Lucy smiled, getting up from the seat she'd taken to shake Alicia's hand. "Hi," she said, "sorry it's taken me so long. Taking a week off without preparing is never a good idea." Her face adequately expressed the horrors of disorganisation she'd returned to. There had been no recurrences of the Vanishing Sickness that had confined her to hospital, at least, which Lucy had been hoping would cool the Ministry's interest in her somewhat. It didn't appear to have worked that way. "Is there somewhere we can go?" She didn't particularly want to talk about all this in the open lobby of the office.
"How are you, anyway?" She asked, to fill time while they made there way to somewhere more private. "I don't think I've seen you since the auction. Did you and the twins have a nice Christmas?"