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Post by LEO VARGAS on Nov 26, 2012 21:31:35 GMT 1
(Will create a proper posting template soon.)
It was still early in the morning when Leo arrived at the Ministry’s employee entrance and flushed himself down the toilet there only to arrive in one of the green-lit fireplaces that lined the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. It had been strange, in the beginning, entering his work place that way but now, after years of doing it most days, he’d got well used to it.
Leo stepped out of the fireplace and joined the throng of people moving towards the lifts at the back of the long and large entrance hall. Along the way, Leo was nearly run over by a colleague of his, one of the other Obliviators, who was in a hurry to the fireplaces on the way to an urgent incident. Leo greeted him briefly before the man disappeared into the crowd.
Leo was glad that his own morning had started and was seeming to remain more leisurely. He’d only just finished a big job the night before and it hadn’t been an easy one since it hadn’t been clear just how many Muggles had been on the scene of magic and who exactly they‘d been. So there had been need for a lot of observation and subtle questioning on the Obliviators’ part. But in the end the team had been sure that they’d found everyone and that everyone’s memory had been cleared to the required degree.
One could, Leo supposed, question the morality of his job and they’d gone over that several times in training, years back. Was it right to invade someone’s mind and modify their memory without their knowledge and without them being able to resist or consent? Well, it was questionable but despite several reforms over the years the Ministry had still not found any other was to keep the Wizarding World hidden from Muggles once a Muggle had witnessed magic. And so Obliviators were trained to make their peace with what they did and see the worth in their work. And Leo did pride himself in causing the least possible upheaval for anyone involved when he modified minds.
Ready for the day ahead, Leo got into a lift that was, as of yet empty. He pressed the button for his floor and the lift started upwards. It stopped, first, the next floor up and Leo was joined in his ride by someone else.
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Post by ROSALYN EMERSON on Dec 3, 2012 2:45:10 GMT 1
 Hufflepuff Alumni. Auror. 20 yr old Werewolf. Order of the Phoenix Member.If you could only see the beast you've made of me,
I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free
Thank God she'd been awake enough to brush her teeth this morning. Another ghastly yawn later, and Rose was quietly, sluggishly making her way onto the lift, a faint cut on her cheek visible in the overhead light. Halfway through a second yawn, the Auror gave a start, straightening up immediately to see an older gentleman to her left, Rose recognizing him to be an obliviator - right? Sometimes she was very bad with who worked where - an awkward smile plastered onto her face by reflex.
"Sorry, I almost didn't see you there."
What's his name? What's his NAME?
Why didn't Ministry employees ever wear nametags? Because you're supposed to recognize your colleagues after this many months of working in the same building together. His name started with an L...or was it a V? Now would've been a fabulous time to have a steamy hot mug of butterbeer - at least she could play off her sudden short term memory by taking copious sips of the warm, golden liquid that would help put purpose to her silence.
Hardly anyone could blame her for looking exhausted, with dark circles mostly hidden by both magic and makeup; last night had been a full moon, and she'd spent the majority of it locked away in her own special 'werewolf containment room' that was more or less the cellar of her cottage. It was a wonder she'd shown up to work at all, after a nearly sleepless night in the throes of lycanthropy, but Rose was nothing if not punctual.
That and she didn't want to give the boss-man any reason to think she wasn't grateful for her job or somehow slacking off in any way.
You are the moon that breaks the night for which I have to howl
AND HOWL.
Words: 303
Notes:  Don't mind if I jump in! Rose is bad with names, give her a minute, lol.
Credits: "Howl" by the Florence & The Machine
Wearing:Here!
Thoughts: Looonggg night.
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Post by LEO VARGAS on Dec 4, 2012 23:26:34 GMT 1
Leo neatly sidestepped the person who had joined him in the lift and nearly run into him. He smiled. He’d seen her before, he thought. She was one of the younger Aurors, Leo was sure. He’d seen her around on jobs the Auror department and the Obliviators had worked on together. Currently, she looked quite frazzled and harried, having apparently been in a hurry to catch a ride.
“No problem,” Leo said, making his smile more reassuring and waving off her apology in a laid-back manner. “Beautiful girls are always welcome to collide or almost collide, in your case, with me.” Leo winked. This was the kind of approach he liked to take, breaking the ice.
For a moment there was silence in which the young woman continued to stare at Leo. He thought he could almost see the cogs turning in her head as she was probably wracking her brain for whether they’d met before. Leo didn’t hold her stare but took a moment to take her in. There was a small cut on her cheek, almost-but-not-quite concealed. A souvenir of the job, Leo assumed.
Soon though, Leo thought he’d put her out of her misery.
“It’s Leo,” he said. “Vargas.” He grinned and held out his hand for her to shake. If they were going to do formal introductions, might as well do it properly.
