It was getting late, 10PM late even, the offices were always unnerving when it was late. All places looked weird when it was dim and gloomy and quiet, but this was especially weird cause she was here right now, so it didn't even really matter about other gloomy places being weird. The hallways were weird, always bustling with life, now quiet that you can hear the odd paper plane memo flying past. The offices were weird with the odd person here or there, the odd quill scratch or cough. She thinks she hears snoring somewhere, hopefully it wasn't her and this was an out of body experience, she would like to be sleeping but she doesn't want to snore, thats boring. And she doesn't want to eat a spider, she knows that ends up in eating a horse and dying.

She rubbed at her eyes and yawned, she had managed to get so much paperwork done, so that was a certain positive. She was certain some of it was due in a week but at this point it was hard to remember what she's done just that it was done, which was a good result all around, even if others will call her lazy. She wasn't that lazy...anymore, sort of. She slept alot during work hours but that was because she wasn't having much time off! Being an adult sucked, maybe she should just run off and become a house cat, hopefully they won't have kids, and hopefully there aren't any other cats within a twelve mile distance, then she can catnap all day.

She stood from her desk and stretched out with another yawn. Coffee was what she needed, the lifeblood of Aurors as she had realized over the past few months, everyone likes the one with coffee, she hadn't tested doughnuts as of yet, and she really wanted to fill a custard doughnut with mustard still but she didn't think a senior would like it or the joke. Maybe if she charmed it to turn into a duck upon biting....

She finished stretching and started finding her way to where the coffee was, knocking over about a dozen or so empty cups she had laying around her from the past day. Casting the geminio charm on one to get herself a fresh cup, it helped to keep a track of how many coffees she had and she was just too lazy to rinse a cup out or take an actual fresh one.

She usually felt tired around this time but today she felt even worse, and soon with a groan at the coffee station she realized why. Slinking down the side of it with a long groan, her head slumped against the surface.

Someone had swapped the coffee for decaff, what monster, what cruel torturer would do this. Even she would never do something so mean to another human.

"And so I must die." She dramatically said to herself with an exhausted sigh. She was content to now just waste away here, forever devoid of caffeine.

Fauna sat up at her desk, rubbing her eyes. She blinked blearily at the stack of paperwork towering in front of her - the birthday present that had been gifted to her after she'd taken an extended weekend holiday. Yawning, Fauna stood and grabbed her coffee cup, her hand knocking into the row of colorful cards she'd lined up earlier. Like dominoes, they all fell down.

The cubicles around her were empty, the lights were flickering in protest above, and the air smelled stale and musty. Fauna had long since shucked her trainee jacket in favor of a comfy, overlarge yellow sweater. As she meandered to the kitchen, she frowned at the empty coffee cup in her hand. It had betrayed her, this coffee. It hadn't done its job, and now it was time to go home.

"Happy belated birthday to me," Fauna sing-songed down the hall of the bullpen, confident that she were the only one left in the office.

"I just had a cup of coffee," she continued, slowing as a thump sounded. What was that?

"Um... it has no effect and I'm-"

Fauna came to a sudden stop, blinking in horror at the sight of another person who might have heard her. Another person who was slumped against the coffee station, her head lolling, muttering about death.

Gris Hericho!

Fauna widened her eyes, glancing around the break room for evidence of chocolate wrappers or some other box of poison. Dozens of coffee cups were scattered on the table, many with brown rims at the bottom that indicated no one had washed them. Was it in the coffee?

She crouched in front of her, peering into her face.

"Gris! Are you ok?"

Fauna gently shook her shoulder.

"What did you eat?"

Gris glanced at the newcomer, were they talking to themselves or did they expect someone to be in here? She was right if they expected someone to be there, as Gris was in here! The talking to themselves may be a sign of madness, although in Hogwarts she was also told that having hair grow on the palm of your hand was madness, and checking for it. So she wasn't sure on that, must be that she was just talking to help process things. It was a good thing to do even if it made yourself look a bit mad, although most Wix were mad anyway, especially whoever thought the work robes were good.

