looking busy, taking names [frida]

Danny sighed and glanced at the clock on his desk. It was a Wednesday around 3'o'clock and he was starting to get that sleepy, lethargic feeling that often happened about this time. So far, he had crossed a lot of things off the department to do list, not that he kept an official list anywhere. He wasn't that organized. But his boss kept sighing at him and Jeremy asking if they had done this or had done that, and for the most part, they had. They had surprisingly got themselves into a good rhythm of charming the airplane memos in the morning and checking every hour on any new correspondence and then making their rounds to deliver packages before taking lunch and starting the whole process over again. Occasionally, helping with the rest of the department tasks when needed. Lots of processing job requests and help tickets.

It was more paper pushing that Danny had expected. He just thought he was going to wear the Ministry robes, chat around the water cooler, do a bit of work and then clock out and collect his paycheck like a boss. He idly wondered how people did this for years and years, working in the same building in the same department for their whole lives. Danny couldn't even imagine.

He spun around in his wheely chair, slumped against the back, the lines on the ceiling blurring together as he spun and then when he had almost made himself sick, Danny made a long noise as he heaved himself up. He stretched his arms above his head and smacked Jere across the back of the head for no reason at all before he muttered that he was going to check for any new packages and make a round. Normally that was code for 'I'm not planning on doing work, but it's going to look like I am." It was also code for 'Cover me if the boss comes asking for me.' Always gotta respect the code.

Danny grabbed a cart that had a few packages that needed delivering and a few other boxes that were fakes that he and Jeremy kept around. Half of the success of working in the Ministry, they had learned, was looking busy. It didn't matter if you actually were busy, but if people thought you were, then you were golden.

He found himself on Level Six with the broomheads of Magical Transport and he dropped off a couple of odd-shaped packages to Automotive Office and even one 'package' that was just an old boot with an address written on the toe to the Portkey Office, but then stopped to chat with Suze who was an undersecretary in Broom Regulation. He sat on the corner of her desk, checking in and chatting since he hadn't seen her since last week in the cafeteria. Of course, he was curious about the rumors he'd been hearing about Transport so with a sly glance around, he lowered his voice to ask.

"So, is it true? A little owl told me that they found a new Head for your department instead of hiring the interim one they assigned? I thought she was a shoo in. Hasn't she been here forever? Being 'let go' from a department head position must be a tough blow," Danny said with a mindless shrug.

@Frida Trickett

As the new Head of the Broom Regulation Office finally stopped jabbering after over an hour in their meeting, and kindly gifting them all with an obscene amount of documents and forms, Frida Trickett snatched up her share and bolted for the door. She just needed a few moments to think for herself, before she became an explosive stress ball. Eager to get the paper out of her sight, she did a half-jog back to her desk and began signing all the papers in a rapid frenzy. By the time she finished it had already been another hour and Frida was ready to scream. Her upcoming wedding to her beloved Leo was stressing her out, of course, but the added insult of being removed as Head of the Broom Regulation Office despite the fact that she had slaved away there for over 10 years was increasing her frustration tenfold.

Frida flexed her aching hand and stretched her arms and neck because wearily standing up and gathering the pile of now signed documents in her arms as she sighed. When she had found out she was being kinda demoted again, she couldn't help but be devastated. Cheery as she was, it was a tough blow to handle and Fri was becoming quickly disillusioned with working in the office. She didn't understand why they didn't think after all these years she was capable of leading the office. Was it because she was about to be married? She hoped not. She had tried to work as hard she she could, show her superiors they were making a mistake but it was not to be. Her peppiness and productivity was now on a slippery slide down, as the ambitious witch felt this was all a big stab in her back.

