26 May 2012
Saturday - just before 1 PM
Gardens above the Waldgraf home
Schönau am Konigsee, Bavaria, Germany

Snow still sat low in the mountains surrounding the lake but the first hint of summer had settled into the valley.  It was even just warm enough that drying off after a quick swim wasn't intolerable, though the swim itself benefited from a quick warming charm.  With one of the fireplaces on the property properly connected to the floo network, it had become wonderfully easy to sneak away from the bustle of London for a quick picnic lunch. 

Forged from something much stronger than Sasha, Baldur was content to splash in the water without magical protections from the cold.  Heaven help him, though, if he waited until he'd come back to the blanket to shake.  Of course, given how close he'd come to losing the pup, Sasha knew such things were empty threats. 

"You'd know best if they were actually dating," Sasha offered, scooping up a small amount of hummus with a carrot stick.  "We're often seem cut off from the drama outside of Level 9 but they sure seemed to be making eyes at each other in the lift." 

Sasha munched on the carrot before shrugging and grinning.  "I suppose, they don't actually have to be dating.  Maybe it's more ... coworkers with benefits?" 

Between two separate floors of the Ministry of Magic and a university filled with carefree youngsters, there was no shortage of gossip or scandalous tales to catch up on.  Being able to gossip openly, without being overheard, was another prime benefit of sneaking away to the mountains for a lunch.  Discretion had another purpose this afternoon, though.  There were other topics to discuss that were best done far from the threat of eavesdroppers. 

"See - if only the Ministry was more open to muggle technology.  I swear, someone could do a show like The Office about the Ministry and it would be the craziest, most hilarious thing ever."