Fruitful in co-operation (Bianca)

[Deleted]

It was strange to be back again. Back at the ministry of magic as somebody that worked there, rather than occasionally give guest lectures to aurors or promote his books. The stranger things still to him was the way that some people looked at him. He was without a doubt currently one of the oldest employees at the ministry and anybody that knew his accomplishments seemed to find him somebody to look up to. Perhaps he was, but he doubted they extended the same pleasures to those significantly younger than himself, even if they were equally deserving.

But perhaps things actually had changed, considering the young lady that now ran the department was quite young still. Younger than he'd been when he fought for just a little bit of recognition. Times must have changed at least a little, right? Not that he was going in unprepared, that was hardly his style. He'd done his due diligence on the available information there was about this Miss Bianca and he'd scheduled a meeting to introduce himself and see how their departments could possibly help each other out. There was always some form of co-operation possible in his mind and as a strategist, allies tended to be just a little more useful than enemies. Though naturally, both had their uses.

He politely knocked on the door of her office, choosing not to host in a territory that was designed for secrets. Besides, he'd been part of her department for years and was familiar enough that it still felt a little like home. Naturally things had changed, but as he had walked through the halls his eyes were just as aware of the familiar as they were of the new. He waited a moment before he entered, as he did have an appointment with her. "Miss Bianca?" He inquired politely. "I'm Stephen Jorkins, the new head of the Department of Mysteries, we agreed to meet?" He low voice rumbled as he spoke and he clearly carried himself with quite a bit of confidence. After all, he hadn't quite left anything to chance in this meeting.

Bianca Alia Rivera

[Bianca Alia Rivera]

14 June 2027

It was no secret that Bianca hated the Department of Mysteries, and it was no secret why. She and Asher Burke despised each other, and they’d both been department heads in a time when the Minister was mentally checked out of his job. That meant they’d both been locked in a power struggle while department heads managed their fields with almost no oversight, except Bianca had needed to grapple with the knowledge that Asher was – in many ways – above the law and therefore above her authority. The professional distance of his department was infuriating enough, but the real clash had been personal. Asher could never conceptualize a Muggleborn, especially a woman, rising to power in such an influential department – and he’d never been shy about sharing what he thought about it.

The fact that Asher was out there, at this very moment, no doubt continuing the very illegal activities he’d been arrested for in the first place…that was a tough pill to swallow. Bianca was determined to catch him in the act, to send him to Azkaban since he so clearly belonged there. Until then, she was stuck cleaning up the mess he’d made with Hag’s Fever and the metaphorical (and literal) way he’d set the Ministry’s reputation on fire. She’d been wary when Root had finally appointed a new head for the department, but despite the Minister’s long spell of inactivity…she had at least made a good choice there. Stephen Jorkins was a well-known name in Law Enforcement, and Bianca’s old mentor had only good things to say about the man. She was determined to withhold judgment until he’d proven it to her, but Bianca at least had hope that things could go better this time around.

It was taking the better part of an hour to finish her newest proposal for the department, but Bianca glanced up at the light knock on her door. The hard lines of Jorkins’ face was clear as he came through the door, speaking in a deep tone as he reminded her about their appointment. “Of course,” Bianca said with a neutral expression as she stood up. “You don’t need to introduce yourself, your personnel file is impressively detailed. You were with the department for a long time.” Jorkins had been part of the Ministry for decades before he’d chosen a different line of work, and naturally everyone had heard of his books too. Still, Bianca had found herself more interested in reading his old performance reviews and arrest reports – those read like a different kind of thriller book. “Tea, coffee?”