The woman seemed to be panicking, oh! Fauna! The older girl from Hufflepuff! The fact that she was spending the night in was a bit odd, surely Fauna had better things to do right? Then again maybe Fauna thought the same of her.

"Coffee...its all decaf..." She groaned, who did that? It was cruel, it must of been banned by Geneva conventions surely!

No one enjoys the taste of coffee, thats why there are so many types of it! They only take it for the energy, what sort of monster invents something that tastes like coffee, but has none of the effects of it? Deatheaters, that's who. Decaf coffee is a deatheater ploy to take back control of the ministry, all the coffee being replaced with it just proves her right.

"Someone replaced all the coffee with decaf. Its no way for someone to live. I resign to death." She said with a slightly dramatic flare at the end. "Tell my wife, I wish she existed."

Fauna's brow furrowed. Decaf? Had she just mumbled decaf? The poison was in the coffee! Fauna glanced at the coffee pot, then nodded slowly, reality setting in.

Gris Hericho was joking around, and might even be in cahoots with the decaf culprit. Fauna hadn't expected to find the trainee here so late at night, or even one minute past 5pm. Fauna knew that she got her work done, but the work just seemed to appear out of nowhere, while Hericho seemed to be everywhere, lounging on the office furniture.

A wife?

Fauna sat back on her heels with a surprised laugh.

"Ok then. I'll let her know."

She stood, amused enough to leave Gris in her slumped state. Fauna glanced around the room and levitated her coffee cup, along with about a dozen other empty, stained coffee cups to the sink. She swished and flicked her wand, not bothering to grab all of them, but just making a gesture for the early birds who would arrive here in the morning.

Whoever had been inconsiderate enough to make a pot of decaf certainly wouldn't be doing any clean up.

Yawning, Fauna filled the sink with soapy water. In the debate between soap and Scourgify, she was very much on the side of soap.

"What are you doing here so late?" Fauna asked Gris mildly, curious if the dead trainee would respond.

"Making up for the work we missed at Sasha's party last night?"

She smiled. It had been a Hufflepuff reunion for a Ravenclaw nerd.

Fauna was on board, they would tell her imaginary wife that she loved her, now the next step was to potentially get a wife, or a husband, both had benefits to her really. She supposed whichever of the two had the most money so she can laze around the most, although either way those were far far down the line, marriage was for old people, like thirty year olds or something. That kind of old, but it was good to know that Fauna would tell them that for her.

What was she doing here? What was Fauna doing here was the better question. Gris seemed to live mostly in the office now, even her weekends off were mostly spent working, it was probably the biggest thing that put her off being an Auror and made the idea of WCU more tolerable was atleast its less paperwork and more time relaxing, even if the work she would have to do was something she was terrified the smaller version of, let alone the big versions.

"I basically live here." She sighed as she rubbed at her eyes. Was she making up for the work lost yesterday? Maybe, although she made sure to get almost all done beforehand, so that she wouldn't struggle after, and maybe she wouldn't struggle, if it wasn't for some monster pouring in decaf into the pot.

"Most of my time is spent here, work all through the night to get stuff done, then I have to work all day anyway but there is nothing left so I take the chance to rest. Then of course I get given more work so I have to work those nights also. Then I get home maybe a couple of times a week, only get a bed a couple of times, half the food is spoiled so need to buy more, place is a mess with dishes and bras everywhere, so gotta clean it all up, then its the work again and it repeats." She gave a disgruntled sigh. "And thats even if I get the weekend off, all of course with only normal pay. You'd think there is like a bonus pay for working late or something."

Now vented she clambers her way up off the ground and stretches out with a fair few clicks as she straightened her back. "Why are you late? Catching up for the party?" She thought to turn the question onto Fauna.

