All I Want Is An Uneventful Watch

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For Vera, Ryan, and Dam for the Security Increase Needed Task

When he was told he would be at the Atrium watching for any funny business, Luka hadn't been too excited. He was wondering exactly why he would be needed to be put on watch? Was this because of all the rumors about You-Know-Who returning? Really? Did they honestly believe all those rumors? Sure, even he was a little weary, but it was mostly since he had a young daughter whom he would never want to have to go through another event led by the Dark Lord.

The Auror sighed. He crossed his arms as he watched some familiar faces wandering through the Atrium to head to their offices. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary yet. He hoped nothing would happen either. But he glanced around. Was he honestly the only one keeping watch? That would be foolish of the Ministry. He was told there would be others on watch. So where were they?

[Ryan Woods]

Ryan was delivered a Ministry Owl stating that he was deputed to the atrium to keep watch for anything 'mischievous' happening in the ministry. It was crooked on how the ministry word things these days, vague in every aspect, but that was not the point, this was all about averting a 'war' as Ryan was pretty sure that the arrangements had something to do with the Rebirth of the Dark Lord.As was the message, Ryan was in the atrium, the entrance to the diplomatic circle that lays ahead, eying for anything curious, he have to be especially careful, as the Dark Lord, especially in matters when it came to concealment

Ryan spotted Luka walking in alert through the atrium. Ryan quickened his pace to catch up with Luka and whispered "Do you think a few aurrors walking around all the time would trigger some hype in the visitors?. Ryan scanned the atrium each time he did something, because he doesnt want to skip any chances of 'having fun' around, especially when aurror department was turning more into paperwork these days.

[Vera Holley]

To say that Vera was enthused with the request that she perform security duty in the atrium would be a bit of a stretch. A more accurate description of her attitude would be perturbed. She did not relish patrol duty. She hadn't been a member of Magical Law Enforcement for decades. This was not in her job description. Well, actually, it might be if the people they were watching for were from other countries. Or were members of terrorist organizations. Okay, so it was in her job description. That didn't mean she had to like it.

Unlike her watch duty companions, Vera was perfectly content to use her spy skills. She was sitting at a table, newspaper open before her. Her ears were pricked for any sign of trouble and her eyes constantly scanned the surrounding area. She leisurely turned a newspaper page. Who would suspect that she was on watch? She might not be a regular visitor to the area, but it was well within the limits of imagination that she might venture down every so often.

She turned another page. She noticed two individuals just far enough away for her to be unable to hear their conversation. She was fairly certain they were from the Auror department. At least they had an unequivocal reason as to their presence in the atrium. She had paperwork to attend to, meetings to attend, and field agents to brief. But she had orders. Sighing, she adjusted her glasses and settled back in her seat. It was bound to be a long day.

Luka glanced at Ryan as he appeared near him. He pondered the question, really wondering if having people just walking around would trigger something to happen. He supposed one could only hope that would be the case. "Who knows." He didn't want to think that what they were doing was just unneeded. "They probably just want us to put minds at ease by having several people on watch at a time in case something were to happen." He wanted to emphasize the 'in case' part. However, he doubted anything really exciting was going to happen any time soon. This was just going to be a boring visit to the Atrium, where they would wander and talk, watch the people moving about, and then return to their Department when their shift was over.

[Ryan Woods]

Ryan still doubted the authenticity of the entire claim on which the Ministry was acting, it was too much of a scare and to think anyone would attempt a mischief at the ministry was far beyond Ryan's imagination. Ryan drew his robes closely and spread a wild grin on his face, having identified Luka's desireto have an uneventful watch, which was exactly Ryan wanted too. He replied "I hope things go well".

Ryan took a detour to the corner of the atrium, seeing a few people stand crowded. He rushed and asked a wizard politely "Whats happening?". Having understood that the crowd was all about a wizard loosing his wallet somewhere near the atrium, Ryan watched curiously and then returned to Luka "Nothing much there, some poor fella lost his wallet" Ryan then continued with teh talk he was having, which according to Ryan would be the only thing happening around. Talk, talk and talk. Ryan asked "So who else is here? I am sure Vera would be around, anyone else?"

[Vera Holley]

She was running out of newspaper. There were only a few more pages, and they were made up of personals and advertisements. Vera wasn't sure how much longer she could stretch this charade out. It would be completely implausible for her to carefully read the remainder of the paper. It would look suspicious. But then again, who knew her reading habits?

