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Bianca Alia Rivera
CASTELOBRUXO ALUM MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD OCCLUMENS LEGILIMENS
263 posts
played by Jenny
do your worst for I will do mine
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last online Sept 25, 2023 6:21:30 GMT -7
STUDYING ABROAD
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Dec 30, 2020 6:53:12 GMT -7
Post by Bianca Alia Rivera on Dec 30, 2020 6:53:12 GMT -7
4 December 2025 It might be the holiday season, but Bianca was certainly in no mood to celebrate. It was customary to spend time with family, and that obligation was doubly expected in the family-centric Hispanic culture. But her family life was in shambles right now, with her father dead and her older brother in the wind. Bianca’s relationship with her mother had never been particularly strong, and things had only deteriorated since they’d lost the last common link binding them together. So while most people might take the festive occasion to step back from their obligations and celebrate, Bianca threw herself into her work instead. There were two important milestones approaching – the one-year anniversary since the Azkaban breakout, and shortly after her decision to transfer units and reenter the field. The open-ended questions regarding the first only brought her frustration at the Ministry’s lack of progress, while the second milestone only served as a grim reminder of what her life had become. But even former Azkaban inmates had family, and perhaps the holiday season was the right time to find a new lead. That was the reasoning behind her decision to work overtime, at least. Bianca always worked best alone, but one of the most exasperating obstacles she’d encountered at Interpol was the requirement that two people sign off on some reports. She knew her work was top-notch and didn’t need to be checked by someone else, but that was the Ministry for you – an endless barrage of red tape and jumping through hoops to get the simplest things done. Bianca grabbed a stack of reports and found the first occupied desk to set them on. She hadn’t formed an opinion yet on most of her new coworkers, and that included Sarah Oliveira. But if she had any sense at all she wouldn’t make things difficult. “I need a second signature on these,” Bianca began without preamble, tossing a quill on top of the small stack. sarah jane oliveira
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sarah jane oliveira
HOGWARTS EXPELLED WEREWOLF MAGICAL INTERPOL RECAPTURE UNIT
136 posts
played by Audrey
Careful with me; I'm volatile.
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last online Feb 26, 2024 21:14:07 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Dec 31, 2020 6:01:00 GMT -7
Post by sarah jane oliveira on Dec 31, 2020 6:01:00 GMT -7
December 4, 2025 Sarah Oliveira had no particular plans for the holiday season, unless one included celebrating a year since she'd been freed from the absolute hellhole known as Azkaban—or formerly known as Azkaban, perhaps, since the prison had been in no state to hold prisoners since. She had no idea what her sisters wanted for Christmas, nor did she care to spend any of her money on them. Sebastian was a different story; she didn't mind spending money on him, since showing that she wanted to be involved as his mother would probably make it easier for him to return to her custody. Caring for a four-year-old wouldn't be terrible, considering that he was to an age where he could actually fend for himself some more.
Working at the Ministry was about the most boring thing she could have done, but Sarah kept at it. She had no real intentions of bettering her life. It was all for show (and then some), but that didn't mean that she was going to put in any more effort than was really necessary to go about her job. Typically, that meant looking over information that had been gathered about prisoners who should have been in Azkaban and maybe doing something with it, if she got lucky. Half the people in there weren't even that interesting, and she didn't understand why the Ministry chose to waste its resources on them. Half the politicians in the upper ranks were probably doing things that were technically illegal, too, but they cared more about making it seem like they were effective at literally anything. Like for whatever reason Bianca Rivera had just plopped down a stack of papers and a quill onto her desk.
"I need a second signature on these."
"Just as a witness, or…?" Sarah checked with Bianca, not that it really mattered to her what she was signing off on. She'd signed off on going to prison intentionally, too. It was all just a game for her, though she tied her shocking blue hair into a bun to make it appear as though she wanted to take this all very seriously.
