr," she said, letting the name roll off of her tongue, "It's nice to meet you."

New Junior Reversal Agent? "Oh, you're NEW to the Ministry? ExcIIIIIITING!" An itty bitty employee. Was this why he seemed to be fairly shy and quiet? Poor bubba. "Are you looking forward to starting your new job, then? Ready to," What was it that a Junior Reversal Agent did? "er, reverse all the damages?" If he wasn't, then what exactly was he doing here? Though, having never worked on the Accidents and Catastrophes side of the Ministry, the woman did not know what Lysander Green Tie's job entailed. But HE didn't have to know that she knew very little about this.

Something she DID know a lot about was her own job title, which was why, at his question, she drew herself up to her fullest height. Was he READY? "The Senior Undersecretary helps to implement new laws. They answer ONLY to the Minister of Magic and if you want to talk to the Minister, you come to me first and I can arrange it. I have to make sure that the Minister's Office and part of the Speciality Area are running smoothly."

Wooh, that was a lot of talking! "Looooooong story short, my job's all about making sure the day to day activities of the ministry run as smoothly as possible. Yada yada yada." She even made the 'blah blah blah' hand gestures oooooooonly because the job title was so long and made her sound so BORING. And Senior Undersecretaries had a Merlin foresaken awful reputation to boot. "Buuuuuut, between you and me," she said, leaning forward slightly, "My mum says I'm special on the inside." Jokes. Teeheehee.

Rhydian was on his fifth question of addition, when someone took a seat next to him. His eyes slid over, watching as the woman considered the available questions and put them back with as much gusto as a misquitio denied a good bloodmeal. Not that she looked like a misquitio, but the point still held.

Putting the quill down, Rhydian deliberately turned towards her, holding the vandalized cue card up in front of his face and arching an eyebrow as he read Rhydian Option #2, "Cogs or sandals?"

His tone, and his look, said that this was perhaps the most important question ever to be asked at a Ministry Orientation.

Jasmine smiled when Jose remembered her. "Whyy hello Jose. I know it is long time no see. I mean when is the last time we saw each other?" she asked. I mean it had been a lonngg time. "We did go to Hogwarts though. I mean we did have fun times with our class." she grinned and took a sip of her fire whiskey. "Oh yeah the cold ones! I remembered being scared of my life trying to stop one of those things. That is not something I wanna relive." she joked. I mean it was an interesting experience. It taught her some life lessons. Jasmine saw his gesture and she sat down and flattened out her dress. She didn't want any wrinkles.

"So tell me what has been going on with you. I mean anything new and exciting happen to you yet?" she asked while taking a casual sip of her drink. Jasmine did have a lot to tell him.

He was starting to have some fun now, happy that she was sitting down with him he drank some more of his coffee.. "oh would you like a cup of coffee? or tea?" he asked her before he heard her question.. "ohh, nothing is really going on with me, other than summer break from work, just excited to get back to work." Jose always loved to keep himself busy.. [

b]"oh wait, i did but a little planted garden on my patio of my flat, alot of pretty flowers that brighten things up a bit"[/b] he found that he needed to brighten alot of things around his flat because well London was a bit dark than what he was used to coming from Brazil.

"hows your summer going? excited to get back to work" he asked while taking more sips of his amazing drink while trying to make sure that none of it was getting on his suit.

He had never heard his name be so elongated or melodic, and he wasn't sure if he liked it.

Lysander was beginning to believe that this woman wasn't all that versed in his new career, particularly when she asked if he was prepared to... "reverse all the damages". His eyebrows rose and popped up almost comically above his thick glasses, though his general expression remained almost annoyingly neutral. He remained silent, allowing his lack of words to answer for him, and listened as she explained her own job as Senior Undersecretary. Now that was interesting.