“You’re an Auror, right? I know I’ve seen you around on jobs, but I’m afraid I never caught your name.”
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Post by ROSALYN EMERSON on Dec 5, 2012 4:01:31 GMT 1
Hufflepuff Alumni. Auror. 20 yr old Werewolf. Order of the Phoenix Member. If you could only see the beast you've made of me,
I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free
"Leo Vargas," Rose repeated, committing the name to memory. She smiled, trying to look the picture of alertness rather than a distracted, exhausted auror with a tough work week ahead of her. "Rosalyn Emerson - The ah, werewolf." Though she said those words with a slight laugh and a smile, it was really her way of getting that out into the open rather than have him find out about it later. It was always really awkward to make friends with someone only to have them avoid you the next morning because they had found out the...truth.
Not expecting too much friendliness from this older man outside of common courtesy, Rose struck up a pleasant conversation. "Busy week? I know the Quidditch World Cup is coming up soon, so that'll make things around here pretty hectic for everyone." Being an auror, that wasn't really her area of concern nor expertise, but it was likely that Minister Rudlow would declare all hands on deck in this case. It WAS going to be a huge gathering of wizards, and the obliviators were going to be needed now more than ever.
Rose herself wasn't a huge fan of heights, but it was fun to watch other people risk their necks trying to catch a little golden ball with wings, she would admit to that. Of course she did have a bit of a crush on one of the players for Puddlemere United, and it was a secret hope of hers that he'd get recruited for Ireland National...
Anyway. Trying not to delve too deeply into her own thoughts, Rose looked to the man she now knew to be Leo Vargas, quietly waiting his response to her words - both werewolf-related and work-related. If he played it off like it was no big deal, then great. If not, then, well, he wouldn't be first to be uncomfortable with her over it. Just the way life was.
You are the moon that breaks the night for which I have to howl
AND HOWL.
Words: 339
Notes: :P Just dropping that in there first things first.
Credits: "Howl" by the Florence & The Machine
Wearing:Here!
Thoughts: Really awkward ice-breaker.
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Post by LEO VARGAS on Dec 6, 2012 23:38:44 GMT 1
Emerson. Yes, Leo had heard the name, had seen it on the rota and in reports from the Auror department. And now he also knew her first name. He committed it to memory and turned his attention to what she’d said next. Now that was not a usual way for anyone to introduce themselves, even these days – or especially these days – but there they were. It wasn’t a big deal to Leo since he didn’t believe in ostracising and persecuting people for what they were unless they were intentionally hurting someone. But Rosalyn apparently felt it needed to be a piece of information to be brought out in the open immediately. And the way people still treated werewolves or any of those that were different in some way, he couldn’t blame her for being cautious. Leo shrugged.
“Well, I’m the guy who wipes people’s minds for a living,” he said. “I’m not one to judge.”
With that, Leo turned to her next question. The elevator slow as it was, annoyingly, at times, at least gave you time to have some sort of a conversation.
“Oh, sure,” Leo said. The Quidditch World Cup was always one of the biggest events the Ministry was involved with and the manpower it required was, as usual, insane. “We have a team on site at all hours of the day and night. In shifts. Preparations rarely go smoothly and aren’t always quiet. It’s impossible for the Muggles not to get wind of anything so we have enough cases to keep us plenty busy.” Just the other day some of the invisibility charms had broken down and some Muggle cross-country hikers had seen a lot more than they should have seen.
“But I reckon we’ll all be wrapped up in security work before too long. Things have changed. Rudlow has changed things and people are beginning to feel the subtleties, even if they don’t quite realise it yet.”
Leo frowned. He didn’t trus the new Minister as far as he could throw him. Might have been his slick demeanor or his attitude or the changes he’d evoked that reminded all too much of dark times bygone.
“We should all take care.”
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Post by ROSALYN EMERSON on Dec 11, 2012 2:02:22 GMT 1
Hufflepuff Alumni. Auror. 20 yr old Werewolf. Order of the Phoenix Member. If you could only see the beast you've made of me,
I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free
The shrug Leo Vargas made at mention of her being a werewolf was a little bit of a surprise to Rosalyn, and she regarded him with a little more pleasantness than she had before, grateful he was one of those people who just flat out didn't care about her lycanthropy. It was better than those people who looked at her like she was a victim that needed hugs and directions to the nearest Werewolf Support Group. Rose smiled. So he wasn't such a bad guy - not that that had been her first impression of him - but why did his name sound so familiar?
Though she had been listening to his words about the World Cup and the security work, it wasn't until his soft, cryptic words of caution.
"We should all take care."
The Order!
Rosalyn did not have to say those words out loud - nor did she dare to, not in the middle of a lift in the Ministry of Magic, led by one particularly shady Roy Rudlow. The pretty auror simply bobbed her head in ready agreement. "Yes, we should. I can't really say if the changes are good or bad, but there are enough of them that we should all keep our wits about us."
