There wasn't exactly a "welcome wagon" when you joined the auror force. At least, Brett couldn't remember there being one when her class of trainees joined up. Then again, that was so long ago- almost a year (which was terrifying to think about, really). But she'd joined up with all of her friends, all at once. That had to be a lot easier than going at it alone- which was what the new trainee seemed to be doing. (And of course his name had to be Ignatius. As though she didn't have enough of a history with that name.)

But she wanted to make him feel welcome. It was easy to get hung up in cliques in a job like this. You spent so much time with the senior aurors- and your fellow trainees- that sometimes you forgot there were people other than them in your world. With Brett, this was especially true, considering she lived in a house full of trainees. And she didn't want to inadvertently muscle anyone out.

Translation: Brett was still doing her best to try and be a good little auror. Her year had a lot of ups and downs- mostly downs- and it had been a bumpy ride thus far. But she'd been trying to get her act together, and turn over a new leaf, and be a good trainee and not get kicked out of the auror program for being an insolent, disrespectful little brat. It was hard, really, to smooth out the edges of her callous, devil-may-care attitude- but she was trying. And Welcome Wagon was a good way of showing it.

She'd bought a large box of pastries, along with enough coffee for everyone. (Some of the aurors even had names on their cups- at this point, she'd learned how they liked their coffee. Brett had spent a lot of time on desk duty and as a gopher.) She floated it ahead of her and into level two. She lowered the box of pastries and the tray of coffee onto a table. Brett plucked the cup that she had bought for herself from the tray, then put on her best face and looked around for the new face.

It didn't take her long to spot the Ignatius fellow. "Good morning, Hallows!" she greeted, holding out her hand. "Brett Abraham, fellow first year trainee. Thought I'd give you a proper welcome. There's a nice box of pastries and some coffee. Feel free to help yourself!"

There were many observations coming to light as he looked around the Ministry, a new job that gave him more access to the elaborate building. It was different to the woods and plains he had been navigating, whilst following an author across the wilds, but there were familiarities in both. The locals, in this case the people, would herd together and move through the hallways and split off into groups when they reached the elevators. He imagined that there was the equivalent of a watering hole somewhere in the building, a place where they would gather in frequent numbers periodically throughout the day.

Ignatius didn't know about those spots, not yet. The entire office was a new home for him, and he could not help but remind himself of the wild creatures that were trapped and caged for the entertainment of others. It was comforting to know that he would be serving a higher purpose whilst he walked around his new cage.

The decision to jump into the deep end was not made overnight, the boy spent years trying to talk himself into reapplying and they finally accepted his application for the position. There were years ahead, training that would consume his life and an entirely new playbook of rules for him to learn and adapt too.

Tentatively, he walked silently through the lobby and followed the crowds to the elevators. Was there something he was supposed to bring? He couldn't remember, he just knew he was supposed to turn up on this day and begin his life as an Auror-Trainee. As the elevator moved around him and took him closer to the second level, his new Headquarters, he started to panic about what came next.

Were there exams? or field training, perhaps? It was the unknowing that was getting to him, the vague description of what his training would involve and the very notion that he was about to walk into a room and meet people for the first time. It was going to be rough, he wouldn't even recognize people who graduated Hogwarts with him. He had always kept to himself, the quiet kid who sits at the back of the classroom and is offered nothing more than a slightly concerned look from the teacher whenever they had to break into teams for work.

Ignatius started to fake it, walking calmer and pretending he knew what he was doing as he entered the offices of the Aurors and searched for an empty desk or anywhere he could sit patiently - waiting for someone to tell him what to do and when to jump. How was this going to work?

He couldn't remember how long he had been sitting there, but eventually someone, energetically, approached him. With a hand outstretched to him. Ignatius hesitated, fumbling as he removed his hands from his pockets and tried to calmly meet the other's.

"I... pleasure," he glanced at the pastries and coffee "Do I owe you anything for them? I could pay some," he was not accustom to people being generous around him and it struck him with guilt. "I'm so sorry, the name was Brett, yes?" his accent was weak, but distinctly Australian. He made an effort to speak quietly, trying to keep it as concealed as possible.

Omari had not slept well. It had been one of those nights where his house had felt to empty, and thoughts of Lucas had filled his head. He had, as always when these nights occurred, tried to fight the feelings and memories of his now deceased boyfriend with Blishen’s Firewhiskey. He had emptied the bottle, but it still hadn’t helped. By three a.m. he had been drunkenly stumbling around his livingroom with a photo album clutched to his chest. It had not been a pretty sight.

Though the drunken haze had left Omari’s mind, he was still not feeling as alert as usual. Due to slurring when using the Floo Network he had ended up in a church down in Birmingham and had to apparate to London, using the visitor’s entrance to get to work. It had been a hellish morning altogether and Omari looked the part. His scarlet robe was covered in ash, his movements were sluggish and his eyes puffy.