Bianca Alia Rivera
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Bianca Alia Rivera
CASTELOBRUXO ALUM MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD OCCLUMENS LEGILIMENS
263 posts
played by Jenny
do your worst for I will do mine
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last online Sept 25, 2023 6:21:30 GMT -7
STUDYING ABROAD
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Jan 4, 2021 9:27:19 GMT -7
Post by Bianca Alia Rivera on Jan 4, 2021 9:27:19 GMT -7
The moment after Bianca set the paperwork and quill on Sarah’s desk, she shifted her stance imperceptibly (although someone who knew her would recognize it as impatience). Not that she was much inclined to explain her behavior to anyone anymore. Her eyes scanned her coworker’s desk, which looked as crowded with reports and files as hers did, although Bianca’s was carefully organized and it could hardly be argued that there was ever a single quill out of place. Her coworker’s appearance, blue hair and all, hardly inspired confidence in her competence at work, but that really wasn’t the subject here so Bianca was as bored and expressionless as always whenever she stepped away from her own pile of work. She shrugged slightly as Sarah asked in what capacity she should sign. “Office rules. And we’re not really supposed to question those, are we?” she responded curtly – not out of frustration with Sarah herself, but rather because she didn’t really see any need for questions. She’d intended for the whole interaction to take 30 seconds when she’d first walked over, and they were at about that threshold now. And the last bit about not questioning the Ministry – well, that was because Bianca knew what a joke the Ministry was and she couldn’t help but show even a little of that acidity while jumping through meaningless hoops. She'd believed in the Ministry wholeheartedly, once upon a time, until she'd realized how much more effective she was on her own. Just in case it would help the interaction move faster, Bianca begrudgingly elaborated, “The holidays seem like the right time to visit some of these families. To see which inmates are unable to resist the temptation.” It might not be quite the noble thing to do, but Bianca had been over that for some time now. And besides, the truly responsible thing would be to recapture those prisoners at any cost – and therefore limit whatever illegal activities they engaged in during their brief freedom away from Azkaban. That was the better course of action for the public in the end, and Bianca was more interested in protecting innocent civilians from dangerous criminals than worrying about their feelings during the Christmas holiday. So she'd started going through the case files and setting aside the most likely candidates. Once she got her supervisor's approval, she'd start knocking on doors. sarah jane oliveira
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sarah jane oliveira
HOGWARTS EXPELLED WEREWOLF MAGICAL INTERPOL RECAPTURE UNIT
136 posts
played by Audrey
Careful with me; I'm volatile.
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last online Feb 26, 2024 21:14:07 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Feb 6, 2021 20:35:54 GMT -7
Post by sarah jane oliveira on Feb 6, 2021 20:35:54 GMT -7
December 4, 2025 "Office rules. And we’re not really supposed to question those, are we?" Bianca shrugged at her. Unfortunately for Sarah, she was right, and Sarah knew it. She couldn't exactly disagree with the Ministry's protocols—at least not so openly, and not while she was on the clock. As much as it was a drag, she couldn't really put up a fight. Getting fired would have screwed up more than not having a job, and so she had to acquiesce and slap her signature on the paper. As she went and picked up the quill with which she needed to sign the documents, Bianca added to her, "The holidays seem like the right time to visit some of these families. To see which inmates are unable to resist the temptation." "You're not getting me to dress like some carol singer," Sarah remarked bitterly, signing her name on the first of the papers. That was all she wanted to do over the holidays, go from door to door in some sort of hideous bonnet, but showing up in a way that would be apparent that they were from Magical Interpol would tip off anyone with half a brain cell. "But yeah," she admitted. "If they aren't physically there," she considered, "some of them must be in contact with their families somehow."Bianca Alia Rivera
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Bianca Alia Rivera
CASTELOBRUXO ALUM MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD OCCLUMENS LEGILIMENS
263 posts
played by Jenny
do your worst for I will do mine
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last online Sept 25, 2023 6:21:30 GMT -7
STUDYING ABROAD
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Feb 11, 2021 2:22:07 GMT -7
Post by Bianca Alia Rivera on Feb 11, 2021 2:22:07 GMT -7
