Roleplay[]
The Rolling Heads[]
「 Octavia Boleyn 」graduated hufflepuff • intelligence officer
Octavia is too impatient to be sitting down. She's pacing up and down one of the unoccupied offices that she has since claimed as her own, pointedly avoiding Spencer's dead stare. He isn't dead — not physically, anyways — but she wishes he were. It'd put a rather quick end to this entire situation, fragile as it is. Then again, a lot more people would have to die before this is all officially over. Like the man from the phone. And probably the Romanov dynasty. Gosh, Octavia can dream. At least this won't be her headache for much longer. She has the other operative lined up already — she just needs AJ's approval. Which, speaking of; AJ really chose a bad week to claim leave of absence. Sighing for the fifth time in a minute, Octavia rubs the nape of her neck. Where the fuck is everyone?
Message Me • {{{1}}}
「 Eden Lestrange 」Chief Warlock of Wizengamot
Eden is just confused. Who's been messaging her, who's been harassing Eleni, and most importantly, who left the suspicious package in her penthouse? It doesn't make any sense. They haven't received any death threats recently, so this has to be a new, independent development. It just begs the question of what and why. She's hoping coming to Octavia's office as indicated by the interdepartmental memo hoping to shed some light on the situation. It didn't say much, just citing the urgent need for an expert on International Relations, but that alone concerns her. She'd heard there was a new Head of International Magical Cooperation, and while she was supposed turn Octavia towards him, she would prefer to get a sense of the situation first, hence — one, two, three. She raps her knuckles against the door and waits patiently. "Octavia?"
Message Me • {{{1}}}
「 Anastasia Petrova 」Gryffindor Alum • Deputy Head Healer
28 y/o
Witch
Healer
Dedicated
Spencer better not have been arrested, let alone charged. Stupid aurors getting in her business. They should all stay in their lane and do something useful with their time. Honestly, so many people revered the auror office just because of the Hamilton's but Ana didn't see the appeal. Both of them just looked overworked let alone drop dead gorgeous. Ana, meanwhile, was the pinnacle of mental health. It took her five minutes to arrive at the office. Thankfully, Kaia was happy to give her afternoons off after the whole disappearance and miscarriage situation. Apparently, she needed more time off but again–Ana is the pinnacle of mental health. She didn't need it. An auror lead her to Hamilton's office, the small one, not the tall one, and she frowned when she saw..."Chief Warlock Lestrange," she said, as she came to her side, eying her. Not maliciously. Wariness, really. Why was she here? Where was Spencer? "Am I interrupting something?" She didn't care but she didn't want to be too rude to the Chief Warlock. The air cracked and Ana flinched, turning her head to look for the source. Two figures in a nearby office. Muffled voices could be heard. Well, a voice. The brunette was gesturing wildly, Ana assumed she was the one speaking, whilst the other stood there with a box. Their features were a little disjointed with the darkened window that Ana couldn't tell who they were until one walked past the speaker to enter the hallway. It's the other, tall, Hamilton and...the Minister of Magic. Both of whom stopped in their tracks the moment they saw Ana and, by extension, Eden.
Message Me • {{{2}}}
「 Eleni Yaxley 」Nap Seeker • Thrill Seeker • Ice Cream Seeker
"You can't just say no to me firing you–" she was saying as she followed Drew out the door but cut herself off. In all honesty, the last person she wanted to see right now was Eden. Not because she didn't want to see her, just the context and the location was wrong. She had a bad feeling and her natural instinct was to keep the people she loved well away from whatever it was. And she saw the way Drew looked when she opened that box. She heard the muffled gasp. Whatever was in that box wasn't good news and it was directed at Eden. If Hamilton was so determined to make sure Eleni didn't want to see the contents of the box, then Eleni was pretty sure it couldn't be a wedding present. Then she forced her eyes onto the other girl. Anastasia Petrova. Kaia's deputy. And had recently gotten abducted. She didn't like this. Something about this was wrong, terribly wrong, and the only person who could give her some sort of answers was Hamilton. "Hamilton, you're not an auror anymore, right?"
Message Me • {{{2}}}
perfect from the bottom to the top
[ AGE ] 32 y/o. [ SPECIES ] witch.