Upon entering the Auror Office, Omari’s only thought was on getting some coffee and calming his roaring stomach. He was not fun to be around when he was hungry. A whiff of coffee scent filled his nostrils and without really realizing it he made his way to the cups put forward by Brett. He grabbed one, took a big gulp and gave a deep sigh of relief. Then he saw the pastries, grabbed one and put the entire thing in his mouth, and growled “Cheers, Brett” between the bites.

It took a while before he realized someone else was there. Sitting beside the table was a face he’d never seen before. A cute face. He looked back and forth between the guy and Brett in confusion before finally settling his gaze on the guy.

“Mornin’,” he said, his voice even deeper and more heavily accented than usually. “Who are ye, then?”

Brett smirked a little at the way Ignatius fumbled. "Don't owe a thing. Just trying to be nice." And earn a few brownie points with the other aurors. Brett could always use a few more brownie points when it came to the auror office. As much trouble as she had been it was going to take more than one box of pastries to wipe the slate clean. It would take that, a lot of boot licking, and some well placed favors.

"Yup. Brett it is. I know it's a boy name, but my mother was expecting another one. My big brother's an auror too, Jacob's his name. Abraham's the last name," she told him. Such a masculine name for a woman.

Brett's smirk turned into a grin when Warrington picked up a cup of coffee and devoured a pastry in a single bite. "Morning," she greeted. "You can have two if you'd like," she added. "Seems like you're in need of some breakfast."

She watched the way his gaze shifted from her over to Hallows. "New trainee," she explained. "Ignatius Hallows. Thought I'd give him a proper welcome. Not easy to join the aurors on your lonesome. I was lucky- I had the twins, Fauna, and Grace to come along when I did." Brett sipped from her own cup, then picked out a pastry for herself- one with berries and cream cheese.

What an interesting bunch, all these European wizards. Their accents, dialects, mannerism, culture, and the command of the English language was all different a new; there was difficulty understanding what was said, despite speaking English! Being an American Wizard in a new country, it was all very different for Everett and something that could take a considerable amount of time to get used to.

A heavy grogginess had encumbered him, the desire for prolonged sleep weighed heavily upon his mind while riding the lift to the second floor. Placing each thumb underneath his eyes, and his index fingers above, Everett stretched open the eyelids as if to force himself to wake up, or stay awake. This was another issue he had encountered that must be rectified soon; he had to grow accustomed to the great variation in the new timezone. If felt like he hadn't slept but a few hours, despite sleeping at least six.

"Need coffee." He mumbled to himself, the words laden with a heavy American accent. One with a southern slang, and dialect, to be exact.

The doors to the lift opened, revealing the grand landscape of cubicles in the distance. The second floor, Everett's new home for a very long time.

Tired eyes scanned one hundred-eighty degrees as feet clamored and propelled him froward, like a zombie. There was a table with coffee and pastries that called out, like a beacon, leading Everett akin to a moth and flame. There were three others there, that much he noticed in his peripheral vision, but his goal was solely on the sweet nectar of caffeine and energy within that dank smelling swill of blackness.

"Coffee..." He spoke silently to himself, although the accent was apparent to the attentive listener. Grabbing a cub, Everett let the hot liquid dance down his throat as he emptied every last drop in one breath. "Fatty cakes..." It's what he called pastries, it's a Southern-American thing. Teeth tore into the cream cheese covered goodness. The calories seemed to dance with glee, his body yelling at him with a growling stomach.

He took a brief moment to stop chewing and looked at the three Aurors that were there. "Hi..." The greeting was muffled and awkward, food still in his mouth.

Ignatius keenly observed as the next person arrived and helped themselves to the provided pastries and coffee. He felt a little jealous, the insignificant act of graciously accepting a gesture from a co-worker was something he had never dealt with before. There was a certain confidence, or perhaps it was just comfort with the surroundings, behind him. Ignatius lacked it, and stayed away from the coffee or pastries. Instead, he watched the man gorge himself as if he had been starved for a week.

“Ah…” he started, letting out a meek noise as the man threw a question his way. Brett started again, confirming the name and Ignatius forced himself to smile politely and nod his head a little. His neck was stiff, but it hadn’t been that way before now. His body got tense around new people, but it usually didn’t last too long and he knew how to smile through it and pretend it wasn’t happening.

“Ah, yes. Sorry,” his voice soft again “Ignatius Hallows, new trainee like she said. Pleasure to meet you, Mister…?” he thought he had heard a name, but he was mistaken and left hanging at the end of his sentence. Still fresh from his awkward failure to correctly address the other man, a second man arrived on the scene and followed the queue to help himself to the provided coffee and pastries.

He forced another smile, this one much smaller and curt than the one before. “Hello,” he quietly let it there and shifted in his seat a little. The newest arrival to the small gathering was of few words, something Ignatius could appreciate and work with. But, he knew better than to be rude to the more social one.

“I think it’s a lovely name, by the way.” He smiled at Brett before looking down at the floor. There was a social weight on his shoulders and he wasn’t sure how to shift it, so he chose to blankly address the floor with his attention.