He listened carefully but found his mind wandering as he observed her outgoing gestures and tones at work, clearly very knowledgeable and proud of her position. That was admirable. And yet this presentation of it, her "yada yada yada"s and hand gestures only confused Lysander -- why was she attempting to minimize her accomplishments? He was distracted from these thoughts and his eyes widened ever so slightly in alarm as the woman suddenly leaned forward. As if on cue, Lysander leaned an equivalent amount away from her, but very subtly as if just leaning back in his chair. His brows furrowed as she mentioned her mother suggesting that she was special on the inside. "Yes, well. Mothers tend to flatter their children," he responded simply, adjusting his tie swiftly before returning his hands to the table and lacing his fingers. It was several long moments later that he realized she was joking and his green eyes locked with her own for what might have been the first time in the conversation. "Oh. Joke." He flashed a brief, apologetic smile but a quick half second later it had disappeared as if leaving a sour taste in his mouth and he diverted his gaze yet again.

Why was this so terribly difficult? This was stupid, he was bad at this. He hated being bad at things. And what a pointless thing to be so awful at -- conversation. Who needed this unnecessary pleasantry? And it looked for a moment as if he might actually get up and disappear just as swiftly and quietly as he had appeared. But once again he found social obligation tying him to the table and the woman he had gotten into a conversation with. Clearing his throat, he suddenly turned and faced entirely towards her, elbows on the table as he laced his wiry hands and looked over at her through his thick glass frames. He certainly wasn't going to apologize for his social lacking, and yet, he appeared to owe her something due to some unspoken obligation of sharing a table. "Listen. You're...pleasant. But I hate this. How long do we need to be here?" He stared at her blankly, obviously not understanding that his words might sound rude to anyone outside of his own mind.

"Thank you, my mother had an affinity for very unique names when my sisters and I were born." Honoria smiled. "It's Quite a pleasure to meet you, Annette." She shook Annette's hand, and then rested it back upon her lap. "What will you be doing at the ministry?"
Honoria couldn't wait to find other people in her department, and was determined to ask everyone until she found another on Level Five. Surely, she couldn't be the only newcomer in International Cooperation....

Food. Food food food. Maybe it was a Hufflepuff thing, or maybe it was an I'm-human-and-require-sustenance-to-survive thing, but Dale did love his food. He was pleased to see the assortment of things laid out for lunch, and got himself a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches and a refreshing glass of pumpkin juice before heading over to find himself a seat.

Many people were already deep in discussion around him, and Dale didn't feel quite able to butt in and impose on anyone (residual shyness from back in the day? or perhaps just good old manners), so he found himself a free table (there were still loads), and got himself all comfortable. First order of business was the sandwich, and Dale took a rather large bite as he eyed the envelope in the middle of the table. Conversation Starters, eh? Well. He'd just wait 'til someone showed up, and then a conversation could start.

Good plan.

Nathan Prince walked into the Lunch area. Hmm. He looked around the room and most of the faces were not familiar. This was what lots of hours in the time chamber got you. Isolation. But that was okay, he liked the air of mystery it gave his job, did anyone really know what he did all day? Nope..

It wasn't long before He noticed Eliora and a man seated next to her, she was rating him no doubt.. Were these seats assigned? Hmm Well, he wasn't being stuck with someone completely boring. Luckily for him slight of hand was something he was very good at.. He fixed his tie and then grabbed the little paper with his name, marking his seat and worked his way toward Eli's other side, using a charm to make the other paper float to his old seat. Sorry, whoever's seat this was. Not really though.

This was a big day for Nathan and he didn't want to not sit next to His Girlfriend. It had been a year of him living a normal life. Did Eli notice? He hoped so.

Either way he sat down next to her, very casually. "Hello Stranger." He grinned and Looked at the guy next to her, should he say hi? He probably should..

Hearing Tala mention Iwin, and whether he had told Emmalee something, made the redhead feel just the slightest bit uncomfortable. Partially because she was not at all sure when Tala might have shared that. And if she was being honest, Emmalee had been trying to forget most of the conversations that she and Iwin had had about Tala, in what she thought about as 'the time before.'

"Oh, he may have..." she responded, rather nonchalantly. She would prefer that the woman think that he had and she'd forgotten rather than that it hadn't come up. "I'm glad to see that office being staffed, though," she said, her voice bordering on actually warm. "Important issues."

Merlin, though, would anyone else come over and join the table so Emmalee wouldn't feel obligated to remain? Or maybe she should just go for the conversation starter.

Or maybe...

"Well, the exercise here is designed for either people you know or people you don't... your choice if you'd like me to join your table."