That was about as close as she could get to discussing Order of Phoenix business with Mr. Vargas, and she suspected he would understand. Intending to change the subject, the werewolf tucked her hair behind her ears, looking at him beneath dark lashes as the lift puttered to the next level. "I apologize if this personal, I was just curious - how did you become an obliviator?"
That was something she'd just always been wondering about... How one CHOSE to become the wizard or witch who wipes the slate clean every time something unexplainable shows up on it.
You are the moon that breaks the night for which I have to howl
AND HOWL.
Words: 331
Notes:  who's the leader of the Order of Phoenix, might I ask?
Credits: "Howl" by the Florence & The Machine
Wearing:Here!
Thoughts: Making a new friend, maybe.
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Post by LEO VARGAS on Dec 17, 2012 23:18:40 GMT 1
Leo nodded. The changes didn’t feel good to him. There were too many in too short a time and all of them pointed in the same direction, driven by power. Rudlow wasn’t an easy man to read. It was obvious he carried a mask but what was behind that mask was still indecipherable to Leo. He hadn’t had much personal interaction with the Minister anyway, but had seen him for briefings and debriefings.
He’d seen the recognition in Rosalyn’s eyes and Leo suddenly remembered, too, that they were both in the Order. Few people made it to every meeting, especially those working for the Ministry in jobs that could call them out at all hours of the day and night. Aurors and Obliviators were notorious positions for that to happen.
Her next question caught Leo a little off guard. It wasn’t something he got asked a lot and it wasn’t something he’d ever managed to find a clear answer to, even for himself. Besides, nothing had been so straight forward at the time. He frowned and ran his hand through his spiky hair.
“Well,” he began after a pause. “Let’s say I had a knack for Charms and the likes. So at Hogwarts they always recommended I join the Ministry in a function where I could use those skills. The Obliviators, well, let’s say I was recruited by a family friend.”
Ok, that was as loosely termed as Leo could have made it. “Family friend” was loosely termed as was “recruited”. The Ministry had provided a lot of help in the search for Leo’s sister and even though no one had ever found her, there were people who felt Leo and his family owed the Ministry and certain departments. But then, Leo could have still said no. Out of all the jobs that were on the plate, somehow becoming an Obliviator had drawn Leo in.
Leo shrugged. “I was young,” he said. “It had a kind of mystery to it. But over the years you learn a lot. The mind is a fascinating thing.”
Leo’s voice had taken on a deeper quality now and he could almost feel the surge he always felt when he felt his way through the intricacies of someone’s mind.
(Omg. I haven't actually thought about that. I would think, though, they might not have one yet. I always kinda pegged Kingsley to stay on as leader of the Order. But since he's only just died...)
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Post by ROSALYN EMERSON on Jan 4, 2013 9:55:36 GMT 1
Hufflepuff Alumni. Auror. 20 yr old Werewolf. Order of the Phoenix Member. If you could only see the beast you've made of me,
I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free
Rosalyn listened with interest as Leo explained how he came to the position of Oblivator. She'd had to scrape tooth and nail to reach the rank of Auror; being a werewolf was apparently, the final nail in the coffin as so many witches and wizards had been so hateful towards what she was that it took them the longest time to figure out how much talent she'd actually possessed. Of course, transfigurations had been so awful for her, she just couldn't quite wrap her head (or her wand) around such complex concepts, but victory had tasted that much sweeter when, several tutors and remedial lessons later, she had scored high enough that being an auror was that much more possible.
"Did it ever lose any of it's mystery?" she asked, her head tilting to the right a few degrees, arms loosely crossing over her chest as she relaxed against the back wall of the lift. The mind was truly a deeply complex, fascinating thing; it was hard for her then, to imagine how to not cause permanent damage to the brain or make a mistake somehow in your attempts to simply wipe one thing from their minds. Yeesh. Such a risky profession... Hopefully they gave out insurance for that sort of thing, though if you had too much wiped, you wouldn't really remember you had insurance in the first place, now would you?
Realizing she was being a bit prying, the auror cleared her throat, straightening with a brief look of apology. "Sorry, how everyone came to be here is always fascinating for me. The struggles, the victories, their reasoning - that sort of thing." This building contained so many different motives, so many back-stories of how each witch or wizard had come to be here, so many threads in this great big fabric that was the ministry of magic, she couldn't help but be... enthralled.
You are the moon that breaks the night for which I have to howl
AND HOWL.
Words: 342
Notes: I am so sorry for this HORRENDOUSLY LATE POST! ;_;
Credits: "Howl" by the Florence & The Machine
Wearing:Here!
Thoughts: Looonggg night.
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