Fauna glanced down at the dishes, turning her face slightly to the side to hide her amusement. She hadn't expected Gris to unleash a grumbling rant in her sleepy state, but maybe she was more undead than dead. Maybe she was a talkative inferi.

It sounded like normal stress, or as normal as stress could be on Level Two. It didn't sound like it had much to do with the grisly aspects of the job, but more about the demands on time and feeling like it was impossible to get away. A year or so of Auror training would take a toll on anyone.

The one-year mark was when most trainees decided they wanted this more than sleep, or dropped out.

Fauna was willing to bet that Gris was exaggerating about sleeping here in the office most nights, but she wholeheartedly believed her about the dishes that didn't get washed. The evidence was in the sink before her.

"Huh," she said sympathetically, stifling another yawn. Fauna turned off the water, duty done, and dried her hands, turning to face Gris, who was standing and stretching like a disgruntled cat.

"You're alive," she gestured in playful surprise.

Fauna leaned against the counter, considering how much to tell her. There were always a few cases that stuck out in her mind, the few that followed her home after the day was done. Those cases were the reason why she stayed late.

"Yeah, I mean, just your basic catch-up work," she shrugged instead. "I took that three-day weekend, you know, and I just got back into the office yesterday to find a pile of files waiting for me, and some theories and memos about what the hell happened on Valentine's Day."[1]

She made a face, as if it were a nuisance and not a major incident. Glancing at the break room exit, she had a feeling that this would be another mystery that followed her home.

"At least I can use my desk now. At least it's not spiders? But I do keep finding little beetle remains scattered around the birthday cards and stacks of files and such."

Gross!

1.	For the Darling

Gris nodded along slowly, she was alive, Fauna was correct with that. It was no wonder as to why she an Auror when she was so perceptive as to tell that she was still alive, she was glad to have her older, former classmate around to make these observations. Even if she felt like death still, she needed coffee, and badly she needed it right now. With the machine broken it was now a matter of where can she go to not feel like death, she supposed Alohomocha could still be open but she doubted it. Maybe if she did go home for a change, it may be worthwhile.

"Three day weekends are good, my normal tend to be cut short if its not spent cleaning. I want a three day weekend but I'm not sure if I can survive it, the paperwork afterwards would kill me most likely." She was dying from the current paperwork load and it wasn't even that much, most likely it was far less then anything Fauna got on average.

"Did you have the same valentines?" She asks softly, having taken the day off to try to develop her social life, it wasn't until next day she found out anything happened and she still wasn't entirely sure, although she hadn't sent a memo. "Taking the day off, getting all nice and dressed up, makeup and the works. Going to a nice restaurant and then he walks out as soon as the main meal is done, saying you're too small leaving you to get wasted all night and have your tongue pierced?" She'd admit it maybe wasn't one of her best nights, although she didn't regret the piercing in the slightest, the stud felt nice in her mouth.

With a sigh she flicked her wand to collect the numerous, identical mugs from her desk to fly over and dunk into the water, around thirteen in total from her collection that start to clean themselves. She needed additional coffee, Fauna needed coffee obviously. Gris wanted a nap and a break from this, Fauna was finding...wait she was finding beetle parts?

"You're finding beetle parts in your birthday cards? Did people send you bugs?" She asked before she looked up. "Wait when was your birthday?" Did she miss it? She didn't want to miss it! She knew her and Fauna weren't too close but she didn't want to miss her housemates birthday! That just seemed rude! Did she sleep through the party? Is it coming up still? Why was she opening cards early? OH NO SHE MISSED IT!

She needs to get Fauna a gift! Birthdays are important! How old was she now? Twenty two? Twenty three? No she would be Twenty One! How could she miss such an important number?

Fauna blinked, utterly baffled, until she realized-assumed-guessed that Gris was describing her own Valentine's Day date, if it could be called that. She winced at the thought of getting a tattoo or piercing while drunk.

"Um, no," she managed politely. No, that had not been the case for Fauna.

