Team
She had to admit Graves had some fantastic leadership skills, the moment they'd both made it back to the office he had a team of his most skilled and loyal assembled and ready to solve a case in secrecy before he'd even got to his desk, he knew who out of his Aurors he could trust and depend on and they followed after him without no explanation needed and Jinx Moonfall, Scarth Wolf, and Cyrus Crow were his chosen team.
Jinx Moonfall was both a desired and grossly feared woman, for as beautiful as she was her spells were packing ten times the power her looks did and no one messed with her. She never backed down and when faced with dangerous opponents she was quick to turn the tables and make them realise it wasn't them the world should fear.
Scarth Wolf was a serenely quiet man with such a deep connection to magic and the world around him even the most skilled Witches and Wizards grew envious of his talents. He could tell a lie apart from truth without a wand or spell and have you opening your heart and mind with out trouble, no secrets were safe from him.
Cyrus Crow was greatly respected for an Auror who was always unkempt and late, he was witty, cunning and incredibly sly in both actions and mannerisms when he wanted to be. He had a contact and a friend in every field you could imagine, there wasn't anyone or anything he couldn't find information on.
'The investigation is in good hands!' Wisper thought with a nod of approval as she stood listening to the water boil, a spoon in hand and cluster of mugs waiting to be filled.
With a deflated sigh she looked to her floating note pad and the list of drinks scrawled on the small page- She couldn't say she felt left out because it wasn't her place to be in the first place, but then again she also felt she shouldn't be playing waitress for the entire team, it would only be a matter of time before she was scurrying to make a drink every time someone asked and pulling her away from the work she should be doing.
With another huff Wisper abandoned the spoon she was holding to sit in one of the mugs as she still waited, her eyes drifting away from the little drinks station- which would soon be hers to man no doubt- and across the office, catching the odd Auror pass by outside before three very distinctive Chiefs came in to her line of sight. "Oh dear," She uttered to herself, turning calmly and gliding as casually as she could manage back over to Graves' office, giving the door a quick knock and with out permission opening the door just enough to poke her head in. "Chief Aurors Rex, Adar, and Finn are heading this way Sir," She spoke quickly but with a professional smile, seeming as if she'd just completed a task he'd asked of her rather than coming to warn him.
Graves went to give her a nod in thanks but as quick as she had appeared she was gone again, door closed and heading back over to finish her job of making drinks, leaving the Auror no other option but to turn to his group and dismiss them for now.
By the time Wisper was back at her drinks station the small group was out of Graves' office and heading to their own desks and just in time as the three Chiefs arrived and accepted the greetings of the lesser Auror agents, while Wisper turned from the freshly boiled water to look over in feigned surprise at the sight of the three men.
"Afternoon," She nodded.
"Is Graves here?" Rex pipped up with a smile, his cool eyes having caught sight of Wisper pottering by the kettle as they entered.
"He is, yes," She confirmed with a smile and a nod, "he's just in his office," She held a hand out to motion helpfully while also tottering over to beat them to the office door, again giving it a quick knock but this time waiting for a reply- she didn't want to burst in too eagerly in her attempt to not seem suspicious and possibly expose anything.
"Yes?" Graves' deep tone emitted past the door, laced with so much casual disinterest she almost though she'd imagined the secret investigation meeting that had just been taking place.
Without pause Wisper opened the office door and stepped in, holding the door open and motioning for the Chiefs to enter, "Chief Aurors Rex, Adar, and Finn to see you Sir," She nodded and he nodded back, both thanks and understanding passed to her in the simple eye contact they shared. "Can I get you anything to drink?" She then offered.
"No, thank you," Adar held a hand up politely to decline with a shake of his head.
"I'm alright," Finn also shook his head to decline and so she looked to Rex for his answer.
"Thank you, but no," He smiled and bobbed his head towards her in a grateful nod.
"Not a problem," She smiled before looking back to Graves, "I'll be back with your coffee soon Sir," She nodded and excused herself, closing the door behind herself and wondering if she did alright.
Did she seem normal and casual? The more she thought about it the more unsure she became, she felt there was a lot of smiling and nodding, if it'd been Scarth Wolf watching he would have just known she was trying to keep secrets.
"What can I do for you?" Graves linked his fingers together and peered up at the other Chiefs in his office.
"How you feeling about the investigation," Rex questioned, trying at a friendly smile in hopes of softening him up.