[ CAREER ] head of law. [ RELATIONSHIP ] separated.
Drew was beginning to agree with the statement she might be overworked. She'd seen too many dead bodies over the past few months and, whilst it was going to be a no brainer she'd have become desensitised to them, they were beginning to get to her. When she opened that box, she recognised one of them. Ministry worker, she'd seen him around here and there a while ago. She didn't want to remember him like this but she feared that all she was going to see now was the way his head sat in that box. His–stop. Stop. Drew was shoving it all away. Something else was happening, Octavia asked her to go back. Drew couldn't fall into a panic attack, become overwhelmed, she needed to hold herself together. When she apparated into her old office, which had been cleaned out completely for AJ, she didn't expect Yaxley too follow but she should have. Yaxley wasn't going to sit and have a cup of tea. When Drew had continued to refuse to open the box for her, and was unable to verbalise what (or who) she had found, Yaxley became frustrated. Worried. Pulled the minister card, told her she was fired if she continued to keep secrets from her. Etc etc. Drew could tell the woman was worried and probably wouldn't be reacting this way if it wasn't for the fact her new wife's name had been dragged into it. Stepping into the hallway to see said wife and Petrova, she decided she was going to throw herself off a cliff the first chance she could get. This was going to be a long, long, day. "No, I'm not. It'll be Octavia who will be taking this case. Not me." She could tell Octavia not to look, she can tell her what's inside of it (force herself too anyway), but if she wants to then she will. It's her case.
T
「 Eden Lestrange 」Chief Warlock of Wizengamot
Eden is surprised to see the Deputy Head Healer here — especially considering she's on medical leave. It leads to a spike in her feelings of confusion and anxiety, but she doesn't vocalize these so to avoid worrying the other woman. "I received a summons," she explains as briefly as she can, shrugging. Like Ana, Eden can hear the crack and the voices, and it draws her attention to the source. Unlike present company, Eden pinpoints the voices easily, which makes her frown. Eleni? She isn't supposed to be here, least of all when they're currently dealing with a situation back home. Is it connected? If it is, how does Ana tie in? It's making Eden wrongfully assume it's tied to her wife. Ana could be here for Kaia. It'd make sense. When Eleni emerges from the door, she raises an eyebrow, having caught the first half of the sentence. "She might not, but I can and will," she interjects, eying her suspiciously. "Stop firing my hires, Yaxley."
Message Me • {{{1}}}
「 Octavia Boleyn 」graduated hufflepuff • intelligence officer
The door to Octavia's office swings open in time to allow Octavia to hear Drew's dismissing sentence. It makes her brow furrow. Drew hasn't been briefed yet. Right. It's weird not thinking of Drew as the one in charge with case distribution anymore. She might have the clearance to review key cases, yes, but things like this won't pop up on her radar anymore. It's foreign. Weird. She doesn't know how to feel about it yet, especially with their current separation. "Actually, Head Auror Thorne will be taking over. I'll be unavailable starting at some point these next few weeks," she deadpans, staring at the blonde woman blankly. She steps aside, allowing enough space for the four women to file into the office. "Sit where you like, or don't. I don't care." Octavia glances at Drew inquisitively, not needing to speak for her superior to understand the underlying question. How much do they know? If it's not a lot, or anything at all, her work is certainly cut out for her. "As I'm sure you all know, several targets received disconcerting phone calls or messages from an unknown number who you were unable to block. So far the list includes Spencer Darling, Polina Romanova, Vasilia Romanova, Eden Lestrange, and Eleni Yaxley, but I remain unsure how many more might've received either one. Until several minutes ago, there wasn't anything to tie the lot of you together beyond Spencer being Polina and Vasilia's bodyguard. Even then, it didn't explain Eden and Eleni's involvement." Octavia pauses, glancing at Spencer. "Do you want to take over?"
