It was all that he could do to drag Malone from the office to go and get some lunch. Paperwork, leads, information, everything seemed to be calling her name to stay at the office. That, and the ever possible, inappropriate prank from some of the other aurors. Ackerly did not understand why some of his colleagues felt the need to torture each other, but he found it highly unprofessional. No matter how good you were at the job, it didn't give you an excuse to make a mockery of the office. Still, Ackerly had reassured his friend that if anything were to go awry while they were gone, that he would take care of it. They might not be intimidated by Malone, but Ackerly was very capable of kicking everyone's ass in that department. (Except for Raynor's, she was a scary lady.)

Diagon Alley didn't have very much to offer as far as lunch was concerned. But Ackerly knew he didn't want to go to the Leaky Cauldron. The place wasn't exactly clean, and did not offer a positive environment. There was a small place in Diagon, though, a sandwich shop that had good sandwiches and good soup. Healthy food, too. Ackerly was always watching what he ate, how much he ate, and when he ate his food.

Heading into the shop, he snagged a table by the window. "This is a good place," he told her. "Doesn't do a lot of business, but they've got good food... And it's clean." The clean part was obviously important to Ackerly. Cleanliness was a quality he appreciated in others. It was one of his least favorite parts of the job- sometimes you just had to get dirty, and sometimes it was a long time before you could get a shower. Sure, a quick flick of a wand could do wonders, but it just wasn't the same as standing under a stream of hot water. "I always get the same thing, though," he told her. "So I'm not good at suggesting anything."

Ackerly picked up the laminated page menu and handed it to her. "Only restriction is I won't let you drink on the job, Malone. I know how tempting it is, but it's not going to happen." Even though he was teasing her, his voice sounded very serious. It was difficult to tell with this particular auror when he was joking around, but he and Malone had been friends for a long time- he'd even helped to train her, so she could usually pick up on it.

Going to lunch had not been high on the list of things that Charlene would have considered likely for her day, and if it had been anyone but Ackerly Fox who had been asking, she would have firmly said no.  The older Auror, though, had a knack for getting what he wanted.  Maybe he was really just that much more stubborn that she was; maybe following his orders was still engrained in her after the three years she'd spent training under him, even though they seemed so long ago.  Whatever the reason, Charlene had reluctantly given in and agreed to accompany her former mentor to Diagon Alley.

She hated to admit it to herself, but getting out of the office for a change was a relief.  She didn't have to deal with Pratt or make excuses to avoid Bailey, and if any of the usual culprits used her absence to mess with her desk again, she had no doubt that Fox would make good on his promise.  Charlene would have paid good money to see the results if Pratt or Radley tried to play a prank on him.

The cafe seemed decent and clean, though Charlene wouldn't have expected anything else, familiar as she was with Fox's exacting standards.  She followed the older man to the table, taking the opposite seat as she gave the interior of the restaurant a quick surveying glance.

"That's too bad," she replied, her voice dry enough to match his own serious tone.  "And here I was thinking that a drink was the only thing that would get me through the afternoon.  You don't make allowances depending on the day?"

She couldn't help letting out a sigh as she picked up the menu.  Eating somewhere besides her desk was a luxury that she usually didn't allow herself, and not being surrounded by the constant reminders of the danger and unrest was a relief, even if it was a brief respite. 

"I hate to admit it, but you might have been right," she informed the older man, giving him a slight smile before turning her attention back to the menu items.  "It's nice to get out of the office.  Remind me again why we don't do this more often?"

Ackerly grinned at her, shaking his head. "Sorry, but I can't do that. If I make an exception for you, I would have to make an exception for everyone- and I think that you and I can both agree that the last thing we need is to have Pratt and Radley drinking on the job." If they were doing that, Ackerly might have to put propriety, teamwork, and all that other good stuff aside and throttle the both of them. Any excuse, really, to throttle them would work well enough for Ackerly.

He watched her carefully as she picked up the menu, sighing. And gave her a very "I-told-you-so" grin when she said that he was right. Of course he had been right. At his age, with his experience, you were not wrong very often. "The office is like a home away from home, but sometimes, you need to get out of the house," he told her.