Bianca watched with a critical eye as Sarah began to sign the papers. She wished that could just be the end of the story, but in reality an entirely new bureaucratic procedure was only just beginning. The desired result was relatively simple – Bianca needed approval on her warrant requests so she could start to knock on doors and see which inmates had recently visited their families. One didn’t technically need a warrant just to ask questions, but she knew that, inevitably, there would be lies and a need to follow-up with a physical search. Better to do it all at once, instead of tipping off the escaped prisoners and allowing them to slip through the Ministry’s net again. This was just the first step of many to getting those warrants, however, and she didn’t relish the thought of having more conversations like this one. Bianca pursed her lips slightly at the thought of pretending to dress like a caroler. In that sense, Sarah’s bitter tone resonated deeply with her. “I don’t see the need for a disguise,” Bianca replied coolly with a light shrug. Why bother with the pretense? She was a law enforcement officer who’d come to check on the families and verify they didn’t know where the escaped prisoners were. If they did know, they could either share the information voluntarily, or – or Bianca could use other means to determine what they were hiding. The subject of the escaped Azkaban inmates was a touchy one in the office. They’d made good progress in recapturing many, particularly those that were considered low-risk or had been in Azkaban for minor offenses – but there were still many high-level prisoners on the run. It would only be a matter of time before their captain began to approve more extreme measures to bring them in. In the meantime, Bianca wasn't above surveillance measures like watching the Floo Network or intercepting mail. “They’re counting on the fact that we’re too spread out to notice small trangressions. I’m sure many inmates haven’t considered that we might be monitoring their families. Now’s the time to take advantage of potential indiscretion.” sarah jane oliveira
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sarah jane oliveira
HOGWARTS EXPELLED WEREWOLF MAGICAL INTERPOL RECAPTURE UNIT
136 posts
played by Audrey
Careful with me; I'm volatile.
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last online Feb 26, 2024 21:14:07 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Feb 14, 2021 8:28:22 GMT -7
Post by sarah jane oliveira on Feb 14, 2021 8:28:22 GMT -7
December 4, 2025 "I don't see the need for a disguise," Bianca told her, which was a relief for Sarah, who would have been making fun of every second of having to dress up in something totally stupid for the sake of catching criminals. Besides, she couldn't really see her hair, tattoos, and piercings matching that whole vibe—especially not all three together—and anyone with half a brain wouldn't have gone for some long skirt, anyway, because of how impossible it would make any sort of combat. If they had to duel someone, it wouldn't work out very well. The other element of it, which Sarah was sure that Bianca knew, was that there were still plenty of former prisoners who had managed to escape Magical Interpol's, radar. Aside from the obvious fact that Sarah would have said "good on them" if not for her current occupation—since outsmarting Magical Interpol meant besting not only the British Ministry of Magic but also every other magical government involved in sharing that information—it amped up the resolve to, well, resolve things. If the Ministry could claim credit for getting as many of those formerly stuck in the misery that was Azkaban back into its custody, Sarah thought, then they obviously would. "They're counting on the fact that we’re too spread out to notice small trangressions. I'm sure many inmates haven’t considered that we might be monitoring their families. Now’s the time to take advantage of potential indiscretion." Sarah nodded firmly. "Yeah," she said in agreement as she continued to scrawl her signature where needed, though her mind was really swirling with how to get the word out. She hoped that no one of interest to the Purifiers would have been so careless as to try to resume something close to their previous lives without having ended up getting a deal similar to what she'd gotten. That didn't mean that she could skate by with no effort, though. If she could at least have a hand in capturing someone of note, it would reflect even better on her and really make it seem like they had done something right to trust her. The kicker, though, would be in making sure that whatever she did would put the Purifiers at an advantage simultaneously. "Have you got any ideas? Specific individuals we should be watching?"Bianca Alia Rivera
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Bianca Alia Rivera
CASTELOBRUXO ALUM MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD OCCLUMENS LEGILIMENS
263 posts
played by Jenny
do your worst for I will do mine
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last online Sept 25, 2023 6:21:30 GMT -7
STUDYING ABROAD
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Mar 13, 2021 2:33:06 GMT -7
Post by Bianca Alia Rivera on Mar 13, 2021 2:33:06 GMT -7