Message Me • {{{1}}}
「 Spencer Darling 」hogwarts alum • the lost prince
Spencer is pretty much the only one who's feeling pretty neutral, even though this concerns him the most out of all the current occupants of Octavia's office. He's lounging comfortably in one of the seats, looking a little lost in his thoughts. He almost misses the cue from Octavia, and when it does click in his head, he takes another few seconds to continue. "He claims I'm the heir of Italy," he utters. Saying it doesn't do justice to how believable the guy's narrative had been. "That the Prince — Pietro, he said — was a false heir. That he was his son, a bastard." Spencer pauses for a moment, turning his head towards Ana to gauge her reaction to the bombshell he plans to drop next. "It was Ruslan Tolstokozhev. He's out of prison, and he's coming for his family. He wants to bring Savoy family down for what they did, and he's not afraid to use the UK to get it." He jerks his head at the Minister and Chief Warlock. "Best bet is that's why you two were targeted. He'll pin it on the Savoys and plunge the two countries into political turmoil. Or maybe he's just trying to intimidate the government leaders into doing his bidding." Spencer pauses again, and eventually sighs. "It's just a guess. I don't know what his endgame is. He called, but he didn't let me get a word in, and Octavia couldn't triangulate his location in time before he hung up."
Message Me • {{{1}}}
「 Eleni Yaxley 」Nap Seeker • Thrill Seeker • Ice Cream Seeker
"That's Minister Yaxley for you," Eleni said as she automatically moved to Eden's side just before the door swung open. Was she teasing Eden? Yes. Was this the time? No. But Eden couldn't say anything in front of everyone else so Eleni was taking her chance. Eleni was tempted to take the chair behind the desk, Octavia didn't say where not to sit. But instead she took the one on the other side. She figured she'd get some answers if she just kept her mouth shut so she, for once in her life, stayed silent. She was getting the impression that neither she nor Eden really had any involvement with this scenario outside their positions. But the way Drew looked? Eleni was still feeling unsettled. "Ruslan Tolstokozhev...doesn't ring a big bell," there was a small bell, "who is he again?" Eleni pulled back her hair into a ponytail. Business mode. "So the box?" That was the next step, right? If nothing came from the phone calls, then whatever was in the box might be more useful.
Message Me • {{{2}}}
perfect from the bottom to the top
[ AGE ] 32 y/o. [ SPECIES ] witch.
[ CAREER ] head of law. [ RELATIONSHIP ] separated.
Drew was the last one to come in, closing the door after her, and slipped the box onto a table in the corner, but her hand didn't leave it. Why? She didn't know. Maybe she was scared it had some defence mechanism. Apparate away if human contact was lost, explode even. Drew didn't want to take any chances. Or maybe it was the only thing tethering to the ground and reminding her that what she saw was reality. If Octavia's blank stare was noticed by Drew, she didn't say anything. It wasn't the time to be letting in their personal problems. "Mafia overlord of type," she said to Eleni, sounding a million miles away to herself. "He was a big figurehead in Russia but his dynasty was brought down by his daughter, Polina. Empress of Russia. Have we gotten in contact with Pietro?" He could have something to do with Camelot and Avelon. Start messing with the ministry on two fronts. "Do we know how long he's been out?" Drew hesitated, her hand moving over the box, her eyes accidentally flicking too Eden, before back to Eleni. "That'll be up to Octavia on whether or not the box should be unpacked or go straight for forensics." Drew put slight pressure on the latter, hoping Octavia will be clued in. Even if Eleni and Eden were high ups, there were still two civilians in the room. Was Drew using them as a shield? Yes.
T
「 Anastasia Petrova 」Gryffindor Alum • Deputy Head Healer
28 y/o
Witch
Healer
Dedicated
Ana didn't sit. She didn't care too. The only person stopping her from pacing was Spencer and she leant against the wall just behind his shoulder. Her stare remained on Octavia. She wasn't really sure what Octavia did to deserve her stare (which really just came off as a glare) but she was the one taking the case and was speaking. So she glared stared at Octavia. Ana froze when she heard the news, no audible reaction, but her eyes might have widened just a smidge. Heir to the throne. At first, Ana expected Spencer to say it was a joke but he kept on speaking and Ana was forced into the conclusion that he was speaking the truth. Or what the truth of the speak–oh, God is really getting on Ana's nerves now. She was glad she wasn't in Spencer's vision. Ana had paled, considerably, and her nails dug into the palm of her hand. Of all time, just when she found Polina again, he came back? And this time, Spencer was somehow connected to him. Through a....half brother of Ana's? A shared half brother? Ana was going to overthink that later. "Is there any way to verify any of this? Is the Italian mother still alive?" Where was Polina? "And where's Ruslan's daughter now?"