After a brief moment of thought on the subject, she decided it was time to change positions. She patiently folded the newspaper and left it on the table before her. Taking a moment, she stretched her long limbs and sighed. She then forced herself to stand, again taking a moment to stretch and survey the room around her. There didn't seem to be much of anything going on. That was good.

Maybe she should check in with the others, see if they'd noticed anything she might have missed. She walked purposefully toward her watch companions, her gaze focused straight ahead. "Gentlemen," she said by way of greeting once she had reached the two aurors. "I haven't seen anything of real consequence myself. I hope the same goes for you."

[Marek Upier]

Marek did quite like England. He preferred to stay amongst the wizarding parts of London when he went, though, as he found it safer. It confused him that people would be driving on the right side. And he always forgot which way he was supposed to look when he crossed the street, which made for dangerous ventures in the Muggle world. Muggles, however, and you had to hand it to them, didn't stare quite at his arms as much as wizards did. Not that Marek cared too much about that, as it created excellent opportunities for bad puns.

However much the Polish Diplomat and Interpreter liked the country, he was not here for matters of leisure, and in the past few months, Poland and England's diplomatic relations had been strained. He didn't foresee much fun ahead as he entered the British Ministry of Magic's visitor entrance.

He'd been given clear instructions. He was to meet the Head of the International Magical Cooperation, and then assist, as a guest, to a conference from the Magical Law Enforcement Department. He was not to be stopped in this by anyone, or anything. There were urgent matters on hand.

The man arrived in the atrium, briskly walking towards the lifts. He'd been here often enough he didn't need anyone to show him the way.

He was about to make his way over, but was stopped by a receptionist, who asked him to state his identity, and hand over his wand for examination.

With as much dexterity as his stumped hands could allow, he put his wand back into his pocket, inside his formal Polish robes.

'My name is Marek Upier, and I am Head Interpreter of European Languages and Diplomat for the Polish Ministry of Magic,' he answered pleasantly, nonetheless in a hurry. The receptionist repeated her need to see his wand. 'I must politely refuse,' he replied, and began to walk away, once more.

[Ryan Woods]

As Ryan was having the relaxing chat with Luka, he noticed a receptionist signalling him that something was apparently wrong. He heard her calling out loud to a man who was keeping his pace in walking and he didnt wait for Luka to reply to his question, he took a fast turn to the reception and went over to her desk and inquired on what was happening. Though he was hearing the lady, he k a close watch on the man who walking, and and he was quite sure that some autrim, the receptionist call would have done enough to signal that something was wrong, and having been assigned special duties to overlook the entrance, these aurrors wouldnt take things that easy.

He followed the man after hearing what was going on, and walked behind as if he didnt know anything, He was being cool, if this man intended some trouble, then that would surely mean he is keeping watch of the movements, but all Ryan did was to walk towards him and stop him. He said "Sir, I request you present your wand for examination" and patiently waited for the man to take his move.

Luka glanced at Vera as she approached them. He gave a nod, "Quite calm." He noted with a little bit of relief. Quietness was better than things going wrong every five minutes. But he noticed Ryan head over to the welcome desk. He frowned and trailed behind him, really just hoping this wasn't some mistake in communication or something as silly as that. But there was something familiar about the guy, but Luka couldn't put a finger on it. He just kept quiet as he waited to see what the male did. He honestly didn't want to do anything too rash at the moment, because that could cause trouble for more than just them.

[Vera Holley]

Timing was usually one of Vera's strong suits, but not so in this instance. The moment she chose to say hello was the moment a possible situation arose. Her eyes trained on the male subject Ryan was speaking to. But then she realized that this was not the best idea. What if he were merely a decoy? She scanned the room, keeping her ears pricked for any sign of a problem. But every few seconds she found herself looking back at the male subject. There was something familiar about him. She just couldn't put her finger on it. This was incredibly frustrating. Maybe if she got a closer look...

Vera walked toward the welcome desk, her ramrod posture making her loom over several members of the crowd. She didn't want to make Ryan look incapable, as he was anything but. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. Even as she stood a few feet from the oddly familiar man she still couldn't place him. She pretended to be waiting in line to have her wand checked, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping a foot impatiently. All the while she was scrutinizing the familiar man's face. She refused to step in verbally. She didn't want to create an incident after all.