One of the many problems with the Ministry, Bianca reflected as she watched Sarah sign papers, was its size. As the central authority for British magical society, the Ministry’s influence was everywhere. It also meant that entire departments operated independently of each other. In some cases, that wasn’t so bad. As law enforcement, Bianca didn’t need to know what Magical Education or Magical Sports was doing on a daily basis. And naturally, there were some departments (three guesses which) that were so secretive that absolutely nobody knew what exactly they worked on all day. But it created problems when that same reality existed within offices. Despite working towards similar goals, Bianca wasn’t fully briefed on everything that went on with the Aurors, Hit Wizards, or other branches of Interpol. It made her wonder how in-sync they truly were, or if pursuing independent missions meant they worked against each other occasionally. In that sense, Bianca couldn’t even really be sure what progress was being made on rebuilding Azkaban, or even the fates of the prisoners after they’d been recaptured by her unit. She took the appropriate steps to find out when it was required for Heliopath, and she had the proper clearance for it. But it was slightly concerning that that information wasn’t available to her automatically, and that she needed to go looking for it. It presented an interesting dilemma, although not one that she was in any position to solve. It only meant she was left stewing with a hidden resentment for the inefficiency and at times utter corruption of the organization she worked for. “I do,” Bianca confirmed reservedly as Sarah asked if she had any ideas for loose ends to follow back to their sources. Besides the fact that she was paid to think of ideas for recapturing prisoners, Bianca dedicated a lot of her free time as well to discovering innovative means of doing her job. She wasn’t particularly tempted to share anything with Sarah, since her nature wasn’t much inclined to do that, but then again – that was why she worked in a team. If anybody could contribute, it would be her coworkers. So Bianca reluctantly elaborated, “Some escapees have begun to resurface on our radar again, usually as a result of active cases opened by the Auror Office in other fields. Smuggling, forgeries. Cadwallader and Rookwood were both spotted back in the country recently, and there’s already some evidence that they’ve been in contact with their network. One of my informants noticed Rookwood’s old messaging system in use.” Bianca stopped to consider the thought, and she idly leaned against the edge of Sarah’s desk as she looked over her pile of paperwork. “This red tape makes it impossible to do our jobs. Hopefully the breakout’s anniversary will put more pressure on the Ministry to approve...additional methods.” sarah jane oliveira
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sarah jane oliveira
HOGWARTS EXPELLED WEREWOLF MAGICAL INTERPOL RECAPTURE UNIT
136 posts
played by Audrey
Careful with me; I'm volatile.
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last online Feb 26, 2024 21:14:07 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Mar 13, 2021 9:15:58 GMT -7
Post by sarah jane oliveira on Mar 13, 2021 9:15:58 GMT -7
December 4, 2025 Sarah did her work; she couldn't risk getting fired and screwing up all of Elaine Dupree's plans, but she certainly appreciated it when her colleagues in Magical Interpol were better prepared than she. It gave her less to come up with on the spot, and she couldn't say that she didn't take advantage of how much more thorough Bianca Rivera was than she. Was Rivera an absolute thorn in her side? There was no doubt about it, but at least she said that she actually had some ideas about who in Merlin's name they needed to be tracking down. "Some escapees have begun to resurface on our radar again, usually as a result of active cases opened by the Auror Office in other fields," she said. While that wasn't names, it was helpful—helpful to take back to the Purifiers, anyway. Any connections that they had to anyone who might have been on the Aurors' radars instead would be important, at least for the sake of telling people that they needed to cover their asses.
"Smuggling, forgeries," Bianca elaborated. In other words, thought Sarah, it was the dumb stuff that got people caught. "Cadwallader and Rookwood were both spotted back in the country recently, and there’s already some evidence that they’ve been in contact with their network. One of my informants noticed Rookwood’s old messaging system in use."
"At least they waited until they didn't need a visa to get here," Sarah commented dryly. Neither seemed to have kept much in the way of brain cells, though it would have made for an easier take down if they had been idiotic enough to try an actual paper trail.
"This red tape makes it impossible to do our jobs," Bianca added, which was true. It was a bore, though Sarah supposed that it kept them from stopping those who would be an asset to the Purifiers before Elaine could get to them. Maybe she should have been grateful for all of the bureaucratic hangups. "Hopefully the breakout’s anniversary will put more pressure on the Ministry to approve… additional methods."
