At Your Service || Marlon

[Raelene Abazis]

"You can do this. You're going to do great," Rae recited to herself in the mirror as she touched up her lips with a dab of lip stick. Once she was sure the color was just right, Rae twisted the tube and placed the top back on before replacing it in her make-up kit that she stored inside her purse. It was her first day and first day meant first impressions. Fortunately, Raelene was pretty good at making first impressions and, in her opinion, even better at the work she always accomplished. There was no doubt in her mind that she would make a great impression once she was given the chance to go to work. It was the first initial moments that would be the problem, the time before she got into her zone. Though, with what she was hearing, there wouldn't be much time before her arrival and the start of her working. She was told to start immediately which was sign number one that they were going to shove her right into the deep end. Then there was all of the paper coverage. Though it wasn't much, just the few articles that were being published showed that the Ministry was in deep. The Dark Lord was number one on their list and from what it sounded like, he had gone too deep into hiding to be found. That was, no doubt, giving them a huge headache that took up far too much time. Then with all of the random attacks across the world? Talk about an international relations nightmare. Yes, she would be busy, and busy was what she did best. While Rae did love to party, shop, drink, all of the things a normal twenty-three year old loves to do, she loved her work even more.

It wasn't that evident when she was in Australia, though. Working under her father had taken a lot of the fire out of her, a lot of the passion that made her great at what she did. They were always looking for too much from her, looking for perfection. That expectation hanging over her head every day when she walked into the office took the drive out of her and made her work second-rate at best, though still better than her father's last secretary. Her work product wasn't the reason why she had left Australia, why she had left her parents, but it was a motivation not to go back. Fortunately, she didn't have to worry about them again. Her parents had pretty much told her never to call, never to write, and not to even think about using them for a reference if she walked out of her father's office that day. Good. Because she hadn't even planned to. Rae had gotten this job on her own, without needing their references, without informing people of the long line of Ministry workers in her family. It would only place more expectations on her, the same thing she was trying to get away from. But here, when she walked through the doors in a few minutes, she would be her own person making her own way in life. The thought brought a smile across her face as she grabbed her purse and slung it around her shoulder, walking out of the apartment she now called home. Once she locked the door behind her and slid her keys into her purse, Rae apparated to the front of the grand building, the building where she was now employed full-time. It was spectacular to say the least, and just standing there made her in awe of Austria. This Ministry was so much more perfect than the Australian Ministry. She loved her country, of course, but Austria was going to be so much better for her in the long run. So much more exciting.

Taking in a deep breath, Rae slipped herself into the crowd that was winding their way through the doors. It was the early crowd, especially considering the sun had hardly just started coming over the horizon, but there was no sleep for the working class. Especially not when there were so many things to be done. Because not only was it Rae's first day, but she happened to be working for a new Minister. He had just been announced, just taken over his position from the past Minister. Somehow, that knowledge only made Raelene that much more excited as she walked up to the security checkpoint. She had her wand out and ready. They took it, checked her person, and handed her wand back when she was approved. "Raelene Abazis, new Secretary to the Minister," she recited as they handed her wand back. The man didn't seem impressed, only tired, as he reached down and grabbed what appeared to be a blank badge. He pointed at it, and suddenly it was filling with colors and words until it was completely filled out. Her name, photo, and personnel information was sprawled across it as he handed her the badge. "Have a good day," he said, stifling a yawn at the end of his words. Rae had to resist copying his motion as she pinned the badge to herself and made her way past the check point. After a few feet, her hand went to her mouth as a yawn made its way to the surface. Darn yawns for being so catchy.