[Marek Upier]

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Marek has half his arms, and stumped hands. I know I don't mention it often, but lol, that might increase the feeling you've seen him somewhere before. :P

Marek was about to walk out of the atrium when he heard footsteps running behind him. He was a polite man, and since he assumed he was the one being talked to, turned around, smiling politely.

'I am very sorry, my good sir,' he said, preparing once again to deliver his little speech. 'I must refuse. I have been given contrary orders.'

His wand was still safely stowed in his cloak, and he wasn't about to get it out.

[Ryan Woods]

Ryan was taken aback by the man who is refusing to show up his wand, all in the name of orders that none of the Ministry was made aware of. Ryan thought that if something of this type was to spring up, they would be mentioned in the instructions before the guards and lobbyists get on to work any further. He said " Orders from?"

Ryan was almost sure that whoever this stranger was, he would refuse and wouldnt even attempt to dare an answer, after all that would simply expose his identity which shouldnt be done, as was clear from the order whatever this person is talking about.

[Vera Holley]

Vera continued to watch the situation unfold from her position in line. She adjusted her expression to one of extreme annoyance. "I don't understand what the hold up is," Vera said, loud enough for those around her to hear, but not loudly enough to draw undue attention to herself. "I just want to go inside." Vera was someone who could pull of extreme annoyance well. It was pretty much her baseline.

And, to be honest, she was beginning to feel annoyed. Why was this man refusing to hand over his wand for a security check? It would be returned to him in a matter of seconds. Why not just get the thing over with and avoid a scene? She stayed where she was, hoping that Ryan would be able to handle the situation without her having step in actively. She didn't want to undermine anyone's authority. All she wanted was to retreat into her office and complete some of the nagging paperwork she knew would be waiting for her.

Luka quietly watched the scene. He was still on edge over the situation but he knew better than to just rush into something. the last thing they needed was for some sort of incident where someone got hurt. And Ryan seemed quite able to handle himself currently so there wasn't much need of anything but to let the situation play out until it became apparent interference was needed. And it seemed Vera also knew that the situation was something you just couldn't rush into.

With a deep breath, the male wandered from his place over to Vera. "I'm sorry that it's taking so long, Miss. We ask that you just please be patient. There just seems to be a minor hold up." His voice was gentle, as if trying to calm Vera down. But it was still loud enough to be heard by anyone who was within five feet of him.

[Marek Upier]

Marek wanted to rub his temples, in order to make sense of this for himself, but he abstained. If he rubbed his temples with his hands, he couldn't hold his wand at the same time. Too bad.

'Frightfully sorry, sir, I cannot say.' The British Head of the International Magical Department would be hearing from him, and from the Polish Ministry. They weren't supposed to be treated like this.

[Vera Holley]

Vera was becoming incredibly impatient. This man was acting too mysterious and it was frustrating. If he would just identify himself or present some sort of credentials, maybe this could be cleared up simply without creating some sort of international catastrophe.

She attempted to fix her already neat hair, giving herself a moment to run through her options. In a matter of seconds, she had considered 3 plans. A) Charge the man and simply hand over his wand for the security check; B) Conduct a security check herself; and C) Let someone else handle this so she could simply go about her day with the minimum muss and fuss. Plan C was the most tempting. Plan A was not really an option. Plan B was probably her best bet.

Sighing audibly, Vera moved from the line. "Would this go faster if I conducted the check myself?" she asked, stepping up the foreign man. She looked him straight in the eye, which was not difficult as they were roughly the same height. She scanned his face. Why did he look so familiar? And she thought she recognized his accent. It reminded her of her grandparents'. She thought she would chance it.

"Czy jesteś tu po imieniu Polskiego Ministerstwa?" [ Psst...! ]

'Are you here on the behalf of the Polish Minsitry?' in Polish.

she asked, her eyes unwavering from his.

Luka just stepped aside to let Vera do as she pleased. Ryan didn't seem to be getting anymore, so it seemed better to just let her do what she wanted. It couldn't hurt. The man already wasn't being cooperative. However, the Auror kept on guard, even as Vera began to speak to the male in a language he wasn't even familiar with. He honestly hoped it would help solve whatever issue was going on here.

[Ryan Woods]

Ryan was getting too much involved with this man, and he wasnt making even the slightest progress in the circumstance at hand. Hopefully, Vera stepped in, which means, he can now stand there quite and listen the conversation and interfere only when he wanted to do so. She began to speak something, rather some language, he never have even heard and he coould read the same feeling from Luka who was still walking down the Atrium,as if he never knew the either of them.