Message Me • {{{2}}}
「 Eleni Yaxley 」Nap Seeker • Thrill Seeker • Ice Cream Seeker
{{{1}}}
Message Me • Eden rolls her eyes in good nature and shakes her head, her lips twitching slightly even as she suppresses the urge to smile. This was definitely not the time or place for her cheekiness, so Eden doesn't indulge her, instead filing in after her and standing behind her chair, holding onto the back to keep her hands occupied as she waits for Spencer and Octavia to get their bearings. What she hears is definitely not what she had expected. She's surprised to hear Eleni be the first one to cut through the silence. Her brow furrows and she glances at Drew. Right - the box. "How does what's in the box connect to Darling?" She's never been one to be interested in true crime podcasts nor does she like making connections; she's very used to having attorneys and testifying aurors handle the brunt of breaking down all evidence during trials. She has Drew and Octavia here to spell it out for her. Sue her.
「 Octavia Boleyn 」graduated hufflepuff • intelligence officer
"I don't know, we just got the call confirming it's him. I was just going to call the Russian offices before you all arrived. In any case, if it's true, then we need to elevate security within the Ministry and inform the Italian government, which is why I had you —" she gestures at Eden, "— come in. International relations aren't my thing. Whatever he's cooking up, we need to get to the bottom of it. Rumor has it there's a lot of activity in France, and they're notoriously close with Italy. We can't risk this becoming a point of high political tension in Europe. The sooner we find him and put an end to this madness, all the better." Octavia doesn't miss Drew's look. Her stomach feels a lot heavier, suddenly. She bites back an angry grunt. She sucks in a breath instead and turns to Eden, with whom she ends up locking eyes. Her lips purse, understanding dawning in her. "It will be sent to forensics as the chain of evidence dictates. Once forensics has analyzed the evidence, I'll take the appropriate steps to get you both up to date along with any questioning we deem necessary for the case." Octavia can feel herself slipping deeper into business mode as she addresses each of the persons in her office. Turning towards Drew, she gestures at the door. "Please see to it that the box is delivered immediately to the forensics team. Ms. Petrova, there's an escort outside ready to relocate you to one of our interrogation rooms. You aren't in trouble or anything of the sort, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to stick around while I try and start figuring out where the hell this guy might be. Right now, you're our biggest lead to find him and Polina." She looks at Spencer and very narrowly avoids grimacing. She hates this fucking job sometimes.
"Mr. Darling, while I understand you'll want to follow her, there's another escort outside waiting to take you to another of our interrogation rooms. Please do not put up any fights, I'm frankly not in the mood for arguing and would prefer to focus on the case completely." She gives it a moment before she turns to Eden and Eleni. "Madame Minister, I'm going to need you to stick around the Ministry while forensics analyzes the evidence and your residence — preferably in your office. I'll be assigning two of our Hit Wix to serve as your personal security detail with another two for Chief Warlock Lestrange. I'll be sending in a detail to your homes to get your essentials and give your families around-the-clock security. We don't know how far he's willing to go, and to be entirely honest, I don't want to find out, either. Any questions or concerns?"
Message Me • {{{1}}}
「 Spencer Darling 」hogwarts alum • the lost prince
So she thought. Of course she was in his vision — she's the only person in this room he has eyes for, and news as earth-shattering as this one? He's going to be making sure she doesn't do anything stupid. That's kind of why it doesn't sit right with him that Octavia wants them split up, along with other reasons. It puts him on edge, turning and glaring at Octavia as a quiet way of expressing his discontentment with the revelation. He can tell Octavia doesn't trust Ana, and it's riling him up. Aurors are so fucking incompetent, it's infuriating. "And if I say no?"
Message Me • {{{1}}}
「 Octavia Boleyn 」graduated hufflepuff • intelligence officer
"Then I'll arrest you for obstruction of justice," she deadpans, staring at him blankly. She isn't going to let anyone interfere with her job, regardless of who he is. She turns to Ana and nods. "The Queen? Yes, she is. "Polina is missing, and so is her brother. Her residence is untouched per her sister-in-law Grand Duchess Aleksandra, and his was industrially cleaned. The Duchess was made aware of her sister's disappearance by her cousin Timofei, and she immediately called Head Auror Thorne, whose calls have all been redirected to me while the new Deputy transitions in. It's — it's a mess, all of this, but... we really do need to get started, so if you'll all just stop behaving like children and listening to me, I'd appreciate it."