Fauna had spent her holiday weekend with her girlfriend, and it would have been wonderful if the Floo hadn't spirited them away to a haunted castle on an island in the middle of nowhere. With bats. Lots of spooky bats. If it weren't beetles, then it was bats.

Which she wasn't about to burden Gris with, especially after her sudden volley of questions. Oops. Fauna had just assumed that the trainee had heard about the box of exploding chocolates and bugs, but maybe she'd had the day off, or had been recovering from her unfortunate piercing.

"My birthday was yesterday. It's ok!" She said quickly, smiling at the younger trainee. Several friends had remembered, and she definitely didn't expect her colleagues to fuss over her.

"The three-day weekend was kind of supposed to be a Valentine's birthday celebration," she went on, stepping to the side to let Gris clean up the other coffee cups.

"As for the beetles," she wrinkled her nose. "I was just trying to make a joke about the gift of chocolates I received last week. It's all good. I can use my desk now," she repeated from earlier.

It was fine! She was just tired. She'd rather work than reflect on it, but since the coffee pot had been corrupted by decaf, she'd have to go home soon. To sleep and to think. Ugh.

She'd really rather not.

Fauna hadn't had as bad a valentines, that was a good thing, she hoped not many others had her valentines, she hoped she hadn't still. She really hoped that it had been a great day and she had managed to get a life outside of her work that wasn't just Tessa, not to say that Tess was bad to be with, however she wanted something she could to spend less time in the office and more time at home or with friends. She wished that Fauna had a good one considering what she just said about her chocolates. She'd need to research this later, she might have to file paperwork on this.

Fauna had a three day weekend for her Birthday and Valentines, and it was yesterday? Did she share a birthday with that other person? This was not good, not good at all! Gris should of known, she needs to make a planner for people's birthdays. She doesn't want to be caught out, especially when its something she knows from Hogwarts, no matter how little she knew Fauna from their house!

"That wont do, I didn't get you a gift." She said with a slight irritated tone. This was an important thing, getting her a gift! Getting herself coffee, and taking a break from mind numbing work. All of these were very important, besides she is mostly done she thinks, maybe not, her mind was on other things now.

She crossed her arms and thought, what were good presents? She wasn't sure if she can buy much for her now without it being weird, at the very least she could do with getting her a drink or something. Maybe gift of coffee? That would solve several problems wouldn't it? Be good for both, get both energy, and its getting her a belated gift even if its bad.

"How about a coffee? Its the very least I can do for you. Some food along with it? I have some nice stuff at home, if the milk hasn't gone off..." She thought for a moment, it may of gone off now, she has good coffee regardless, so far she was having some good pay and wasn't spending much on food so she managed to afford some good quality coffee.

"...or if it has we go Alohomocha, I'll buy you anything on the menu?" She asked as she looked towards her, it was the least she can do, and it meant not being stuck in the horrible dingy underground of the Ministry.

Fauna chuckled awkwardly under her breath. Gris couldn't be serious, though it felt awkward, hearing her ramble on and make a joke of trainees being forced to fetch coffee and snacks for the Aurors. Had Fauna done something recently to make Gris feel bitter?

Fauna looked at her for a long moment, her brow furrowed in concern, very reminiscent of the brow-furrow her older sister and mother would get as it dawned on them that she wasn't joking about the trials of her job.

She hated the hierarchy on Level Two sometimes! She didn't mind giving orders when necessary or offering guidance and input, but the politics were awful, and a few years of training really did make a difference in some aspects of the job and not enough in others.

"Er. You really don't have to get me anything, Gris," she held her hands up, embarrassment causing her face to flush.

"If you want to... hang out?" Fauna searched for the right term. "I'm up for that, you know? After work, sometime. If you meant now, well, it sounds like you mean now, I'd be up for seeing if the coffee shop is still open."

Maybe she could fully explain, over coffee, that Gris was allowed to forget everyone's birthday on Level Two, especially if they were almost-Aurors, Aurors, or Pratty-Pratts.