Sarah nodded her head, trying to seem intent about it. She could think of a few methods that she would have liked to use, although it was probably safer not to mention those. "Yeah," she agreed. The general public would be awfully upset with the Ministry—and with Magical Interpol and all the supposed "foreign aid" flunkies who had shown up in the wake of the destruction of Azkaban if they didn't get answers about it soon. "The public will start to wonder, and that's not exactly a good look, is it?"
Bianca Alia Rivera
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Bianca Alia Rivera
CASTELOBRUXO ALUM MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD OCCLUMENS LEGILIMENS
263 posts
played by Jenny
do your worst for I will do mine
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last online Sept 25, 2023 6:21:30 GMT -7
STUDYING ABROAD
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Apr 9, 2021 0:43:02 GMT -7
Post by Bianca Alia Rivera on Apr 9, 2021 0:43:02 GMT -7
It was easy to fall into the trap of mischaracterizing the criminals they were meant to catch. To be sure, many of the Azkaban escapees weren’t the brightest stars in the sky – they could be overconfident and consider themselves more intelligent than what was reality, and it was those traits that usually led to sloppy mistakes. Setting aside the good police work that Bianca knew her colleagues were capable of, it was those kinds of mistakes and lapses in judgments that could lead to a quick arrest. Still, they weren’t dumb. The worst assumption an officer could make about their target was that they didn’t know what they were doing, which wasn’t the case for these sorts of career criminals. To that end, Sarah made a good point – Cadwallader and Rookwood had both waited for the hysteria around Hag’s Fever to die down and for the government to roll back the quarantine. In fact, the timing of their reappearance suggested they’d been waiting for the Ministry to relax some of its stricter regulations for some time in the wake of all the summer chaos. Bianca couldn’t be sure if more criminals would follow their lead soon – assume that the Ministry was losing focus and resources, and take advantage to restart their old enterprises. One year later, it would be easy for its employees to simply allow the Foreign Aid Office to lose the priority status it had been given immediately after the breakout and let the Ministry return to some semblance of normal operations. But Bianca knew better – they were living in a new normal now, and the last thing they could afford was to relax. “True,” Bianca acknowledged in response to Sarah’s observation about the visa, “but that begs the question of where they’ve been holed up all this time. They were arrested separately, but resurfaced together. That suggests a higher level of organization than a pair of small-time criminals should be capable of.” She chewed on her lip absentmindedly as she pondered the thought. It felt like the beginning of an interesting theory, if only she could pull on the thread a little more and see what it unraveled. There was something there – she could feel that there was something there. But Sarah’s question about the general public brought Bianca back to the conversation, and she smoothed her features into a stony expression before she could be tempted to make a face. It was a very political thought, the sort of thing that Bianca didn’t often consider or tolerate. “They deserve to know,” she murmured in a low tone. “We spend so much effort struggling to keep everything we can from them. How much more could we accomplish if we worked with the public instead of against them?” sarah jane oliveira
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sarah jane oliveira
HOGWARTS EXPELLED WEREWOLF MAGICAL INTERPOL RECAPTURE UNIT
136 posts
played by Audrey
Careful with me; I'm volatile.
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last online Feb 26, 2024 21:14:07 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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May 7, 2021 7:27:37 GMT -7
Post by sarah jane oliveira on May 7, 2021 7:27:37 GMT -7
December 4, 2025 "True," came Bianca's response. Knowing how rarely Bianca sided with her, that was practically a compliment. "But that begs the question of where they’ve been holed up all this time," she added. "They were arrested separately," she explained of their cases, "but resurfaced together. That suggests a higher level of organization than a pair of small-time criminals should be capable of."
"Or they communicated whilst in Azkaban?" Sarah suggested as a possibility. Not all of the prisoners had been in complete isolation. They could have found a way to join up with one another while on the inside. Even supposed "small-time" criminals knew the benefits of forming alliances with others. Sarah didn't have time to elaborate upon her point, though, because it was what she had said about the public that held Bianca's interest.
