WHO: Chelsea Corner & Jasper Williamson. WHERE: Hitwizard Office. WHEN: Wednesday, 26 September - Morning. WHAT: Chelsea is welcoming to former Auror Jasper McGrumpface. WARNINGS: None.
Chelsea liked routine and she especially liked it when everything else was changing around her. With her job basically not being her job anymore, with the Ministry different by the minute, with Death Eaters in the office, she, at least, could still count on getting everyone's coffee orders correct. Truthfully, it made her feel useful and it helped to cling to that pattern of behavior — and not to mention, if Yaxley came by and started issuing orders, at least she could say she was busy doing something (and therefore, unable to catch those Wandless, sorry, sir!). Her trip this morning was longer than usual, partly because of this reasoning.
She made a beeline for a familiar face as soon as she arrived, although it still took a moment before she remembered the recent… downsizing. "Here you go!" Chelsea said, placing the cup on Jasper's desk. "Drink it before it gets cold."
After an already trying morning, Jasper managed a belligerent grunt in response. Then caught the look on Chelsea's face and immediately felt awful about it. "Fuck, I'm sorry."
Appeased by the apology, she shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. "It's not early enough for you to be this grumpy."
"Ugh. Luca ate a crayon this morning before I dropped him at daycare, and then I had to see my lawyer about this will shit and wasn't able to hex Zabini's face, so." He took a long sip from his coffee. "This isn't half-bad, Corner."
Chelsea acted as if she was offended by his words. "Half bad? I made sure they made it to your exact specifications and it's only just isn't half bad?" She laughed into her cup. "Sorry about the crayon thing though. My brother ate a few once and he's… fairly okay. I've got nothing on the will thing though."
"I'm pretty sure it's non-toxic," Jasper replied, smirking a little at her outburst about his coffee comment. "At worst he'll just shit blue or green or whatever at daycare. S'long as I'm not cleaning it, I'm good."
A quick look around to make sure their department head wasn't around and then, "Please tell Mr. Yaxley that you have to leave work early because your son is making a colorful mess."
Jasper snorted, furtively checking over his shoulder with the same paranoid carefulness. "If he won't believe me, I can offer to bring the kid here and show him."
She grimaced at the thought. "Maybe you should keep him as far away from him as possible. Like continents far away."
"New Zealand sounds safe enough," Jasper agreed, trying to quench that familiar panic that rose up in his gut whenever he thought about raising a child in a time like this. Not that he'd chosen to. And given that Flick didn't want to leave, he was stuck. Luca was stuck. "What's the worst thing that happened there? The Hobbit movies?"
Drawing on her considerable amount of knowledge about New Zealand (that is, none), she set her coffee down and started listing off ideas with her fingers. "You could fall into a pit and not be able to climb out of it. A field could become sentient and eat you alive. Your feet could get stuck in quicksand. You could eat a gross insect and never be able to get rid of the taste. You know, normal New Zealand things!"
"Sounds absolutely terrifying. I should definitely stick around for all the," he waved his hand in the general direction of the rest of the office. "Excitement and safety here."
"On second thought," Chelsea sighed, her eyes scanning the office. At first glance, it looked like everything was the same, but looks, as they were, were always deceiving. "You should make the best of it with the New Zealand pits and quicksand."
Jasper made a face. "Can't. Flick won't leave. Besides, who's going to make me coffee in New Zealand?" he added with a wink, conveniently timing the light comment with Eddie Moon walking past his desk with a pile of parchments.
She jerked her thumb at Eddie's retreating figure. "You can take Eddie with you but I have faith that you'll con some unfortunate soul into getting you coffee, so don't say I don't believe in you."
Jasper snorted, draining his cup and sighing as he realised that they could only put off working for so long. "No one as sunny as you, Corner."
Chelsea had realized the same thing, already picking up her cup and taking another drink from it. "Someone's got to be." With her cup inclined towards him, she added, "Here's to hoping today's going to be as okay as it can be!"
Her optimism was contagious enough that Jasper found himself genuinely smiling despite his terrible morning. "Aye, aye, cap'n," he added with a soft chuckle before turning his attention to the far less interesting assignments at his new Hitwizard (ugh) desk.