"I could get a chocolate chip cookie and share it with you! They have the best," Fauna offered in her sleepy-loopy tone, thinking back to when she'd offered half her cookie to Neville Longbottom, and he'd looked at her awkwardly like she was looking at Gris a moment ago, but that had been at the atrium cafe. Alohomocha's had better cookies.

Fauna wasn't taking it seriously, but this was a serious issue! She tried not to show it on her face however incase she got creeped out. Birthdays were important, missing out on a fellow colleague Hufflepuff's, especially when they went to school together was very bad. She didn't expect anyone to do the same with hers, but Gris needed to celebrate theirs in some sort of way.

Luckily she said yes to going to get coffee, although she seemed fairly awkward about it. Had she thought it was an offer to a date? Or were both of them just very tired and slightly out of it, why was it when you were tired it was like getting drunk in some way? Level nine likely were doing an experiment on it.

"Alohomocha it is." She said cheerfully, now alot more alive then she was before, her neck glowing a pale blue almost as if to represent this fact. "Hang out is it yeah, that is the word." She didn't want to say yet but she may have to turn down on the chocolate cookie, she didn't need sugar, nor was she too into sweet things, chocolate sure, but not often and certainly not chocolate biscuits. Plus too much sugar would be bad, she was trying to survive somewhat healthily to make up for poor sleep.

"Do we...need to turn any lights off or anything?" She asked as she peered somewhat into the office, her wand flashing a little to have a nice comfy jacket fly over and wrap around her body, its going to be cold outside, its dark, winter, and its England. One of these alone is already too cold, combined it makes a horrific triangle that you sort of want to watch happen but are terrified that just being there is enough to get you caught up.

She needed coffee, her thoughts made no sense. The only thing that made sense was she would use her awesome investigative skills to find who used decaff and hang them upside down in just their robe.

Fauna stopped at her desk to put away her files, turn off her desk lamp, and don her Hufflepuff-yellow coat and her bag. She smiled at Gris' question, but waited until they reached the end of bullpen to answer.

She stepped past Carstairs' darkened office and into the waiting area of Level Two, which was always lit. Then she turned to face the dimly lit halls of the bullpen they'd just left.

Fauna lifted her hand in the air and made a circular, finger-fluttering gesture, her face too-serious.

The dimly lit halls went dark.

Fauna chuckled, finally looking at Gris.

"Sorry. I couldn't help myself. I like to pretend - especially when I'm sleepy - that I'm the most magical person. You know? But yeah, that was the building, not me," she chuckled again. "We must have been the last two in the office."

Silly trainees they were!

It didn't take long for them to take the lift to the Atrium, and then the floo to Diagon Alley, and then to walk the mostly empty streets on a late Wednesday night. No moon lit the sky, though it could have been hiding behind the clouds, and Fauna only spared a glance upwards, finding more comfort from the streetlamps and Alohomocha's bright windows just ahead.

She pushed open the door, holding it open for Gris behind her, and sighed in relief at the total lack of St. Valentine's decorations (sorry, Abby). The cafe was a simple, magical cafe again, and Fauna was more than happy to move forward in the year, like she'd been glad to start the new year after a difficult December. She always hoped the future would be better than the present.

"What's your favorite coffee?" Fauna asked Gris while they waited in the very short queue. "Mine is a cinnamon latte."

It was an innocuous kind of question she couldn't help but ask in her sleepy state, pleased to be here and not in the office, and pleasantly surprised that the trainee wanted to get to know her better.

It was nice to be outside, the fresh air was good, the ministry always had an odd smell to her, probably due to being underground, maybe due to the amount of weird experiments on Level 9 or the animals on Level 4 wafting up. Perhaps its the lack of airflow, or magical airflow not being the same as normal airflow since its recycled. Maybe its the mass of people, or maybe its someone just using too much bodyspray thinking it counts as a shower. She remembered in Hogwarts, meeting with people after Quidditch who only used bodyspray to clean themselves, or just boys in general.

