Snippet #2698698

"Miss Valenta, if you don't come now we'll be late, and..." The Ministry worker shuffled nervously on his feet as amused, mismatched eyes fell on him. An arched eyebrow and thinly veiled smirk made him fidget all the more, his hands unsuccessfully attempting to scrunch the bowler hat he was holding into a ball. "I've been instructed that you're to be there with the rest of the recruits, or else..."

"Or else you'll string me up by my thumbs and leave me to the dementors I suppose." Cybele Valenta finished, her smirk and tone indicating the sarcasm of her words. No flicker of humour passed across the ministry worker's face however, instead his brows furrowed in concern.

"Oh no, Miss Valenta, your crimes don't warrant a dementor's kiss." Came Rudolph Clearbrook's serious reply, his head shaking earnestly. "That punishment is reserved for the worst offences, perhaps fifty years ago you may have had your thumbs removed for theft, and even then..."

Cybele tuned out the rest of Mr Clearbrook's words, not interested in the least about the legal specifications regarding particular levels of crimes. Regardless of whether he had the attention of his audience, namely Cybele, or not Mr Clearbrook continued to talk. Four days she had been stuck with Mr Clearbrook, who had been assigned to watch her after her own punishment had been handed down by the wizengamot. Her punishment was a seemingly boring servitude to the very office she had once run from, due to start when the other recruits arrived.

Cybele could still smell the dank oppression and righteous justice of the wizengamot's dungeons, where the trial had taken place. She had been magically cuffed and made to stand before a scornful judge, her crimes read out and analysed, her future dictated by a group of bureaucratic nobodies. Yet, she would have preferred to repeat that all again than be forced to spend another moment with the stick in the mud the Ministry had assigned to watch her before work began. All he'd done was bore her with protocol and legal lectures. He didn't recognise sarcasm, and jokes flew right over his head. Cybele half thought that this must have been part of the punishment too, being placed with, quite possibly, the most boring person at the Ministry.

With that thought in mind, Cybele decided it was definitely time to see what else the Ministry had to offer. "Alright, let's go." Cybil interrupted the man mid-sentence, pushing herself to her feet and raising an eyebrow, "What's the punishment for tardiness at the ministry?"

Rudolph, apparently caught off-balance by the interruption, took a moment to collect his thoughts before answering, "I believe that would depend on the department. I, myself, have never been subjected to such punishment, as I am always very timely."

"Except when you're accompanying criminals to work?" Cybele replied with an amused smirk. Again, the humour completely bypassed Rudolph, and the man instead looked at his timekeeper before replying,

"Actually Miss, I believe we will be on time if we leave within the next two minutes. Do you have everything you will need for the day?"

Cybele patted down the pockets of her black robes, feeling the slim shape of her wand inside the folds. The robe she wore, black with pale violet inner-lining and accents, was one of her own. While the ministry may have confiscated much of her illegally obtained items, they had at least allowed her to keep her clothes. If Rudolph's uniform was anything to go by, she was exceptionally glad for this. Not least because much of her clothing had small pockets hidden within the folds, perfect for ferreting away little treasures here and there. Now, however, she only possessed her wand.

It was a short trip to the ministry, as most apparition trips tend to be. A soft crack signalled their departure and arrival, with Mr Clearbrook's hand releasing her arm once their feet had hit the marbled floor of the Ministry. The man stayed close as the pair made their way to the 8th floor, nodding occasionally at equally stoney faced workers they passed. Only when they found the atrium, lined with white chairs for the Ministry's recruits, did he stop walking.

"I'm to leave you here, but first..." The man pulled out his wand, and before Cybele had time to react, a spell had left his lips and what looked like a small cloud of glittering dust shot from the tip of his wand towards her head. Cybele took a step back in surprise, but the dust had already dissipated, leaving Cybele with only a strong urge to sneeze. "The tracking spell links directly to the Ministry. Your whereabouts will henceforth be known and recorded. Should you try to leave the country they will be alarmed."

"Creepy." Cybele muttered, rubbing her nose. Clearly, this made any thoughts of escape much more difficult.

"Necessary given your abilities." He responded, before his wandless hand waved towards the seating. "Please, take a seat. I am sure the Minister won't be long."

"It's been a blast, Ruddie." Cybele said in farewell, lazily saluting the man as she turned and headed towards the seating. There were already several people seated, some she might have gone to school with, others she'd never seen in her life. The witch took a seat somewhere in the middle, glancing around in amusement at all the other solitary souls seated alone. She idly wondered if any of them would be her new 'team mates', those with whom she would work with in the Law Enforcement department. While her situation was less than ideal, Cybele couldn't deny that the coming weeks would be interesting.