... Cogs or sandals?

Eliora reached for the card she had put down and looked over it quickly to make sure that her memory wasn't as bad as it seemed and that she genuinely hadn't read that question. "Your reading comprehension or your thought that shoes are the important thing here?" She grinned though, and held a hand out for his card. "Let me read and maybe I'll answer your questions." And then get him to stand up and turn around so she could assess the entire situation here.

Yep.

Wiggly fingers for the card, please. Come on.

Man, she really missed coffee and was so tired already.

It was only when Nathan spoke that Eliora turned her head to look that side and smiled more. "Get your own partner, Prince. This one is mine." He knew that was her way of saying hi, even though they'd seend each other that morning before work. Serious relationships were a thing that she was still not used to and things were more serious now and in the coming months than she had properly had happen before.

Briar's father hadn't been in the picture.

Nate was.

And he didn't look likely to leave.

That was comforting.

Simon had managed to escape the Security Area, albeit for a little bit. He had been a little reluctant to leave the trainees alone with the task at hand, but there was others aka minister's office personal to keep an eye on them. Not to mention they did seem to be behaving for the most part. Plus he wanted a chance to look around at the rest of the orientation, both for personal reasons and security.

He had made his way over to the food and mingling area, seeing tables and various persons settled around. Grabbing a drink, Simon debated his next course of action. Sitting with a co-worker in the form of Rhydian who was talking with a couple people. Catching up with a couple of friendly acquaintances like Victoria and Mariel, the latter's pregnancy seemingly progressing nicely but also reminding him of the problems brought before him that hadn't been solved.

And then there was sitting either alone or with strangers, the latter idea something he was unsure of. After all, he'd have to introduce himself and unless it remained on a first name basis....there was the chance of dealing with stigmata from anyone who might have read the latest Prophet article...and believed it. Or not.

Decision...decisions. The security man absently standing off to the side observing as he siped from his glass.

Delphine was never good at reading people and not one for subtleties so it was hardly a surprise that she didn't understand the expression on Lysander's face as well as she should. What? It was a normal expression, apart from the eyebrows. It didn't mean anything BAD. And this wasn't answering her question, you know. "It certainly SOUNDS like an interesting job. Reversing damages. You're a fixer, not a destroyer." A lot of nodding ensued as she tried to make sense of his job.

Mothers tend to flatter their children? What? Was he bad at picking up jokes? Should she have honked her imaginary red nose and pulled a 'TA DA' pose? Complete with jazz hands? She was going to brush that off for now and concentrate on the first portion of his speech. "That's a mother's job, as well as using every opportunity possible to embarrass their kids." And she knew, especially seeing as she had a two year old she liked to embarrass often. Oh, he WILL be embarrassed.

Now it was Delphine's turn to furrow her eyebrows at the man. She was pleasant? Why was there the pause? HMMMMMM? She would have brought this up but GASP. "Are you LEAVING?! You hate THIIIS?!" she asked, gesturing between the two of them. She was shocked -- SHOCKED -- by this. They were having a nice conversation, thank YOU. HMPH. You have offended thr Senior Undersecretary, Lysander Green Tie. SHAME ON YOU. "WELL. No one can MAKE you stay here if you don't want to. You're free to leave wheneeeeeeever you want but SURELY, it'll be a good idea to stay and meet some of your fellow employees? Or your boss?"

Nate grinned. "Oh? You're all attached to him are you?" Nate joked and looked passed her at the guy for a second.. Was he a number one? Was he on Nate's level in her eyes.. Hmm. Not like it mattered.. Things were serious with Eliora now. She just liked to play around....and maybe rate other men's bums.. but was that really so bad?

"How are you feeling?" He was curious how she was holding up without coffee, while most people were mostly made of water Nathan was convinced Eliora might be mostly coffee so he could only image the hard time she must be having since she was going cold turkey.

There was also the slight wonder in his mind of who might sit next to him at any moment... Hmm.