Either way it was nicer out in the open air, and natural lighting, there is only so much magical lighting can do to simulate real life, its never quite there. Always slightly off and noticeable of it not being real. She supposed like muggle lighting but atleast then its clearly fake.

They made it to Alohomocha, the comforting light and interior, the smell of coffee, just standing inside the warm and peaceful interior was almost enough to have her fall asleep on the spot, it was so tempting.

"Hm? Oh." She opened her eyes and looked at Fauna. "Oh right. I'm quite fond of the Hebridean Black here." She smiled softly before approaching the counter. "One Cinnamon Latte, one Hebridean Black, a chocolate cookie aaand.." She looked over the menu, she supposed getting something to eat herself may be good, she hasn't had a huge amount today, just what without it being too sugary or unhealthy. "An Almond Croissant please."

She quickly placed down the money needed for it and turned back to Fauna. "Its on me, I didn't get you a birthday gift so this is my apology, plus its easier." She gave a small smile. "If you feel strongly about paying for it then you can take next one."

Fauna opened her mouth to protest out of habit, but nodded instead. Gris didn't seem like she was paying out of obligation. Fauna probably would get the next coffee order sometime, just to balance things out.

"Thank you," she smiled warmly.

They found an open booth and slid into the seats. When their orders arrived, Fauna realized just how different their coffees were - the Hebridean Black coffee was incredibly dark, with tiny dabs of purple sugar that were charmed to stay afloat, while the cinnamon latte was a light cream, with sprinkles of brown cinnamon on top. The barista had placed the chocolate chip cookie with the black coffee, and the almond croissant with the latte, and so Fauna, with a glance at Gris, switched the treats on their plates. Gris now had the croissant. Though of course, Fauna would share the cookie.

The latte tasted just right. Fauna let out a sigh of relief. This would keep her up for another hour or two. Tomorrow would be here before they knew it, bringing with it more stress and worries. Gris had seemed disgruntled earlier, and Fauna wasn't sure if she was just tired or more annoyed about work than her rant had let on.

"How is work going for you?"

Fauna grimaced. She always seemed to bring up work outside of work with her work friends.

"Er, I heard this weekend was tough. Something about a desecrated grave?"

She was relieved when the drinks arrived, she was starting to worry that she would pass out on the table, not the worst place for her to fall asleep, she once slept infront of a store at midnight just so she could be there when it opened at 7AM. That was a fairly cold night for her but she found the ground unnervingly comfortable, that or she was just tired enough that she did not care at all by it.

The coffee was exactly right, even the amount it burnt her tongue, just the right scalding where it burnt your mouth but didn't hurt. She was certainly staying up awake after this for a good few hours now. Whether it was enough to allow her to work was another question, it may end up the both of them just talk before heading home but regardless she was not about to collapse. And she had a croissant now!

"Oh, yeah. I was just making coffees then an auror rushed through telling me to bring some and it all just sort of...went from there. It was weird." It wasn't fun to think about, she wasn't sure how much she was allowed to talk about, but she thinks Fauna would understand if she didn't want to go too much into it. "I think they were...Nick Jonas...Jonas Trevelyn." It was the best way to remember his name, she swears! "And the big scottish guy. Omari?" She picked a piece of nut off of her croissant and ate it.

"Mostly its just so much paperwork. Its not a good cycle." She raised her hand and spread out her pinky. "I get lots of work." She raised her ring finger. "I work overnight to get it done." She raised her middle finger. "I am exhausted the next day." She raised her index finger. "I get more work for getting it done quickly." She raised her thumb which was not a finger. "Repeat."

"Atleast I found a few spaces small enough for me to crawl into that humans can't reach for sleeping. Which is great for taking naps in. I just wish you could get more pay for working over day and night or something." She sighed and slumped into her comfy chair, taking a small sip of her coffee.