Glorious Monday morning. Johann leaned against the wall between two of the fireplaces down one side of the great Atrium belonging to the British Ministry of Magic. The tiles behind him that shone in the firelight every time the fires flared to announce the entry of one of the hundreds of Ministry workers, were cool against his back, and he folded his hands behind himself, feeling the smooth glaze. Every time the fire flared, he felt a shot of heat dissipating onto his nearest shoulder, keeping him both warm and not overly toasted as he partook in his favourite game - people watching.

Correction, one of his favourite games. The others included winding up anyone in the department, seeing how long he could go without sleep, and a whole list of others. Dressed in his suit, with an open necked shirt, never really favouring traditional robes, he watched his counterparts with a steady gaze, watching their interactions, hearing snippets of their conversations, running through names and roles in his head, challenging himself to remember more of them each morning, all the while, killing time before he had to go and translate some dull documents because he'd pissed someone off in the trade department again.

Then, he saw a face that triggered a memory of Gabrielle describing that face only recently. His mind flicked back, summoning the name to the front and at the same time becoming amused by Gabrielle's opinion of him. What the hell, it was Monday, he fancied a challenge. Pushing himself from the wall with his fingertips, he made his way through the crowd towards the face, and moved into its eye line.

"Good morning Mr Prideaux." Johann greeted smoothly, with a polite smile across his features. "Do hope I'm not interrupting, Sir. We haven't met, but I've heard much about you. Johann Storm." He extended his hand to shake. "I'm a linguist for the Department of International Magical Cooperation, under Gabrielle Murray-Harker." 

Ah, the Ministry! Center of power and, for Vedir, a veritable playground of petty relationships, money and foolish people. He almost missed working here, but it did rather drag on when he was younger; and far fewer women in positions of power, too. If they'd had more of those, he would have stayed. Now he only returned for basic business and pleasure.

Oh, yes - he enjoyed the Ministry very much. It was very, very hard to get bored, here. Of course, there was always dull Hogwarts business to take care of; but he could do that after he'd made the Welcome Witch dissolve into giggles.

To be suddenly approached in the Atrium as he headed towards the far offices was a surprise, and it showed on his face.  It was rare people simply walked up to him, but rarely did such encounters bother him. Lowing his eyebrows, he donned an easy smile.

"Not an interruption at all, Mister Storm - well met!" he said cheerfully, shaking Johann's hand firmly. "O dear, work for Miss Murray-Harker, do you? You have my sympathies," he said, his eyes twinkling with dark humor. "A capable woman with something of a nasty streak, I've come to understand. What can I do for you?"

"A capable woman with something of a nasty streak, I've come to understand. What can I do for you?"

Johann smiled.
"I cannot really comment on my direct superior, however much I would be inclined to agree." His eyes glinted with malicious humour. "And, however cliche this sounds, it is more of a case of what I can do for you." Johann placed the palms of his hands together as if in prayer,
"I've heard you're a busy man, so I understand if you'd prefer me to leave you be - but I have heard good things about you and your lines of business. That you are someone one should meet and be introduced to. Since I'm not the most conventional, I figured accosting you in the Ministry atrium would swerve nicely round the acquisition of mutual acquaintance and cut right to the chase." As he explained, he gestured the swerve with one hand and then placed them together again.

"I'd imagine this has very little interest to you - but I am fluent in German, English, French, Dutch, Japanese, Mandarin, with enough knowledge in Russian and Spanish, a decade of translating and advising on foreign market deals. I also know that people who want to deceive you find other ways to approach your trust and confidence than accosting you in a public place." Breathing out he could feel his heart beating a little quicker, wondering if the potential bullshit sounding introduction would intrigue Vedir or put him off entirely.

"However, if it did interest you, I'd be happy to elaborate, and if not, I'll never mention this again and you can discount me as entirely insane and dangerous to know." Raising an eyebrow and smiling broadly, Johann took a step back from Vedir, giving him a choice not only in his words but his body language, by creating the space.

Vedir cocked his head to the side as the young man spoke, taking the measure of Johann as the younger man spoke. An eyebrow cocked critically was the only indication Vedir was considering Johann's words with anything but cheerful curiosity.

Despite his proposal, Johann seemed somewhat nervous; well he might, Vedir thought - technically, his actions were quite bold and to many would be considered rude. But he couldn't help the slight smile that teased his features - or the spark of interest that had little to do with translation or foreign markets.

"As a matter of fact, Mister Storm, I am in need of a translator - lost mine recently, sadly," he said when the young man had finished. "Been rather hard to replace him; I require a translator who can be trusted with somewhat sensitive documents, and I have yet to encounter one I was comfortable with." The man who had been his previous translator hadn't been able to retain his trustworthy quality - thankfully, Vedir never trusted anyone.

He gestured to the benches by the fountain. "I would certainly love to hear you elaborate, if you are comfortable doing so here."

"As a matter of fact, Mister Storm, I am in need of a translator - lost mine recently, sadly," Vedir replied, Johann quite relieved to hear him say that. If Johann had been more in tune with the aurors, however, he might have taken lost mine recently and added in an unfortunate accident - not that there was anything to suggest that at all, but once a bad egg, always a bad egg?

