Hester was simmering. She was a pressure cooker on a fire. She walked purposefully. Her jaw was set. She stared ahead. She had said nothing to Johann since they left the meeting. She just said she wanted a word immediately in her office. She could hear him behind. She strode across Level 5 and into her office. She waved her wand at the door. It slammed.

Hester had counted to 100. She threw her papers on her desk with a bang. Now she turned to look at Johann. She wished she had a stepladder. Why was he so damn tall?
"What was that?" Hester demanded. She put her hands on her hips. "You made me look incompetent. I am the Department Head Storm." She fumed. "You keep your mouth shut in meetings unless I ask you a question."

The promotion was definitely turning out to be a double-edged sword. He knew from Hester’s face and tone after the meeting that she was annoyed with him, and her unwillingness to make eye contact or walk beside him amplified it. Sometimes Johann wasn’t the best at reading signals from other people, but his senior was pretty much shouting them with her heavy feet.

He supposed he’d got off incredibly lightly while Gabrielle had been around, what with the odd things he’d got involved with. He and Hester had normally been on good terms, but their paths didn’t cross as intensely before as they did now. That, and maybe the pressure of taking on the Department was getting to her? Johann didn’t want to presume, and nor did he want to report back to Gabrielle in the short-term, given she had just given birth a little over a week ago.

“You made me look incompetent. I am the Department Head, Storm.”

He was reduced to his surname, which definitely meant Hester was pulling rank. A majority of his ministry colleagues would call him by his first name, or even a shortened version he didn’t mind. To use his surname was formal and sucked all the familiarity out of it.

“You keep your mouth shut in meetings unless I ask you a question.”

Johann had tried to keep a level head about this potential bollocking. He wasn’t a stranger to being told off for overstepping the mark, but it was usually for his war with Hamilton from Trading Standards or for a patronising remark when he was losing his patience.

“Deputy Department Head,” he heard himself say before he could stop himself, “Acting at best.” If she was going to tell him to keep his mouth shut in a meeting he was legitimately attending, he was going to remind her Gabrielle was still the Department Head. His long pale fingers gripped the papers in his left hand, his ordinarily cold hand a little clammy from the confrontation. “Is this about correcting you on the timescales?” He studied Hester’s frown and pose. “Because you can’t guarantee a timescale that’s shorter than the extradition process takes.”

Hester was even more angry!

"Yes it is!" She snapped. "You do not contradict me. Deputy or Acting is not the point. I am senior. You are just the linguist. You would not even be my assistant if your family had not made you!" She pointed at Johann. "You think it is clever? It is unprofessional." If he apologised about now she would respect him.

Owch. Hester was pulling rank, and accusing nepotism.

“I’m not being clever,” Johann snapped, “I’m being correct.” His fingers were gripping the papers and his other hand had formed a fist.

“You know my figures are correct, we agreed them before the meeting.” Johann pointed out, exasperated, “Yes Gabrielle afforded me an extra chance out of her own mercy,” the extension of her charity had been acknowledged by both and Johann was still feeling bad about it, “but I am working harder than I’m often given credit for. As well as checking your facts and figures I’m still turning round piles of documents for the whole government so Pinn and Kelly and the others aren’t swamped without me.”

As he gestured to the office door, he could feel heat rising to his cheeks.
“I get it, I get that you wanted her job in your own terms, not just because she’s decided to have a family and intends to come back. But she wouldn’t have asked me to help if she didn’t think you needed it - no, more that the job needs it.”

"Yeh well maybe it does not." Hester snapped. "If your girls are swamped maybe go back to them." Hester opened the door. People outside pretended they were not looking.

Hester was angry all morning. People avoided her. The only person who came in was Hamilton from Trading Standards. Hester did not expect to see him. She did not think he needed to see her. He was being too nice. Said she only had to ask if she wanted him to help. With anything.

"Send Johann Storm in." Hester said to Hamilton.

Well, that was a dismissal if ever he heard it. Without another word, and just an exasperated stare, Johann left Iravani’s office.

It felt hard grating to make upbeat smalltalk with his colleagues who were also his friends. Their acting boss had called them ‘his girls’ and Johann felt that as much as he might dare to use that phrasing to be protective of them, it belittled them and they deserved better. Their little team had waxed and waned in months. Linguists, translators came and went when work required, often wearing more than one hat. Many of the staff who needed to correspond in other languages were capable, and the beasts and beings had their own specialists on four. It was meshing it together with some of the other departments who needed support that produced the bulk of their work.

“If I have to adjust the damned laws about imported broom length again, I might just scream.” Pinn told Johann, putting down her quill and stretching. They all collected a strange assortment of legal knowledge, often surrounding the trade rules of the British Isles.
“I’m sure I can find someone suitably muscled on Seven to discuss it with,” he offered, finally giving a genuine smile. She flashed him one back in return and laughed. An approaching figure distracted them.
“I thought you said suitably muscled?” Pinn protested. Hamilton gave her a perturbed look. He wasn’t muscled, he was a moron.

“Iravani wants you.” Johann let out a prolonged sigh.
“Ooh, don’t sound too keen.” Pinn remarked sarcastically, observing them both.
“Don’t think Storm’s in her good books.” Hamilton elected to elaborate. Johann hadn’t mentioned anything to Pinn about the disagreement, not only because the contents of the meeting were not for public discussion, but because the self-doubt in him had grown in the meantime. He would have been out on his ear if Hester had been Head of Department and he might not even have been employed. Sometimes being correct and realistic towards other Departments could backfire.

