It had been four days since Archer had caught her in the broom closet with Dax. She'd unwillingly handed over her wand, and he had walked away with it. Since then, he'd not returned it. Brett had been having a hard time with simple day to day life without her wand, and had never realized up until this point how much she depended on it. Even so, she was not going to ask for it back. Brett had more pride than that, and if she had to spend weeks or months without her wand she would do it- just to prove her point to Auror Radley that she could take whatever punishment he doled out to her without complaint. Suffering in silence was going to be her mode of operation.

Brett had been in the training room, still cleaning the supplies, when one of the older aurors had popped their head into the room. A package had arrived at the atrium and needed to be brought up. It was too big for the owls to carry any further. Could she just pop down and fetch it?

Of course she could. Brett threw the rags back in the cabinet, put away the equipment she had been cleaning, and went to the lifts. To Level 8 she went, arriving in the lobby, quite agitated. The ministry's welcome witch pointed her in the right direction of the package, and Brett gawked at it in disbelief.

The box was nearly as big as she was, and she had no idea what could be in it. Was this some kind of cruel prank? It wouldn't surprised Brett if that was the case. The entire office had to have noticed by now that she was wandless and on clean up duty. She frowned as she walked a circle around the box. It wasn't even angled to make it easy to push toward the lifts. "Just my luck," she muttered.

Brett pushed the box, and it was indeed heavy. That wasn't going to make things better. Bracing herself, she leaned against the box, pressing her shoulder against it and pushing with all her might. It scooted a little to the left, but not far. "Good Godric what in the hell is inside of you?" Brett leaned her back against the box and sank down, using her legs to push. The box moved a little and then toppled over with a loud crash. She blushed brightly. This was a task she needed her wand for. Damn Auror Radley! Hadn't she been punished enough?

Jaydev finished returning a book about East Indian Rituals and Magical Artifacts after reading through it all night.  It was a fascinating read, something to look into for fun.  He only picked it up because his mother, wherever she was, was Bengali, and to an extent, that's where his heritage lie.  He knew everything there is to know about New Zealand and being Maori, but this was something more or less foreign to him since his mother didn't bother sticking around to teach him anything.  He wasn't bitter about it.  In fact, he couldn't care less about his mother's abandonment.  He never felt empty or incomplete without her, so why should he bother dwelling on what could've been now?  He was merely interested about other cultures.

He was about to continue searching for something else to read when he heard a most curious noise by the lobby.  Ah, it was a fellow Trainee, Brett Abraham if he was correct.  He didn't talk to her much, nor did he with anyone else he worked with.  He was usually kept too busy for idle chit-chat.  Though she seemed like a nice enough girl, however flippant.

What on earth is in that box? he wondered, eying the confounded thing, Why doesn't she use her wand?  He stood there with arms crossed, watching with mild amusement as she tried pushing it toward the lift.  Huffing and giving up, he shook his head and decided to help the poor girl out.  "Here, let me get that," he offered as he sauntered over.  Jaydev was fairly strong due to his years at Durmstrang participating in various sports.  He was also no stranger to manual labor during the summers while raising some money to get his own place once he graduated.

Brett was somewhat thankful when Balimmora came over, offering to help her with the box. But, at the same time, her stubborn streak threatened to flare up so that she could insist she was able of moving the box herself. But with it having been turned on its side, and being barely able to scoot the box even a few inches... well... It was pointless to argue, and at least it would help her get the task done quickly without continuing to look like an idiot in the middle of the ministry atrium.

"Thanks, Balimmora," she said- trying not to feel too awkward about having to accept his aid. "I've got to get up back up to level two," she explained. "Too big of a box for the owls to carry, so they sent me to fetch it." Brett took a step away from the box, offering him a gratious smile. It would save her time, at least, and she would be able to get back to finishing out the first punishment she'd been doled. Really, snogging in the broom closet hadn't given Dax anywhere near as many problems as it was giving her.

She shoved her hands in her robe pockets, shuffling her feet awkwardly. "I can... help, I guess?" Brett offered. "I'm not very strong... obviously." With her wand she wouldn't have to be. It was one thing, too, to be physically combative with something as big as that box was. It was nother to have to move it. It wasn't at all flexible so there was no easy way. Except for maybe wheels or something. She didn't want to have to tell him she was still wandless (she had been trying to keep as few people from knowing she didn't have a wand as possible), so hopefully he'd continue with the brute force method she had been applying to the box.

"Is there a reason magic isn't involved with moving this?" he asked in mild curiosity, sizing up the box and determining the best method of travel.   He more or less was asking out of sheer politeness.  She seemed uncomfortable having someone assist her in something so mundane.  Jaydev didn't understand why people were afraid to ask for help when they clearly needed it.  "Or do you know what's even in this thing?" he added, shaking it briefly to find it very heavy.  No wonder it didn't work for her; those dainty arms and legs of hers couldn't cause even the smallest ripple in an ocean.

He stopped to form a plan, giving the box a blank stare.  Well, if she can't use her wand for this, then I won't either.  We're going to do this the hard way.  Besides, it might be a lesson learned to Abraham that would be handy in the future.  "Alright," he started, clapping his hands together and looked around the atrium.  As he began pulling the suspenders from over his shoulders, Jaydev could imagine what any onlooker would be thinking.  Especially as he started unbuttoning his dress shirt and un-tucking it from his slacks.  Luckily he wore a plain white undershirt or else this would be quite the scandal: stripping in the middle of the Atrium at the Ministry.