As for why they didn't do it more often- both knew the reason for that. Ackerly had tried not to fraternize with Malone quite so much after his wife had decided that he was having an affair with her. Well, ex-wife. They had been broken up for a while now. She was a damn good auror, though, and a good friend. They got along, had the same values, and both took the same approach to the job. Friends in the auror office were hard to find. Not much to choose from. What with Bailey (who really didn't annoy Ackerly as much he did everyone else), and then Pratt and Radley treating the place like a frat house.

But now that he was a free man, he'd been trying to not worry quite so much about what Isabel might think. She had moved on, had a new fiance, and custody of their children, and it seemed everyone had what they wanted. Ackerly could devote himself one hundred percent to the job, and she could have the doting husband and perfect father.

Ackerly decided not to bring any of that up. "Both of us are usually too engrossed in the job to make time to go to lunch. Especially together. You take a break when you can catch it. you don't drop the ball to go and have lunch for the hell of it." Not if you were dedicated, anyway. "So how's life been, Malone?"

Spending time with the elder Auror was so often like a breath of fresh air.  Ever since she'd met him, Charlene had always looked up to Fox for his determined approach to work, but now more than ever, she appreciated how her former mentor could get the job done and still remember to catch his breath.  The work on Level Two was important enough that it was sometimes hard to remember that an over-stressed Auror was not nearly as effective as one who had her head in the right place.

Life, though, was never a common topic of conversation between them.  Charlene knew that Ackerly had gone through a tough time at home, and even suspected what some of it might have entailed, but the other Auror was private enough that she had taken the hint and never asked.  He had become more withdrawn while going through the divorce, but even so, she still appreciated his wisdom and his dry sense of humor.

"It's been," she replied, slanting him a wry look.  "That's about the best I can give it.  My new partner's still among the living," she said with a shrug, "but that's not for his lack of trying, though.  I'd almost suspect that Raynor put us together just to see which of us would do in the other first if I didn't realize that she has an obligation to make certain that everything is done properly, whatever it takes."  The way she saw it, she was simply the unfortunate one who had to clean up Pratt's mess.

"As for the rest of it..."  Charlene trailed off.  There really wasn't a rest of it; work on Level Two took up most of her energy, both on and off the clock.  "Well, what can I say?" she asked, giving him a dry smile.  "The office keeps us all busy.  There hasn't been much time for anything outside of that recently, has there?"

Ackerly pulled a face at the mention of her partner, shaking his head in a very disappointed way. "Pratt never was any good at anything other than being an arse," he stated. "Thinks the job is about having fun- doesn't realize there is more at stake than just his own behind. If he keeps putting his toes out of line, you're better to chop them off then let him get away with it. He's just like a toddler- give him an inch and he will take a mile." Ackerly knew a thing or two about toddlers- he'd had one, after all. His son was the sort to do the very thing. He wasn't so sure about his daughter...

"If you ever need me to give Pratt a swift kick in the arse so you can get some work done, I don't mind. But it's a good thing they stuck him with you, or he'd never get anything done. Can you imagine him and Radley on the same case? It would be like a freakin' circus. You'd think Raynor would realize they're not worth the time they waste." They needed more aurors that were dedicated like himself and Malone. Not ones who wouldn't know rules and regulations if their lives depended on it.

"No, there hasn't," he agreed. Time enough to catch a few hours of sleep, and grab something to eat once a day- maybe twice. Ackerly was running himself ragged trying to keep up with work, life, and his fitness regime. Not that he would let anyone see it. The last thing he intended to do was let anybody realize that age might be catching up to him, because it most certainly wasn't. There was just a sudden influx of bad guys it seemed. There was so much going on it was hard to keep up- especially with that underground movement going on. (And Ackerly was still very bitter about not being a part of that case, too.)

"Cases going well?" he asked. He knew not to mention anything specific in public- sensitive information, classified topics, things of that nature. Ackerly was a good auror, and he played by the books- even though sometimes the books could be very restricting and inconvenient.

He looked up as his usual order was brought to him- without him even having to place it. "Thanks," he said with a smile. "Better make your mind, Malone. We don't have all day to enjoy ourselves." He sipped his water and then took a large bite out of his sandwich. Delicious, as always. "And fuel is good for the mind and body- or something like that."