"They deserve to know," Bianca stated, albeit without her usual conviction. "We spend so much effort struggling to keep everything we can from them. How much more could we accomplish if we worked with the public instead of against them?"
That was a thought… and it was a potentially detrimental one for Sarah's true interests and loyalties. Putting the public on high alert again would make it harder for anyone to accomplish anything. Still, it wasn't going to make her look terrible to stand her ground, Sarah considered. There were multiple reasons why involving the public would be a controversial move. "What?" Sarah questioned. "And encourage a load of vigilantes to make our jobs even more of a challenge?" Someone a little too overzealous would take that as a free pass. From the standpoint of someone like Bianca Rivera, opening the door to pandemonium was hardly a first choice.
Bianca Alia Rivera
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Bianca Alia Rivera
CASTELOBRUXO ALUM MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD OCCLUMENS LEGILIMENS
263 posts
played by Jenny
do your worst for I will do mine
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last online Sept 25, 2023 6:21:30 GMT -7
STUDYING ABROAD
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May 21, 2021 5:03:21 GMT -7
Post by Bianca Alia Rivera on May 21, 2021 5:03:21 GMT -7
Bianca gave an unenthusiastic shrug at Sarah’s suggestion that the prisoners had established a connection in Azkaban. It was possible that this was an isolated circumstance – that they had decided to join forces in prison and combine their networks. There would never be any way to negate that theory without a confession, or at least scheduling a consultation with the relevant guards. The potential dividends wasn’t worth the effort, however. Bianca would simply have to be content with letting the subject go for now, and maintaining a higher level of vigilance when it came to future encounters with escapees. Was this truly one case, or simply part of a larger trend? The latter was a worrisome thought, but there just wasn’t any actionable evidence. Besides, Sarah seemed to have taken a deeper interest in the thought of changing the Ministry’s stance towards divulging information. Bianca couldn’t blame her – it was a radical thought as far as the department went. Most agents seemed content with the thought of keeping their operations opaque. Bianca could understand to an extent, because public interference sometimes disrupted cases or prevented the unit from doing its job. Some form of secrecy would always be required. Still, she had seen how effective policing could be paired with public vigilance to form a deadly combination. It made her wonder. The word ‘vigilante’ caused Bianca to fidget slightly – nowhere near an exaggerated response to capture unwanted attention, but at odds with her usually still demeanor. Yes, as far as the Ministry was concerned, every vigilante group was illegitimate and to be arrested on sight. And that logic worked just as well for Heliopath as it did for the Purifiers. “Naturally vigilantes can’t go unpunished,” Bianca finally responded, choosing her words neutrally. “But there are other advantages to consider. When I was still in training, a tip from the public was crucial in finding a major black market operator. We’d been trying to find him for months…it was the only reason we were finally able to set up a sting,” Bianca recalled out-loud as she struggled to remember the details of the case. She’d complained about Grimstone to Leo so many times, being sent on pointless stakeouts that hadn’t yielded any leads. Eventually a tip had come in from a hostess at one of the restaurants he had used as a front after Bianca’s mentor had held a press conference and released new details. It was a reminder of how useful the public could be – in moderation, of course. sarah jane oliveira
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sarah jane oliveira
HOGWARTS EXPELLED WEREWOLF MAGICAL INTERPOL RECAPTURE UNIT
136 posts
played by Audrey
Careful with me; I'm volatile.
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last online Feb 26, 2024 21:14:07 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Sept 20, 2021 8:04:08 GMT -7
Post by sarah jane oliveira on Sept 20, 2021 8:04:08 GMT -7
December 4, 2025 "Naturally," Bianca told her, "vigilantes can’t go unpunished."
Sarah nodded at that, although she was really thinking about how ridiculous the Ministry and Magical Interpol could be. If it were true that vigilantes couldn't go unpunished, then there needed to be some sort of deterrent to keep people from engaging in vigilantism in the first place. The threat of being locked up in Azkaban was hardly valid at the moment, and tracking down supposed vigilantes would only suck up more resources that they didn't really have at their disposal.
"But there are other advantages to consider," added Bianca. "When I was still in training, a tip from the public was crucial in finding a major black market operator. We’d been trying to find him for months… it was the only reason we were finally able to set up a sting."