[Marek Upier]

Marek was displeased at how this was all going. Not well at all. But his Ministry's orders always surpassed those of any other's, and Marek continued to stubbornly deny all these people any and everything. He just wished this could be easier.

An opportunity seemed to present itself in the form of a woman, who apparently spoke his tongue. Weird.

'I wish I was at liberty to confirm,' he replied, also in Polish, which was the most diplomatic possible answer if he wasn't going to directly disobey orders.

[Vera Holley]

Vera bristled at the man's complete unwillingness to cooperate. The corners of her mouth twitched upward into the barest ghost of a grimace. She had to think quickly. There had to be some way to resolve the situation without the uncooperative foreigner ending up hexed and detained. Any other outcome would be less than acceptable.

"I will make this as clear as possible," she said, still in Polish. She clasped her hands before her in an effort to maintain her composure. This was the only slip she would allow herself. "Either submit to a security check or be escorted from the building. I understand that you have orders, and I am fully cognizant of the ramifications of disobeying them. However, for the safety of those who work here, you must make this small concession. Even I have to go through a security check, and I've worked here for over thirty years."

She stared the man directly in the eye, hoping he would grasp the gravity of the situation. She didn't want it to devolve into an all-out brawl. But she was prepared if that were the case, she shifted her stance a bit, finding better footing just in case such a happenstance were to occur.

Luka just wanted to shake his head. This was not going to end nicely, he could see this now. It seemed like whatever the two were talking about, in whatever language it was, it wasn't looking too good. He was a little on edge, not sure exactly what was going on. "This is getting ridiculous," he made sure to mutter the words in German so he could keep his thoughts to himself, or so he hoped. He really hadn't met many who spoke or understood enough german to know what he said.

[Ryan Woods]

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I am sorry this took so long

Seeing that this man didnot conform to the request that Vera made, Ryan felt impatient. His orders were very clear deal with anything you find suspicious He asked "Holly, I think we should escort him outside the building". He though What does he mean by saying that he have orders not to confirm his identity? Surely anyone who knew the situation wouldnt give their subordinates an order like this! Despite, if its diplomatic matters, each ministry have their own diplomatic channels for communication

He didnt want to interfere when he has a head field agent looking into matters, but surely, he felt compelled to give his suggestion.

[Marek Upier]

Marek sighed, his grin transforming into a tight-lipped grimace. His Department hadn't really thought about this when they'd issued him his mission. They were psycho, here, in this Ministry, and Marek wasn't sure how exactly to deal with this. It was like treading on eggshells.

'I understand what you mean,' he told the woman, in English this time. 'I would surrender myself to your search gladly if I hadn't been instructed otherwise. I am frightfully sorry, but I must comply to my own Ministry's orders before I obey yours.'

Just then, he heard someone mumble in German, and found himself lucky enough to be able to make out the words.

'Increasingly so,' he replied to the young man behind him, also in German. You didn't become a diplomat and an interpreter just for your pretty eyes, although he did have quite nice eyes.

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Sorry for skipping you Sarah, just don't want it to get purged.

Luk was usually a rather patient guy, it's probably why he wasn't frustrated with what was going on in front of him. He stopped with his arms crossed, just watching the events. They really weren't getting anywhere with this guy. And Luka knew orders were orders, many would die for them. Heck, as an Auror, you were expected to either succeed in a capture or die trying. It was the motto he heard was very common throughout the department during the Wizarding War.

Luk was a little surprised at hearing the man reply to him in German. He just stood there for a second before letting his mix-matched eyes focus on the foreigner. "The Ministry has become strict with the idea that You-Know-Who has returned," Luka decided to inform the male in German. "Ever since, they've become like this." He motioned around him. "They have people watching your every move, it's probably quite different than where you're from." Luka never stopped speaking German. He was good at talking to people, choosing his words wisely and only releasing a little information to give people some insight as to why people were doing what they were doing.

[Ryan Woods]

He stood there open mouthed because he wasnt having the slightest idea as to what Luka was saying, but one thing he knew well is that Luka was trying to convince the man, whoever he was, that the situations doesnt look good and that he has to give away for inspection.

He opened his hands and gestured to Luka asking him what would be the next course of action. Forcing him for an inspection, that too well within this hall which seems to be filled with people wouldnt be the right option, but nevertheless, they would need to do it, if the man still refuses to give in.