With the papers in her arms, Frida headed to the undersecretary's desk to drop the papers off, in the hopes that afterwards she'd be able to head for a nice, warm cuppa. As she approached the desk however, she heard a lowered and unfamiliar voice so she slowed her pace down and leaned forward to hear better. She should have known better than to eavesdrop but the Trickett was just not not in the mood to care that day. However, she quickly regretted the decision as the hushed voice was discussing her and her failure. Frida quietly gasped and took a little step back in shock, not realising before how far this little stint her superiors pulled had gotten in the Ministry gossip. Was that really how people viewed her though, as some old shabby broomhead? Frida ran her tongue across her teeth, in partial disbelief. If people were to gossip about her, she thought that they'd talk about her engagement to Leo (whom Frida still thought was way out of her league) not... not this.

Before Suze even had a chance to reply, Frida decided to throw all caution to the wind, and made her presence known by striding in with the loud click-clack of her heels and her robes billowing behind her. "I wouldn't answer that if I were you," Frida vehemently addressed Suze, aggressively thumping the pile of documents on the desk as she did so. "Maybe, instead of gossiping you can handle this instead." She sarcastically added, gesturing to the intimidating pile for added effect. Frida then turned towards the young boy whom she originally overhead, with a false friendly smile though her eyes clearly flashed her true emotions.

"It is true," she began with a honeyed voice, "Mister...?" She paused, waiting for him to state his name. "And, uh, seeming as you clearly aren't busy if you have time to gossip, perhaps you can do me a favour." She raised her eyebrows as she tightly smiled at him again, her words a statement rather than a question. She was about to do something that she would probably regret but after 10 years, she had finally had enough.

As the clicky-clack of heels rounded the corner, Danny glanced over his shoulder only to find a pair of bright blue eyes looking at him furiously. He immediately sat up a little straighter and would've stood up if he had had the room, but she was blocking his exit route. He glanced at Suze with a nervous apologetic look as the witch plunked down a pile of paperwork. He hadn't meant to get her in trouble. He should've known to keep to gossip to the cafeteria where they could quickly pretend they were talking about something else if they saw someone coming who shouldn't hear or to the pub where they could talk freely without worrying who heard. Either way, Danny felt guilty.

"Willbond," he answered immediately as she asked for his name, but in the next second, he was thinking that he should have given someone else's name just to cover his tracks. Too bad it was too late to change his name to 'Deyer.' He guessed she wouldn't quite believe that he had forgotten his own name. "A favor..?" he repeated hesitantly, but with a glance at Suze, he tried to smile kindly. "Sure, what do you need help with?"

It occurred to him vaguely that this witch was related somehow to Freya given her last name, but he couldn't for the life of him remember if she had mentioned her explicitly or not. There were too many Tricketts to keep track of if he were honest. He wondered what she could possibly ask him to help her with, but maybe she needed a package delivered? He wondered if she knew that was his job. Truthfully, he would have agreed either way, just to hopefully smooth over his little gossip mistake and he was keen to shift the attention off of Suze for his careless habits.

"Well then, Mr. Willbond," Frida began, her voice losing the steely edge it first had when she first interrupted their little natter about her. Fri wasn't typically rude or passive-aggressive to anyone, and he seemed willing to help her out even if it was to probably save the undersecretary's skin. Frida could now actually somehow appreciate that display of loyalty, and she wasn't in reality angry at the two in front of her in particular.

She glanced at the pile of paperwork on Suze's desk, Suze clearly noticed that Frida was still the one to deal with those... technically. But she'd gained the wisdom to keep her mouth shut about it. Besides, Frida had a terrible idea and was about to do something crazy that had been at the back of her mind for weeks. In fact, having an idea (albeit terrible) implied that Frida was thinking, which she wasn't. Her impulsive mature was completely ruling her at this moment.

"First, you can take this letter down to the owlery and send it off for me," whilst Frida said this, she snatched some parchment and an envelope from Suze's desk and used a self-writing quill to write a letter to her best friend, Jade. Once the adrenaline wore off from the thrill of this crazy idea, Frida had a feeling she'd need some good company... and advice. Handing the finished letter to Mr. Willbond, Frida smiled genuinely at him.

"Second," she added, pulling out a form that she'd kept on her person for a few weeks at work now, "you can deliver this resignation form to the relevant person." Welp. It was really happening. Now seemed as good as time as any...