"Well I've been dismissed from it," He sat back in his chair, his fingers unlinking as he held his hands apart in an open shrug before resting his elbows on the arm rest of his chair and re-linking his hands together.
"You just accepted it pretty quick," Finn piped up with a shrug.
"What do you want me to do?" His brows rose as he gave a small shake of his head, his shoulders lifting up in a shrug before he offered them an answer, "Demand to be let on the case that wouldn't even be moving forward if it wasn't for my secretary- you're all welcome by the way-" He lifted a hand to point to the three, "-Then pout and stomp my feet?" He finished with such an unimpressed look it would have most people feeling quite embarrassed to assume Graves wouldn't act professionally.
"Just didn't take you to be one to give up," Adar stated with a shrug only to receive Graves' dark eyes as he regarded him a moment with a frown.
"I was dismissed, there's a difference," He clipped back before his look grew to annoyance as he looked to the others, "Now if that's all you came for you can leave, I have other work to be doing," With that said he sat forwards in his chair once more and started back at the work he'd left when the three Chiefs interrupted. "You can see yourselves out," He then gave as a final dismissal.
"That was quick," Cyrus uttered under his breath, snorting out a short laugh into the mug he'd just been handed as he watched both Finn and Adar step back out of Graves' office and stalk back across the floor to leave, giving the small group a nod as they departed.
"What about Rex?" Wisper mused, blindly holding Scarth's drink out for him as she was too busy watching the two men leave. Finn looked like a sulking child if she was honest, slinking away from his scolding with a pouted frown and tail tucked between his legs while Adar took it on the chin, and quiet literally with the way held his chin up as if he hadn't been beat, forcing a look of calm on his face.
"Rex always stays a little longer if he suspects something," Jinx spoke, a coy smile coming to her wonderfully plump lips as she flicked a dark brow up towards her snowy hair line, seeming to hint at something exciting but saying nothing more on the matter leaving and Wisper to wallow in curious wonder.
"He'll look for answers in your actions rather than your words," Scarth spoke softly, catching Wisper's attention as she looked up to him, he was one height of a man with such a soothing voice it had her at a moment of loss as she started at him unable to register what he'd just said for a moment.
"W-what do you mean?" She shook her head a little to try and rid the blank space that was taking the front seat every time she looked at him. She'd never really spoken to any of the three talented Aurors now stood before her and she was both honoured and some what star stuck to be graced with such a moment.
"Rex will skate around the things he wants answers to, he creates this little web of confusion then just sits and watches as you either tangle yourself or scrap to save yourself," Cyrus spoke back up, catching Wisper's gaze and passing her a cunning smile as he continued in a playful teasing tone as if baiting her into a story, "and you will fall in and either clam up and stay silent or try and lie your way out, a lot is given away in body language," He finished with a quick wink at her to which Wisper didn't react, simply turning away from him and looking back over to the office while the Auror himself took the snub personally, "You could at least pretend to be impressed," He tutted.
"Your story telling is very good," Wisper then turned back to him with a smile and bob of her head, acting all the niceties when in reality she didn't appreciate him speaking to her as if she was a child sat at story time.
At that Jinx snorted out a very unladylike like laugh as she swung an arm out and clapped the pouting Auror across the back, ignoring as she shoved him forwards and made him spill a bit of his drink, "That's what you get for always trying to sound like a smart arse!" She laughed at him, making his sulk that little bit worse.
"You'll have to forgive Cyrus, it takes him some time to understand others," Scarth's gentle voice smoothed over the group.
"Really?" Wisper frowned, this she was surprised at, "I thought with all the contacts you have you'd be more of a people's person," She looked back to Cyrus.
"I am a people's person, people's just don't like me," He shrugged.
"It's because you're sly and you can tell," Jinx chirped up with a grin.
"All my contacts hated me at first, but I always find a way into someone's good books," He declared, looking back to her with a challenging smile to which Wisper once again ignored.
"Rex," Graves calmly spoke, eyeing the man that remained and watching as he fondly looked about the office.
"How you liking my job?" Rex questioned with a smile, both hands slipping into the pockets of his slacks.
"Far better than you did," The dark haired Auror answered, keeping his answers careful.
"I'm more suited for Magical Law Enforcement," He admitted easily with a shrug.