"So we could just remind the public that they can submit tips," Sarah reminded Bianca, shrugging. Easy. They didn't have to go full force into Vigilante Land or cause anyone to panic. "That way, they know we're still seeking information, but nobody tries to play Auror and goes mad looking for clues that aren't there."
Bianca Alia Rivera
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Bianca Alia Rivera
CASTELOBRUXO ALUM MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD OCCLUMENS LEGILIMENS
263 posts
played by Jenny
do your worst for I will do mine
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last online Sept 25, 2023 6:21:30 GMT -7
STUDYING ABROAD
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Oct 16, 2021 1:19:17 GMT -7
Post by Bianca Alia Rivera on Oct 16, 2021 1:19:17 GMT -7
The Ministry was old-fashioned. Bianca had never thought about it much as an Auror, since it was one of the few jobs that didn’t seem to change much over the years. Sure, they had new tools – new forms of magic to analyze crime scenes, new types of technology to keep up with the modern criminal. But ultimately Law Enforcement required extensive fieldwork and agents who knew how to read people. The Ministry’s outdated way of thinking had always been obvious to Bianca to an extent, as a witch who had grown up in a fast-paced Muggle society, but she’d really started to notice it in Magical Interpol. They were slow, and inefficient, and struggled to accept that any change could be for the better. That became a particularly troublesome issue when criminals were starting to become more imaginative than the department that was supposed to deter and capture them. “But maybe we shouldn’t limit ourselves only to the tried-and-true,” Bianca responded, impatience bleeding through her tone at the thought. As clear as it was that the two women disagreed on the right approach to recapture escaped inmates, Sarah did have a point. Law Enforcement agents spent years training to learn how to do the job, and even so the rate of injury and death was higher than anywhere else in the Ministry (for good reason). It would be dangerous to give the public the insane notion that they could play at being Aurors too, and unnecessarily involve themselves in the unit’s hunt for society’s darkest wizards and witches. But, Bianca thought, there had to be a compromise between the two scenarios. Between cutting the public out completely, and all but giving them Auror badges and sending them out to investigate. She chewed on her lip as she considered the problem, one hand idly fiddling with the top page of the now-signed paperwork. But now that Bianca had openly admitted that she’d been rethinking some of the Ministry’s longstanding procedures, she was curious to follow the thread. “There are serious gaps in how the Ministry approaches law enforcement,” Bianca said finally, “Especially when it comes to the Purifiers. Azkaban, the Quidditch final…we can’t only do what we’ve always done, because it just doesn’t work.” The frustration in her final words was obvious, and Bianca grimaced slightly at her admittance of the Ministry’s failure to address the Purifiers’ increasingly bold behavior. “So maybe we need to rethink how we engage with the public. The escaped inmates…they’re human too. They must have families, connections that mean something to them. There’s so much untapped potential there.” Was that thought too cold? At the end of the day, Bianca only wanted to recapture these criminals and put them back in Azkaban where they belonged. That ultimately seemed to be a bigger service to society than worrying about privacy or polite distance from those who might know something. sarah jane oliveira
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sarah jane oliveira
HOGWARTS EXPELLED WEREWOLF MAGICAL INTERPOL RECAPTURE UNIT
136 posts
played by Audrey
Careful with me; I'm volatile.
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last online Feb 26, 2024 21:14:07 GMT -7
MINISTRY
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Dec 10, 2021 18:54:13 GMT -7
Post by sarah jane oliveira on Dec 10, 2021 18:54:13 GMT -7
December 4, 2025 Sarah didn't care too much about being innovative when it came to her job. She didn't want to do anything while working that undermined what Elaine was trying to do, lest she get wind of it and find some way to get her back in Azkaban again (or dead, because that was also a very real possibility, knowing her). While there probably were things that she could have suggested to Bianca to make their lives easier there, she didn't really see the point. Besides, Bianca seemed to have a very good idea of what she wanted to do, not so subtly calling her out for sticking to something they'd tried a million times over.