"Been rather hard to replace him; I require a translator who can be trusted with somewhat sensitive documents, and I have yet to encounter one I was comfortable with."

"I understand the predicament, Sir." Johann nodded respectfully.

Vedir gestured to the benches by the fountain.
"I would certainly love to hear you elaborate, if you are comfortable doing so here."
"Certainly, if you can spare the time?" Johann's tone rose at the end of his response in question - though it was politely rhetorical.

The two of them made their way through the remainder of the bustle of people and seated themselves on one of the benches, turned towards each other slightly for better ease of conversation.
"I say I understand the predicament, is because I see it every day. My colleagues," He gestured upwards in the direction of the lifts and offices, "sometimes don't realise they're discussing and gossiping sensitive information from the paperwork we handle and translate for the Ministry and trade departments. They save me the bother of needing to read extra documents by broadcasting it." He shook his head. "I may be interested in what is going on in the bigger picture, Sir, but I know very well not to discuss even the mundane developments in cauldron thickness rulings. Of which documents are most likely waiting for me upstairs as we speak - no hurry." He gestured with his hand palm down as if to indicate he wasn't about to flee upstairs in a rush to deal with them.

"One of the largest importers of apothecary produce to Germany have used my services for several years now. Unfortunately my recent move to England has meant my duties are reduced, which has meant I have passed the valuable work on to colleagues over there I admire and trust. The owner," the German name tripped off Johann's tongue "had been caught out by a false translation of documents to import Jobberknoll feathers, locked into a contract of ten years without reducing the price even when the market grew and the price per hundred-feather dropped. Neat little deception, and also proved you cannot rely entirely on translation charms for documents, nor translators you can't look in the eye."

Johann smirked, and in the back of his head thought of another client that had looked him in the eye, but had discovered Johann had grown a moral conscience over importing hallucinogenics, and now probably wanted to pull his eyes out.
"I traveled with him, they were unable to outwit with their own language difference with me there, and agreed to rewrite the contract, or be blacklisted in the European region. Subsequently the price dropped below their market value, and they couldn't so much as sneeze about a shipment without my employer's say so." Johann forgot to mention the part where they also took with them three ex-auror types who were built like houses and had put three of the traders in painful positions before the agreement was done. It was all on an intellectual level really.

"There have been others - gentlemen of social circles requesting contracts with their mistresses to ensure their silence using unbreakable vows. It takes quite some time to adequately explain the concept to some of those ladies, there's a great social taboo against using it for such means in the far East. Spent a fair few months in and out of the magical hospital in Germany - the doctors needed someone to accurately explain to foreign patients what needed to be done to heal them. Learned an awful lot in doing that - you can be far more easily accurate in written translation because the full sentence is there before you, and you can revise it - but verbal translation is a one shot - has to be exact first time to prevent misunderstanding." He lowered his head a little, realising he was chattering a little too much potentially. "Still, makes a difference to drawing up documents on self preparing teapots on the British market that have a talent at filling themselves with shiny objects of value instead of tea, and then making a bid for freedom."

He could safely disclose that, given that the whole amusing matter had already been published in the Daily Prophet due to the criminal prosecution of the creator taking place. Johann had loved the neat little concept, even if had meant widespread attempted theft by enchanted teapots up and down Britain.

Vedir smiled slightly as the younger man spoke, his expression betraying polite interest but little more. Inside, however, he was thinking.

"Several of the people you've worked for have ties to my family, I've no doubt," he said with an amused smile. "Which isn't always a point in anyone's favor, I'm afraid," he added with a good-humored chuckle. "But you seem to have some sense, which is more than I can say for many of your colleagues."

He fell silent as he pondered for a few minutes; in many ways, he appreciated Johann's boldness. The man was clearly intelligent, but there was something about him that smelled like fun.

And Vedir was not a man to turn down fun.

"While I hate to seem to be easy to convince, Mister Storm, I must confess you've rather caught my interest," he said, all friendly smiles. "While it would seem both of us are rather busy men today - I'm open this evening, if you wouldn't mind stopping by my home to discuss this further?"

"While I hate to seem to be easy to convince, Mister Storm, I must confess you've rather caught my interest, while it would seem both of us are rather busy men today - I'm open this evening, if you wouldn't mind stopping by my home to discuss this further?" Vedir gave a smile, and Johann felt himself relax and mirror such.

"Of course, I would be honoured." Johann replied graciously, nodding his head respectfully. "At what time should I call?" He asked politely, keen not to appear at an inconvenient time. It was hard to judge sometimes - people were creatures of habit though.

A time arranged, Johann reached to shake hands with Vedir, and they stood up.
"I will take up no more of your time until tonight, Sir. My Ministry duties await. Good day." With a nod, he stepped away and made his way down the Atrium, stealing a quick glance back at Vedir, his mind rather surprised at how well that had gone. He wondered if he should feel more uneasy about that fact...

Reaching the lifts, he caught sight of the time and realised he'd get an earful from someone self-righteous like Kaydn Hamilton for being late - but he didn't give a hippogriff's backside. He'd potentially got a lucrative deal in progress with Vedir Prideaux. It took all his self restraint not to skip through the open golden lift grille.