Lysander watched with slightly curious eyes as the woman gestured to the space between them and wondered aloud if he hated "this", whatever "this" was. His large eyebrows furrowed slightly at her tone, "--Well, not..not this," he gestured to the space between them, "...exactly." But of course he hated this event as a general concept! This event, this obligation. Didn't everyone??
...Oh. After a moment it dawned on him that some people actually liked these idiotic sorts of events and enjoyed to opportunity to meet their peers. And then it dawned on him that perhaps one of those people was sitting across the table from him right at that moment. He spent a few seconds contemplating this absurd reality before glancing back at the woman who was now informing him that he could leave whenever he pleased. He almost didn't hear her final question -- he could leave! Wonderful news!
He was just about to stand up and make his way immediately to the exit when he glanced back at his table-mate and... and... Oh. What was that awful feeling in the pit of his stomach? What was that? He scanned her expression in a silent search for answers and then he realized. He had offended her somehow. Oh. And he felt...what was that? Ew, was that legitimate guilt? How annoying... He owed this stranger nothing! And yet...

The young man turned back towards her and opened his mouth but couldn't quite find the words. These pleasantries didn't come easy to Lysander, he was lucky to even pick up on the fact that she was upset with him. "I've offended you," he stated a fact after a few moments of attempting to find words. "Superb..." he muttered under his breath, trying to damage control a scenario he didn't realize he had damaged. "Didn't I mention that you're pleasant?" he spoke up, confused as to why this small compliment to her person didn't heal any wounds he might have incurred with his hopes to leave. "It's not your company I detest, it's everyone's company, really!" he attempted to reason, thinking that this would sound better but of course ended up sounding all the worse. But little Lysander didn't realize this, and accompanied the statement with a soft flash of his gentle smile, silently pleading with her to release him from this awful social-obligation-guilt-scenario he had found himself tangled in. This is why he didn't talk to his peers!

Charles eyed the envelop on the table and watched her read the contents. Why work for the Ministry of Magic? He fell silent and waited for the others to answer.There were really good ones but how was he going to answer his? Charles could have easily apply work at the ministry of magic back in Luxembourg but he didn't because he felt it would just bring back memories of his deceased father if he worked there. Everyone would recognise him as the Head Auror's son...and he didn't want that sort of attention. Charles also respected his mother's decision to return back to their birth country. He thought it was best for them to move past their grief they have been harbouring since his father's death.

He pointed to Annette,"I second whatever she had just said, its for the greater good...and to clear anything that could reveal our world to the muggles...it is too dangerous for muggles to deal with our world and we're here to help prevent that, I suppose,"he spoke up. Of course, he was not going to reveal anything about his past,it was entirely personal matter of his own.




Charles blinked, this woman could talk really fast. He took a moment to process whatever been said by her. He made a mental note on this one, worked in International Magical Cooperation and a secretariat for the ICW. Got it. Next was a question directed at him,he replied with a half-grin,"We're responsible for undoing magical effects caused by dangerous curses, and reverse any improper use of magic...accidental or not...especially when muggles are involved. We reverse spells caused by underage magic too and so on." He was still in training though, so he had much to learn about his field. He returned the question back at her,"What about you?"



Charles nodded,"Yes...we probably will..."he said. He then listened to her line of work, it was a little different but they were still in the same department, right? Anytime his Reversal Squad would acquire her team help for special cases in the future. He took another mental note of this peculiar green dressed woman,hmm...he would see her more often than not.Great...
"You must be excellent in potion-making,I presume..." he commented simply while taking a sip of his orange juice.

Tala simply nodded as Emmalee replied nonchalantly. Oh, look, coffee. Tala took a sip, letting the cooled, bitter flavor to wash away the awkward after taste this conversation was leaving in her mouth. She usually had such an easy time talking to people, but Emmalee, with her calm demeanor and all the weird connections they shared made Tala's tongue tie itself up into a neat little knot.

The soft warmth did not go unnoticed, and the blonde smiled as she sat down her coffee, her fingers tracing the edges of the can lid. ""Someone told me that it's been a little... Sparse in that part of the department." and judging from the state of the paperwork it had also been poorly taken care of, but Tala wasn't going to go around saying that to just anybody. "It is... Yes." Tala calmly said. Had Iwin told her? Mentioned Tala's condition when he'd come home? Tala doubted it but the question was still there in her mind.

Oh. Tala had nearly forgotten the exercise, she'd clearly gotten too caught up in her head.