"We're going to use this," he said as he pulled the shirt off, folding it neatly in his hands.  "To slide the box across the floor, so it goes smoother and slicker." he explained, resting the item beside the box, lining it up with what used to be the bottom side.  "But first we have to get this thing upright."  With a sigh he stood up, going to the top side.  "So come over here and help lift so it falls on the shirt." he said, already squatting and hands firmly in position.  "Then when we have it at a forty-five degree angle, I need you to make sure that the box is aimed perfectly for the drop.  Do you get it?"

"I'm not using magic because I haven't got my wand," she finally confessed. "Radley confiscated it a few days ago and still hasn't given it back to me. And I'll not be asking for it, either. I'll show him that I can survive just fine without it! And I have no idea what's inside," she told him. "Something heavy, that's all I've figured out. Box isn't really labeled."

She watched as he shook the box a bit, and then he clapped his hands and looked around. Then he started... removing his suspenders and unbottoning his shirt? Brett was a little shocked to see that. "Oi! Just because I got caught snoggin' Fayette in the broom closet doesn't mean I'm going to pucker up to you, too!" she snapped before he had a chance to explain what his plan of attack was for the box.

"Oh..." she said sheepishly. "Sorry about snapping like that. It's been a long and annoying few days." To say the very least. But she supposed that she deserved it for getting caught sucking face with a fellow trainee.

Brett followed his directions, going around to the other side of the box. She squatted down next to him, and nodded. "Right, I can do that," Brett assured him. "If you want to use magic, though, you're more than welcome to have at it," she added. "Might be easier. But I don't know if levitating this huge box would be easy with just one wand to work with."

He quirked an eyebrow at the mention of Abraham 'snogging' Fayette.  He thought he heard something like that in the break room the other day.  He laughed at the image of Radley walking in on them and taking her wand as punishment.  It sounded similar to grade school.  "I'm surprised he didn't put you two in time-out," he commented dryly, not really putting much effort into the joke.

"Be sure to lift with your legs and close to your body.  Feet shoulder width apart and tighten your stomach muscles," he added in explanation.  It was a habit to go through every detail like that, whether or not it was needed.  Some found it annoying, but he'd rather get the job done right the first time.  "This will avoid back problems and you'll be stronger for the lift."

"One, two, three," he counted, lifting the box slowly with Abraham.  Though awkward at first, once there was room enough to get a grip underneath the box, things were easier as he got a firm hold.  Shifting his arms so they rather pushed the box up at a forty-five degree angle, he paused, allowing Abraham to check on the placement of the bottom side.  "I'll be fine on my own."  Lighter at this angle, he was able to hold up the box without Abraham, keeping an equal distribution of weight.

"Okay, once it's heading in the right direction, I need you to stay on that side and prepare for the fall.  It's going to come down hard, so keep your arms sturdy on that side for minimal devastation." he ordered evenly.  Whatever was in the box, he didn't know, but in case it was breakable, he didn't want to further cause problems by another harsh crash like before.  "Here I go," he informed before slowly pushing his side of the box.

Brett's lips twitched into half a smile at Balimmora's lame attempt a joke. "He kind of did. Dax has to reorganize the records room and I've got to clean all the training equipment. That's what I was doing before I got sent down here to pick up the delivery," Brett explained. "Might as well have been put in time out. Stuck in a stinky room by myself." Especially now that she had smelled like polish for four days.

"Right then, lift witht he legs," she said, paying close attention to his instructions. She needed the extra strength and didn't want to hurt herself. It took all the strength she had to help him lift the box, and when he paused- saying he could hold it up- she let go and went round to the other side. Brett grabbed the shirt he'd layed under the box, and adjusted it so that the box would fall down on it properly. She thought that might be easier than wiggling the box around.

Minimal devastation, hah. She liked that phrase. Brett was going to have to save it for later. "Ready when you are," she told him. Brett held palms against the front of the box as Balimmora began to push it forward. It finally landed- right on top of the shirt- with an equally loud crash. Apparently Brett hadn't braced it well, but at least it was upright now. That helped a lot.

"Good job!" she said, both to him and to herself. "Thanks for that, I'd still be trying to push the damn thing across the floor to the lift." She stretched her arms, and cracked her neck, looking at him expectantly. "Alright, what happens next?" she asked. "Just push it across the floor?"

Jaydev sighed slightly in relief that they had succeeded this far. No use in sticking around, I suppose.  She can do it alone now.  "Yeah, just scoot it along and make sure it doesn't fall over again.  I'll be in the library, so when you're done just come by with my shirt.  Don't worry about it being ruined." he said casually with a hint of disinterest and a nod in her direction.

With that he bid her farewell and good luck, making his way back to the row of books he took interest in.  He didn't mind that he was half-naked at the moment.  After all, it was his off-time, so there was little opportunity to remain professional.

Brett was a little surprised that her fellow trainee was abandoning her so soon after lending such a massive, helping hand. She had assumed he'd at least help her get it into the lifts and back to Level Two. Oh well. She could handle this. Brett was perfectly capable of moving a box, right? "Will do," she said, watching as he made his way back to the library.

Reapplying herself to the task at hand, Brett pushed the box over to the lifts. Once inside she pressed the button for Level Two, and was whisked away to deliver the box to its proper destination. Hah! That would show Auror Radley! She could get along just fine without her wand for a days.