Message Me • {{{1}}}
「 Anastasia Petrova 」Gryffindor Alum • Deputy Head Healer
28 y/o
Witch
Healer
Dedicated
The idea of being separated from Spencer was enough to make her stare turn into an actual glare. Really–what was the point? Surely Octavia could take a wild guess and realise that the two would be sharing notes first chance they got anyway. At the threat of arrest, Ana's hand flinched towards her wand. Would she absolutely break them both out if Octavia tried it? Absolutely. The only thing that stopped her was the mention of Polina. She doubted she was missing because of some other party. No, Ana expected Polina picked up her wife and kids and was now half way to Antartica. Ana didn't really blame her–she wanted to follow. Ana was pretty sure the only reason Octavia wouldn't trust her is because of who her father is. She couldn't change that. Did it grate on her? Yeah, sure, but she was also confident that an interrogation would make it very clear she didn't have anything to offer her. "I want adjoining rooms," she said. Compromise! Ana turned to look for the other Hamilton, hoping that she could override whatever Octavia thought and gave her demand a green light but...Drew had already slipped out. Probably the moment she got the order.
Message Me • {{{2}}}
「 Eleni Yaxley 」Nap Seeker • Thrill Seeker • Ice Cream Seeker
"I can do that," she said, making a mental note to contact Hudson and ask if he could take the kids for a few days. Just until all of this settles down. This would probably be a good time to catch herself up on what she'd missed when she comes back to work next week. Particularly whatever is happening with France. Her hand slipped onto Eden's, squeezing it, knowing the lack of answers probably wasn't the thing Eden wanted to hear. "I assume we'll be informed eventually of what was in that box?"
Message Me • {{{2}}}
「 Octavia Boleyn 」graduated hufflepuff • intelligence officer
Octavia meets Ana's glare with an unimpressed stare. She notices Ana's hand twitching towards what Octavia can only assume is her wand, and her eyes narrow into slits. "Pull out your wand and I'll have every auror in the country after your ass, Petrova. I'm not in the fucking mood to cater to your separation issues with anyone else, and you're not above the law just because you're a seemingly respected member of society. Get the hell out of my office and wait where you're taken to before I change my mind. Now." The more she speaks, the sharper her tone gets and the more irritated she gets. She gives it a moment of silence before she turns to Eleni, looking thoroughly done. "Yes, yes, eventually. Once the forensics are back and your home is secured, either Hamilton or myself will come in to talk with you."
Message Me • {{{1}}}
「 Anastasia Petrova 」Gryffindor Alum • Deputy Head Healer
28 y/o
Witch
Healer
Dedicated
Now this whole distrust part was really getting on her nerves. Perhaps this would have caused her glare to get worse but instead her face was wiped clean. However, Ana wanted the moral high ground and she knew Octavia would be able to get nothing from her. Because there was nothing to get from her. She was the worst sibling to ask in terms of Ruslan. Polina? Probably the best one but the others were also arguably a lot more useful than Ana would be. Ana then turned her eyes onto Spencer, turning her face away from Octavia to jerk her head to the corridor. If she even gets one ounce of an impression he wants to bust it out of there, then she'll follow suit. Maybe she should work on her own trust issues, but not today. And not with an auror who just threatened to arrest Spencer.
Message Me • {{{2}}}
「 Eleni Yaxley 」Nap Seeker • Thrill Seeker • Ice Cream Seeker
Eleni didn't really pay attention to the two other people. She didn't really know them nor could she feel exactly judgemental. Actually, who was she kidding, she'll judge no matter her own position and attitude. All three of them are children and it was thoroughly amusing to Eleni, despite the situation. "Yeah, that sounds good, I think us two could make our way to our office and get out of your hair. It seems like you've got your hand full," she said as she slipped out of the chair, glancing to Eden to make sure she was on the same page.
Message Me • {{{2}}}