"Was that why you were so happy for the case to be taken off your hands?" Graves lifted a single brow, watching as the other man leisurely looked about his old stomping ground. Graves thought it was strange that Rex was eager to ask about his own involvement on the case considering it was him and his team that brought it to major investigations to rid their hands of it's responsibility.
"It's a case that needs the attention of the Investigation Department," Rex once again easily admitted, not a bit of shame or embarrassment on his face and unfortunately for Graves no answers either.
"I've been dismissed from the case," Graves stated, his tone curt to press that he wanted the subject dropped but playing enough irritation into his words in the hopes of tricking the other Auror into thinking he was displeased with the out come and that there was nothing he could do about it.
"Of course," Barrett nodded with a smile, he didn't buy the tone but played along non the less, "Our wanna be Director wants to play hero," he huffed, this statement he thought was true and he knew Graves would appreciate someone with an honest opinion on the matter.
"Being the hero has nothing to do with it, he just wants the glory," Percival countered with a look of irritation.
"And seal the promotion," Rex added with a point.
"Speaking of which," Graves started, fixing his dark eyes on the other man in a close study, "I find it odd that someone who couldn't handle being the head of Investigations is interested in being Director, you've moved to a lesser department and are hopeful to be promoted to over seeing all of them?" he spoke in a questioning tone, his thick brows arching slightly in disbelief and shoulders lifting in a shrug to show him at a loss of an answer and so pressing for the other to fill in the gaps.
"Nothing wrong with ambition, Graves, you should know that," Rex grinned, skilfully avoiding the prying tone, "Hows the Barren case?" he then countered.
"You left the case, why bother asking about it," Percival shook his head, unaffected by the sudden turn in conversation but not playing into giving answers.
"Just a bit much for you to be trying to solve two cases by yourself is all," he shrugged, dangling the bait out for Graves to snap at, "I could mistake you for White," He then pointed at his fellow Chief Auror to rile him up,"Glory hog." He finished, giving nothing more than a joking smile.
"The Barren case has run cold, but I have a team on it as their top priority still," The calmness that came from Graves in that moment threw Rex off, Graves knew the importance of the case to him and ensured him of the priority it still held, he was also honest about it's current status because he knew it would be something he'd be genuinely interested in and something that would distract him, but most importantly he didn't rise to Rex's digs.
The two stared at each other for a moment, Graves willing him to be beat and back off and Rex desperately searching for an answer he couldn't find, he was sure Graves would firstly state that he'd been kicked off the case before then speaking of the Barren case, showing the level of importance he had for what by the order he placed things and thus giving him an answer- but he was beat.
"Will that be all?" Percival then pressed after a suitable length of silence hinted that he'd gotten the upper hand, thinking know the Auror would back down but as he saw the look of challenge come to the other man's face once again he sealed a steely expression on his before the delightful sound of knocking came to the rescue, "Yes?" Graves called, not as eagerly as he felt and near swooned when Wisper trotted in, hot beverage in hand.
"Here is your coffee, Sir," She smiled pleasantly, coming over to his desk and handing him the cup, unable to put it down as he was reaching for it almost needily.
She hadn't really felt comfortable in interrupting but on the advice of the group they voted it a good idea she did and so with the little input she had to offer the Aurors she could at least interrupt a sly interrogation. "Will you be staying, can I get you anything?" She questioned to Rex, her brows raised expectantly for an answer and a smile polite in her waiting, forcing the man to not only answer her quickly but also reach a decision to if he was going to stay or not.
"No, thank you, I'll be leaving now," he shook his head with a smile and Graves couldn't wait to let out his breath in relief, as he watched Rex head to the door, Wisper's little wins were starting to mount up to her being owed a hug! "Oh, Wisper!?" He suddenly paused at the door way, turning back to look at the woman, "Would you mind giving me a moment of your time?" He then smiled kindly, watching as the dark haired secretary took a look of surprise but nodded none the less.
"Oh, of course!" She agreed while Graves cussed the man out silently, watching as Wisper tottered off after him, wanting to call her back a moment to warn her but also not wanting to raise suspicions and so when she turned back to close the door of his office he fixed eyes with hers.
'Don't say anything!' he desperately threw his thoughts at her, his jaw tense and brow twitching up the tiniest but he felt more dread as he took in her rather lost and gormless expression.
They were busted before they'd even started- this he was sure of.