Did she really want to continue this with Emmalee? No, not especially, but... Maybe it would do them good? Maybe they would find some common ground? or at least just get over all the weird... "Um, you're more than welcome... If you want, that is..." I could understand if you didn't. That thought would have to remain unspoken.

Harmony nodded enthusiastically because yes, it was. She'd been quite into cooking lately, especially with the ministry being closed for break. Needed something to keep her busy and adopting any more creatures would surely mean she'd be sleeping on the floor so cooking was the safest bet and she wasn't bad at it, luckily. "I can give you the recipe, if you'd like, Hadley." And that was an offer she didn't want to refuse. As for her holiday, "I went to be with family in Salem for a few days! It was quite snowy there, which was lovely."

The mention of ghosts in Argentina piqued the red head's interest and she looked at Hadley intently, interested to know more. "If you don't mind, I'd love for you to stop by my office sometime and share your experiences with them."

This one was quiet, yes? Harmony wondered what the reason behind this was and because she was prone to such things, she focused her attention on the man's aura. Dark gold. Yes, this was very telling. Hmmm.

"Mordred, why don't you pick up one of the conversation cards and get us started on a discussion, eh? It'll be fun!"

Picking up two drinks, one for herself and the other for her wife, Mammy paused to scan the tables. This wasn't another one of those exercises they had to participate in was it? The quills and envelopes on the tables didn't give her much hope. On the bright side, it looked like there weren't any specific seating arrangements.

Sighing, she glanced to Hazel, silently asking, you know... where did she want to sit?

Just over the redhead's shoulder however, she spotted someoooooone standing off to the side and quite alone for that matter. Raising a brow at Hazel, she smirked before moving over to the security man. "Please tell me you do know how to relax," she said, stopping by his side.

Ronnie realized that the man had been deep in thought and she felt sorry for interrupting something that could have been important. But, he told her she could sit with him so she went ahead and sat down.

"Nice to meet you, Greg," She beamed at him. "I'm Ronnie." After a moment of silence, her eyes moved to the conversation starter cards in the center of the table and she grabbed the one on top, deciding to start up a conversation with Greg since that's what the people around them seemed to be doing. She liked the idea, it was nice and sort of fun to get to know people this way.

"Alrighty," she said, clearing her throat, "Why work for the Ministry of Magic?" She read aloud. Hm. That was a good question. She glanced up from the card to Greg, waiting for his answer.

Having re-acquainted the wand weighing machine with her wand and her details, Hazel was looking forward to food. Lots of it, and drinks… though she was happy that they wouldn’t be alcoholic; after all, this was work and she needed to be sensible. Besides, Boo would hate them going home drunk.

Oh look. There was her wife. WIFE. How crazy was that?

Smiling, she took the drink from Mammy and figured that she wasn’t in the bad books too much, if the brunette was already getting her drinks. Hehehe. See, Mammy was so used to her that it meant she knew that she wouldn’t last without her - or Boo. Good thing too, seeing as they wouldn’t be able to live without HER either.

Ahem. Right, this was work.

Noting the glance, then the raised brow Hazel grinned slightly and nodded her head. A single nod, not even much of anything but if there was one thing that she knew; it was that Mammy would know her reaction and agreement from the Smirk… the nod wasn’t even really needed. Moving a single pace behind Mammy, Leza stepped up beside her as they stopped to talk to the Security man from outside.

She didn’t really know the man, so she raised her glass to her lips and took a sip as she waited for him to reply to them.

Well, everyone seemed nice enough - that was good! And Harmony - that would be weird, calling her boss by her first name - was also nice enough to tell everyone what her job was, something Addi completely forgot to do herself. Great. Off to an AWESOME start here.

But no one had mentioned the last name, so as far as social interactions went, this one was pretty top notch.

"Hello, hi," she politely smiled and greeted each of them in turn. She was rubbish with names and would remember all of them later - but what was that guy's name? Mordred? Was that his ACTUAL name or a last name? Either way it was odd - but who was she to comment on that? Really?

"I can do it, if you want," she offered softly. The man Harmony had pointed out hadn't actually SAID anything at this point - it was the least Addi could do, to take the pressure off him or something.