“What you done, say no to something?” Pinn asked, peeling a banana.
“I was right about something.” Johann explained, leaning back in his chair, though he didn’t look pleased. “Madam Iravani prefers her advice to be mute.”
“Never had a problem with her, myself.” Hamilton shook his head, hands in pockets as he nonchalantly occupied floor space in their territory.
“She never wants your help,” Johann grumbled in return, “like the rest of this floor.”

It was only a short walk back to the office, but Johann’s long legs seemed six inches shorter for the time it took to cross the floor. He wasn’t looking forward to whatever Iravani wanted him for. It was either more work, or another shout. Maybe she’d tell him he was back to his old duties, in which case he’d wave goodbye to whatever pay increase Gabrielle had decided but at least he’d not have to do another meeting like that in the short term.

He straightened his shirt cuffs and knocked smartly on the door. “Hamilton said you wanted to see me, Ma’am.”

"Yes I do." Hester said. "Shut the door won't you?" Hester was not very good at apologies but she had to give them when she lost her temper. "Sit down." She knotted her fingers. She looked at her hands. Then she remembered she was the boss. "Johann." She said. "I ..."

She looked at him. He did not look happy to be there. Had he told Gabrielle already? Would she have Gabrielle and all her new mum hormones banging on the door? No this was her department. Gabrielle might not come back. Maybe she would like being a mum so much she would not come back to work. It was a solid fact that Johann was good at his job. When he was at work. When he was not doing something stupid.

"I apologise." She said. "For the way I reacted earlier. You had the right facts. I did not want to draw attention to them." She shook her head. "I had a strategy. I will share it with you next time."

“Johann. I…”

Inwardly the linguist winced. Although Iravani seemed calmer, he couldn’t help but think this might be it, to tell him to go back from whence he came. This so soon after Atreus had come down.

“I apologise-” His blue eyes widened a tad for entirely different reasons. He had not been expecting an apology, especially not from a woman who had been so argumentative a short while ago and who was senior. He blinked, taking a moment to process what Iravani had said and swallowed.

“Thank you,” Johann replied, as humbly as he could. Now didn’t feel the time to arrogantly point out he’d been right all along. The two of them had to work together and get along for the sake of everyone around them, and he’d rather stay on side. A superior apologising to him was an incredibly rare event. It rather took him by surprise. “I’ll ensure we schedule time to confer before our next meeting.”

There was an awkward pause, and Johann wondered if he should make a prompt escape back to the main office. “… is everything alright?”

"Yes it is!" Hester snapped. She bit her lip. She spoke softer. "No. It will be fine. Nothing I can not handle." She looked at him. "This business with Ira Almasy." It was bothering Hester. "It is simple. Yes? It is not going to be like your father's trial?" Hester licked her lips. "You did not know about her? I do not want you gone again. Hamilton offered to help Johann." Iravani intensified her stare.

Yeowch, Johann thought, resisting the instinct to step back a pace at Hester’s response. If he didn’t work with so many women and already know it was suicide to ask, he’d have chalked this down to ‘time of the month’. Then, maybe, what was chewing at Hester’s patience came to light.

“This business with Ira Almasy…”

It had only been a couple of days before that Balfour and Johann had answered Andromeda Gamp’s questions. Hester did have reason to worry about things given Johann’s dodgy track record when trouble raised its head. This time he wasn’t alone though, and having a partner (in crime, more to point) he was more assured and steady in his responses. There would be no fleeing to Slandermouth or distant friends. He slipped his hands into his pockets to avoid the tension in his hands giving away tells.

“No, of course not in that way,” Johann replied, a half truth at best, but he did his best to answer straight. “I’m not going anywhere, don’t worry. We’re just helping Two with their investigation. She was just our landlady, and our neighbour. We’re both sickened by what she did, naturally.” The linguist frowned, serious and truthful about that part at least.

“This what it’s been about, Hester?”

"Naturally." Hester said sarcastically. "And not everything is about you." She scowled. "But you get into more trouble than anyone here. And I do not want Hamilton helping me." She pointed at Johann. "Work harder at keeping your nose clean. Or I will string you out to dry Storm."

“Soo… it’s about Hamilton,” Johann replied, deciding that he wouldn’t let Hester bully him. She’d called him in to apologise for earlier and she was fast undoing that apology with her snark. Maybe it was that time of the month.
Johann took a long blink to try and clear his thoughts and inhale a calming breath before he let his inner dialogues lead him into trickier territory with his boss. It was going to be one of those difficult nights. Iravani really did know how to take the shine off being free from an insane criminal mastermind.

“Hester, I promise I won’t sign any more tenancies with murderous psychopaths, will turn up for work every day I’m meant to. Only thing I can’t do is keep Hamilton from your door. Though, you could send him abroad for a fortnight on a boring trip and the whole office would think you were boss of the month.”
“I best get back to things.” Johann added, and took a deliberate step back towards the door, not keen to continue lingering under the volatile gaze of his superior. He was going to quit while he was ahead.

Johann Storm had a death wish!!

"You best." Hester said. "Because Hamilton is looking like my better option if you do not." She would write Gabrielle for advice if it did not make her seem incompetent. No she would give Johann boring things to do. She would tell Hamilton to ask him questions instead. He would behave.

END.