Ackerly's opinion of the less professional members of the Auror office was well known, but hearing his thoughts voiced was still refreshing.  Charlene favored him with a smile as he offered to help, even as she knew she wouldn't accept.  Having a Senior Auror, even one that she considered a good friend, fight her battles for her wouldn't make dealing with her new partner any easier.

"Yes, well, I'm certain that they bring value to the Department," she replied, straight-faced.  It was the company line, even if she didn't entirely believe it - she knew Radley worked hard and she had always assumed the same about Pratt before she'd had to partner with him, though she had her doubts now.  "And I'll be all right.  If anything happens again, I'm bringing it to Raynor.  It's good practice for having to deal with other difficult personalities one day," she added pragmatically.  "Not everyone at the Ministry shares the same work ethic as the Auror office."

She wasn't surprised that the other Auror's meal arrived without him even having to order.  Fox was nothing if not a man of routine; Charlene half suspected that she could set her clock to his arrival in the morning, and her calendar to what sort of sandwich he brought to lunch.  She favored the other man with a dry smile.

"I'll have what he's having," she informed the waiter, snapping the menu closed and handing it over.  "We'll see how your judgement's getting, Fox."

She waited until the server had departed again before responding to her companion's other question, considering her water thoughtfully as she thought about her answer.  "'Well' may be too strong of a word," she said at last.  "But I think that's true of anything right now.  There's just so much of it that it's hard to finish any one thing."

Charlene paused for a moment, and then glanced at the other man.  She was usually loathe to bring up times gone by with any of the other veterans in the department, but if any of them were going to give her a straight answer without gloating on and on about the hard times they'd weathered, it was Ackerly.  "Is this much of what it was like during the last war?" she asked evenly, her eyes flickering over to the server to make sure that he was out of earshot.  "It seems almost as if everything's happening all at once."

"Not everyone at the ministry holds the fate of the entire wizarding populace in their hands, either. We deal with some very dangerous people and if it wasn't for us they'd be out in Diagon Alley cursing every witch and wizard they could get their hands on," Ackerly replied to her comment about work ethic. It was true, though. Even the least diligent of aurors seemed to work twice as hard as anyone else in the entire building. There were just some people there who seemed to not really have a true purpose. They had a librarian and a receptionist after all. (Not that he was overly complaining about the welcome witch's position- she was fun when he needed to blow off some steam.)

He grinned at her comment about his judgment. "Impeccable as always," he retorted. Except for where his wife and kids were concerned, apparently. A lot of people seemed to think he had everything backward and should quit the force to save his family- he couldn't do that. His whole life had been about doing this job, and that wasn't going to change. Especially when he was apparently one hundred percent replaceable in his wife's eyes.

Ackerly's smile faltered as Malone brought up a much more serious and pressing subject. He sighed, putting his sandwich down and giving her a very level stare. Public wasn't really the place to discuss all of this, so he promptly cast a charm to prevent others from hearing the two of them. "It started this way, it seemed," Ackerly told her. "But we have a better idea of what's going on and have the capabilities to nip it in the bud this time. The difference is that there doesn't seem to be a ringleader or some crazy dark wizard leading whatever the hell has been going on."

"The Ministry isn't going to lay down and take it like we did last time. And I'm sure as hell not going to skip town this time if they do. I'm going to keep my ass right where it belongs- killing those bastards who are making life hell for everyone else. It's not easy, Malone. Never has been and it never will be. But we're more prepared now than we were last time, and even though we're under staffed, we've got everything under control. Raynor is a stand up lady, and she won't back down." Not that he really thought she had originally been fit for her current position, but who was he to argue? He had skeletons in his closet and demons in his past just like everyone else. He had been no better qualified than she at that point in time.

"It's our job to take care of the people," Ackerly told her. "And it's my job to take care of you and the few other aurors in our department I give a damn about. You still have your life to live- a lot left to accomplish and all that. I've done everything I set out to do, so if anyone is going to take a hex for you it's me." If anyone could hear them, they might misinterpret the sentiment as a romantic one- but it wasn't. Ackerly was not much of a father to his children, but he did have a protective instinct for people, even if it was a bit misplaced.

"But we're not here to discuss the office," he finally added, lifting the charm when he saw them approaching with her food. "We're here for a break from all of that. Surely to Godric we're interesting enough people to have something other than work to talk about."