She waited as Bianca chewed on her lip, though she was relieved when she came up with another idea. It wasn't anything that fascinating, but it meant that they weren't sharing an awkward silence anymore. "There are serious gaps in how the Ministry approaches law enforcement," Bianca pointed out, "Especially when it comes to the Purifiers. Azkaban, the Quidditch final…" Sarah didn't need anyone to tell her that—not when she'd been stringing them along anyway—but she acted as though she were paying attention. "We can't only do what we've always done, because it just doesn't work."
Obviously. In the name of maintaining her charade, though, Sarah kept listening. She didn't know what Bianca might propose, and knowing that was one way of remaining one step ahead—of the very people with whom she was supposed to be allied.
"So maybe we need to rethink how we engage with the public," Bianca continued. At that, Sarah imagined some sort of public information campaign. "The escaped inmates"—Bianca paused for a moment, and Sarah shot her a look as though to ask her if she had forgotten that she was talking with a former inmate herself—"they're human too. They must have families, connections that mean something to them. There's so much untapped potential there."
"Depends on the person," Sarah reminded Bianca casually. Some people, like her, knew that their family members probably would have turned on them under the right circumstances. She still couldn't fully trust Callisto or Mina not to. Ares, too, was out of the question. "What are you thinking, then? A slogan or something? Adverts on Witch TV?"
Bianca Alia Rivera
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Bianca Alia Rivera
CASTELOBRUXO ALUM MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT HEAD OCCLUMENS LEGILIMENS
263 posts
played by Jenny
do your worst for I will do mine
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last online Sept 25, 2023 6:21:30 GMT -7
STUDYING ABROAD
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Dec 17, 2021 3:07:31 GMT -7
Post by Bianca Alia Rivera on Dec 17, 2021 3:07:31 GMT -7
Sarah was hard to read, but even that wasn’t impossible. Bianca knew her story, just like the rest of the floor. Gossip spread quickly in the Ministry, and Sarah’s appointment to the unit had been a controversial decision. Everybody seemed to have an opinion, from the bleeding hearts who believed in second chances to the stony veterans that didn’t believe in anything anymore. And Bianca? She hadn’t weighed in with her opinion, not that anybody would have asked anyway, but she believed in deeds more than words. Every witch and wizard had to earn their place in Law Enforcement, whether that was the untested recruits from Hogwarts, the trainees with an ancient wizarding surname, or the criminals that wanted to start again. And she didn’t coddle people, or walk on eggshells. Bianca’s gaze was even and straightforward as she discussed the escaped inmates with Sarah. It was Sarah’s opportunity to show how she was different from them. “Hm.” Bianca shrugged slightly in disagreement at Sarah’s observation that it depended on the person. “It’s impossible to be completely disconnected from the world. If they don’t have families, they have something else that has meaning to them.” She found psychology to be a cheap tactic in their field, because it was impossible to profile someone without having ever actually met them. It played a different role in interrogations, but even then – there were magical tools to assist the Aurors there. And Bianca could count on one hand the number of times an interrogation couldn’t be completed using only reliable techniques or some light Legilimency. But this wasn’t psychology, only mapping out a person’s network and their daily points of contact. The coffee shop they visited every day, coworkers from their first job that they still saw on a regular basis. Visiting their family on Christmas. Points that could be exploited, with the right level of innovation and care. She gave a humorless laugh at the suggestion to use slogans or adverts. Bite-sized forms of contact. Bianca didn’t spend much time watching the wizarding networks, although she supposed there must be Ministry employees that dedicated their careers to maintaining those channels of communication and spreading the Ministry’s message there. “I’m talking about developing relationships outside of the Ministry,” Bianca suggested instead, her gaze dropping from Sarah as she idly played with the quill in her hands. She didn’t know what that might look like yet. “Information can come from all kinds of sources. And,” Bianca sighed heavily at this next admission, “As much as I hate pest control…there might still be something useful there we haven’t explored yet.” Pest control. A nickname they used in the department for managing the reporters that flocked to the Ministry for information – either in press conferences or on their own initiative. Bianca hated being assigned to pest control, but they’d gotten useful leads in the past from journalists conducting their own research. sarah jane oliveira
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