james rivers (en_rivers) wrote in before_enigma, @ 2008-12-30 18:43:00 |
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Entry tags: | * complete, 2001, character: james rivers, character: terry boot |
When: September 2001.
Who: James & Terry.
Where: Leaving the Ministry.
Private/Public: Private.
Rating: TBD.
Summary: Meeting properly for the first time.
James had had a long day. He enjoyed his job, sure, but it could be sort of wearing on occasion. He knew he was intelligent, intelligent enough to achieve his ambitions and do well at his job and get promoted, but sometimes it just seemed like such a slog that he wasn't sure if it was worth it or even that he was cut out for it. Well, whatever; for now, he reasoned as he stepped into the lift to go downstairs, it was fine.
He smiled slightly at someone he vaguely recognised in the corner of the lift, but turned his gaze silently to the closed doors as they hurtled towards the ground floor. His reflection in the shiny metal looked a little tired and his clothes were slightly rumpled but still neat: Muggle clothes, a shirt and loosened tie, smart trousers and the matching jacket slung over his arm, his battered bag that he'd used in school stuffed full of paperwork and on his back. He was planning to leave through Diagon Alley - do a little shopping maybe, there was a book he'd seen a review of that he kind of wanted to look for in the bookshop.
The lift ground to a halt and James strode out past the Floo ports towards the doors at the end of the Atrium. His mind was on what he'd done that day. There had been a slight dispute between his office and the one in Argentina, something about an English wizard going over there and doing something ridiculous that was against their secrecy statutes. The stupid guy was still pleading ignorance but everyone knew that was the worst excuse in the world. James despaired of people sometimes, he really did. There didn't seem to be all that much that they could do for the poor bloke, but James was determined to look over all the paperwork that evening and try to find some sort of loophole.
He twisted around and opened his bag, looking for a certain piece of paper, struck with a sudden idea; maybe if they tried to argue that as he'd been on the threshold of a magical part of town, the statutes hadn't been violated. In his distraction, he veered to the side and accidentally crossed into someone else's path; he let his bag fall shut, looking up with a faint, annoyed look of forced apology. As he recognised the figure as someone he'd known from school, albeit very slightly, his face changed into a more natural half-smile. "Sorry - walking in a straight line's apparently harder than you'd imagine."