Sitting in his spare flat the clocked ticked soundlessly on the wall. Lukas rubbed open his eyes as the light poured into the bedroom. Sparsely decorated, the flat was more of a place to stay when he needed to be close. Even just apparating the little bit seemed to feel quicker to him, so when his job called on him Lukas would be ready at the spur of a moment. Also staggering in from a pub a convenient when you had a place to stagger too. It wasn't like you could always flop down on the couches and beds of random strangers. Well he was certain if he did it would be rather bad form.

The night had been one of celebration after the capture of another wanted and dangerous wizard criminal who had been preying on muggles for kicks. The unit he had worked with on the mission had decided to go for a celebratory drink and it ended up that their little squad ended up smashed.

He had to practically drag himself back, it had been too long since he let himself let loose but he hadn't expected to go that far. His wild side was set on cruise control he forgot all of his responsibilities.

Well his responsibilities didn't forget him. In fact the sunlight glaring him in the eye through the curtains were a reminder of his day ahead. Moving from the comfort of the sheets he groaned feeling the headache hit him like a bludger. “Bloody hell” he muttered before he toppled into the washroom. It took him a little longer than usual to get himself cleaned and presentable for work.

Stopping off at the apothecary he picked up a potion for the hangover and he apparated to work. It wasn't long before he found himself in a small room meeting with other Hit Wizards. They droned on and on the sounds of their voices ripped into his head like a sledgehammer. 'Oh right, the potion' he thought as his hand slipped into his robes producing a small vile of gray liquid. Screwing open the bottle he closed his eyes and downed the chilly sip easily. The feeling of disgust was coupled with the wellness he felt as it slowly took effect.

Perking up, Lukas opened his eyes fully and looked back at his colleagues it was than that he realized they were all a little worse off. At least he didn't feel so bad coming in as banged up as he did. Running his fingers through his hair he let out a loud sigh, “So let's get this show on the road shall we?” There was a collective groan as he popped up out of the chair and he just chuckled heading back out into the hallway for some fresh air.

Not all headaches could be remedied with nothing more than a vial of potion. Take the Head Auror, for example, predictably prowling the scope of Level Two. The influx of Aurors at the Apothecary would soar if it could produce a cure for that predicament.

Folding back layers of parchment on her clipboard, the woman’s eyebrows drew together in concentration.  Her feet carried her through the many twists and turns of the Law Enforcement Department, the tread imprinted on her muscle memory as she consulted the text before her.  The orders to double security for Kingstreet’s hearing had been issued the morning after Raynor had received them. The forms she was delivering now were nothing more than the revised, official roaster of hitwizards that she had assigned to the date of the trial (which was, now, all of them). 

Personally, the Auror found it excessive. The event was surely going to stir a lot of emotions, but the last thing they needed was for the Ministry to appear shaken because of it. Recalling Belisario’s mental state Monday evening – she could not bring herself to completely scoff the order. So, instead, she had spread the forces out through the Ministry like a trail of bread crumbs leading down to Level Ten. This way, to the casual observer, there would appear to be much less reinforcements than there really was going to be. Arranging the postings the way she had also created more check points, so it would be less possible that any risks would slip past their detection. If a situation occurred in the Ministry, half a dozen hitwizards would be able to respond in under a minute anywhere in the building. It would have to do.

Flipping the page, she studied the latest crime reports as her legs weaved their way through an intricate pattern of cubicles. An anti-muggle instigator had been apprehended last night. Yet another addition to the crime rise, however slight it was.  Shaking her head, Raynor drifted out into a main hall flanked by two columns of subsequent doors. Just more –

Ooaf.

It felt as if she collided with a brick wall. Close. A man appeared from one of the doors lining the corridor and the inattentive Auror walked right into him. Not a usual occurrence. Most personnel she encountered in the halls made a point of veering safely out of her path, not the other way around.  Rebounding, reflexes saved her any further embarrassment.

Outwardly unperturbed, Raynor’s gaze traveled upward… and upward… until it rest on the haggard face of a man more than a foot taller than her. It was a predicament she had grown accustom to. Careers that involved brandishing wands at dark wizards seemed to have a natural inclination of attracting giants. The mentality tended to fit the stature.

Not one of hers. It was the first cross-reference in her mind as she tried to identify his face with the men enlisted under her. Familiar though. A hitwizard then. An older one… began with a Q… Queen. No. That wasn’t right. It was,

“Quinn,” she greeted simply.   

Lukas usually didn't drink to excess like that. Maybe he was caught up in the moment or he let the fact that his son rejected his latest attempt to smooth things over. But either way things weren't looking like it was going to change anytime soon. Sure he made his mistakes but it wasn't like he wasn't trying to fix things.

He was enjoying the air in the hall, it was better than being next to a bunch of men coming off a liquored up evening. The room had stagnant air he needed to avoid with every fiber of his being.

Little did he know that someone would slam into him as soon as he exited the entrance. He cocked a brow and looked over at her, "Yeah?" He didn't know her very well, she worked for the ministry and she was higher up than most but the Hit Wizard's didn't answer to her.

They were a group onto their own, meant to seek out criminals and others who cause trouble. The team he worked with the most all had the same build, though their backgrounds weren't exactly similar. Each had their own stories to why they were there and why they chose the career path they did.

Her name came to him, "Raynor..." Lukas gave her a polite nod and continued to walk farther down the hall.

“Yeah?"

The lack of grammatical finesse irked her more than the less than chivalrous tone in which the single syllable was delivered. It was wholeheartedly unbefitting of his age and therefore came off as incredibly…  American. It left her questioning the propriety of his lineage. Instead of expressing this concern, she arched an eyebrow of her own deftly in response. The man truly did look as if he woke up on the right side of a dragon lair. That had to be the explanation.

Regardless, Quinn did not seem much put off at the impromptu encounter. Though, truthfully, the collision probably had more of an impact on her petite frame. Her thumb tapped against her jostled pile of clipboard documents, now considerably more creased, as he stared back down at her. Raynor could almost hear the wheels in his head creaking before he finally produced her name in turn. And, to give him credit, the man did offer a respectable nod in return.

The Auror might have seen the occasion fit to offer an apology at that moment, if the hitwizard had not chosen that moment to stalk off. The abruptness of it surprised her, producing a solid blink of her eyes. Hitwizards. Traditionally the two breeds of law enforcers did not get along. They tended to find Aurors ungrateful. Aurors tended to find them arrogant for a lot that forgo the three years of training required to earn admittance to the elite group. The department could not function without either. However, Raynor was not entirely unbiased.

Shaking her head, Tamis reluctantly resumed her original trajectory. Which happened to be the same direction the man had just taken off in. Consulting the forms before her, she flipped through the Hitwizard related documents and stumbled over a bit of information she might have overlooked if not for the mishap a few seconds ago.

“A moment, Quinn.” She called after him, frowning to herself. It was not often she made such careless slips.