@stephen

[Deleted]

Stephen had learned that everybody had their own talents quite early in life. He'd been in quite the good position the entire life and his wife? Well to him she was still the most gorgeous woman on the planet of course, but she'd been a model. She herself had the good humour to joke that it was because she didn't have the mind for anything else and while Stephen would have loved to disagree with her, he simply couldn't. He could still beat her at chess in the same four moves too often simply because she failed to see what he was doing, despite having seen it multiple times. She always simply laughed and surrendered before kissing him and heading over to cook or clean. She wasn't a thinker or strategist, but she kept him sane and human. Without her? He'd be completely lost, playing a thousand games of chess and everybody was an opponent.

Quite interesting, when it came to the appointment, was the very open way in which the new head made it clear that she knew exactly who he was. The fact she mentioned his personel file almost brought a small smile to his face, but it seemed inappropriate so he held back and merely gave her a very polite nod. "I remember believing I was needed." He confessed, without any air of arrogance. He had believed it, even if others might not always have agreed with him, or realised his potential. Besides, there was nothing arrogant about remembering something he'd once believed in with a lot of passion. He was quite aware they could have done without him, but he still knew he enjoyed a positive reputation with most in the department. They seemed to believe he'd made a positive contribution as much as he had.

She offered tea or coffee as he made his way towards the seat that he was so familiar with on the other side of the desk, even if it had been in a very different capacity before. It was oddly exciting in a way, to be on equal footing with the person behind the desk this time. "Tea, if you don't mind." He said as he stood next to the chair. He very firmly believed in good manners whenever the situation did allow for them. Just like he wasn't one to rush the conversation. He'd wait for his cup of tea, and for her to be ready to move to business, although her greeting suggested her pacing to be faster than his own on average. That was fine, considering these were different times. She certainly had a very businesslike attitude to her. Goal oriented, probably? All excellent qualities for her function. "Do have you have some milk for the tea, perchance? I'm not one for sugar, but I personally find a little milk to make it taste much better to me." He suggested in a friendly but formal manner.

Bianca Alia Rivera

[Bianca Alia Rivera]

Bianca nodded at his detached statement, but didn’t reply to it. It was an incredibly common sentiment in the department, and likely the reason most of them had worked so hard to become Aurors in the first place. There was a general sense of agreement that while there was good in the world – there were a lot of wicked things too. Evil people that needed to be brought to justice. And the sense that you were the person who could do it, the one who could be the protector of the weak and helpless…yes, that appealed to a lot of people in the department, including herself. Everybody wanted to believe they were needed, because the alternative was recognizing that you didn’t have an impact at all. And as Felix had wondered to her so many times, what was the point of life if you couldn’t find meaning in it?

He asked for tea, which wasn’t surprising, but Bianca gave a little sigh anyway. Merlin, she didn’t understand the English and their obsession with weak tea. She’d asked Cade a million times why he didn’t prefer coffee, but none of his answers had satisfied her. She herself only drank it when positively forced, and Bianca was well-known for never being forced to do anything. At any rate, she obliged his request and walked over to the arrangement of drinks to handle it herself. Bianca supposed she could simply wave her wand and get it all done, but there was something satisfying about doing it yourself. “My secretary keeps my office well-stocked,” she replied simply to his question, bringing over a sturdy looking mug after a few moments of preparing the tea. For herself, she stuck with the espresso that had been waiting patiently on one side of her desk.

Stephen didn’t seem to be in any rush, but Bianca operated at a much faster pace. It was always commented on that she walked like she was late to two different meetings – which was usually the truth, anyway. Law Enforcement always seemed to be in high demand. Bianca sat down primly and took a sip of her coffee. She studied Stephen sharply as she set down her drink and folded her hands on the table. He’d understand her Auror instincts – always study the target, gather your first impression on whether they were friend or foe. “So,” she began, continuing her study of the man sitting opposite her, “I suppose I should congratulate you on your promotion. That said, you’re…not stepping into a particularly attractive position at the moment.” That much was obvious, but it still needed to be said. Asher had wrecked the reputation of the Ministry, but nobody had been hit harder the Department of Mysteries. It wasn’t easy to be an Unspeakable right now.

@stephen