Taking a good look around, Raelene tried to memorize as much of the building at first glance that she could. It was going to be her job to know where she was going, who she was talking to, and just about anything else she could know in relation to the Ministry. It wouldn't surprise her if she would be required to know about other Ministry's as well. This one happened to be the center of all of the Dark Lord activity. That meant there were going to be a lot of international relation problems. Fortunately, Rae was pretty good with international cultures and other languages. And, from what she had researched, so was the new Minister. That meant the international portion wasn't going to be too much of a problem. She just had to get her local stuff down as quickly as possible. Passing through the building, she made note of all of the halls and passages and what each one was for, stopping for a moment at the elevators to study what department each floor held. Once she was sure she had a good idea of where everything was, Raelene made a beeline straight for the Minister's office, suddenly thankful that she had worn sensible shoes. She made a mental note to not wear as high of heels in the future. This Ministry was at least three times larger than the Australian version, with plenty more floors. But fortunately it wasn't hard to navigate. In a minute, she was standing in front of the door that led to what she assumed was now going to house her desk, the office where people had to first stop if they wanted to speak with the Minister.

After a moment of gathering her composure, Raelene grabbed the handle and pushed the door open. She was immediately greeted with stacks of paperwork and what looked like a very flustered woman behind it. The woman looked up and the grim look on her face changed into excitement almost immediately. "Oh good! You must be Raelene!" She hardly even had a moment to confirm her exclamation before the woman was running over with paperwork in her hands, shoving it onto Raelene. "The Minister is in his office. Been there all morning doing who knows what. There's like five different stacks of paper he has to sign. I have no idea what any of it is for. And these came in the owl post marked urgent. I'm out of here! Good luck!" Raelene's eyes widened slightly as she watched the woman turn tail and run out the door, remembering to shut it softly behind her before, what Rae assumed, running down the hall to whatever her normal job was. Probably she was a secretary for another department head, someone who didn't have this amount of work. Fortunately, it wasn't much of a problem for Rae. In fact, turning around and looking at the pile, she grinned widely. Her feet carried her forward to the desk where she placed the papers that had been thrust into her arms. Rae slid open one of the drawers of the desk, finding a few more pieces of paper inside but it was mostly empty. She dropped her purse inside, picked out the papers, and slid the drawer shut and got straight to work.

First thing first, even out all of the paperwork. It took her a few minutes to sort it all and figure out what paperwork belonged with what. Soon she had multiple stacks across the desk which she then began to organize by priority. Pile one, immediate priority. Things that were stamped urgent, things that needed signatures by a specific date. Then stack two, things that looked like they would have a direct effect on other departments if not signed soon, but wouldn't shut anyone down. Then stack three, other orders of business that needed signatures for approval. And finally stack four, items that only needed reviewed but no signatures. She could possibly do that stack for him if he agreed. Pulling open another of the drawers, Rae began to look for more stacks of paperwork to be prioritized. She found a few just as she heard a door opening. She supposed it was about time to meet the boss. Standing up from her bent over position, Raelene smiled in his direction as he stepped through the door. "Minister Wagner," she began as she walked around the desk towards him. "It's great to finally meet you. Raelene Abazis, or Rae if you would prefer. Your new secretary." She held out her hand for him to shake, hoping he wasn't one of those types who hated touching or any fraternization with the lower class. She had known a few of those in Australia, snubbing their nose up at anyone who wasn't at their same status. Merlin she hated when people held themselves in such high regard. "Anything you need at any time, please let me know."

Words; 1,721 | With; Marlon | Outfit; Here | Notes; Glad to be working with you!

[Marlon Wagner]

“This is one instance, where turnover is going to be good.” Marlon had muttered to himself on the way to the office this morning. It was almost like any other morning, he had roused himself, had far too much coffee pumped into his system as he was getting dressed and off he was to the office. Only, the routine was really the only normal thing about this particular morning. Marlon had been inducted into office last Friday night. The ceremony had been grand, it was supposed to be an all new Austria under her rein. He was just honored to have been elected. Finally, his years of tireless work had paid off. He was obviously thrilled. Callista had seemed only too happy to be giving him the title, she had never wanted the job in the first place. She had been given no choice but to take up the office whenever the previous minister had just up and left. Still, nobody knew what had even happened to him. Marlon knew that wouldn't happen to him, he was more than equipped to handle the position. He had hoped out of all of the current Ministry employees, he was the most suited. He was certainly the most intelligent. Callista had asked for the weekend in order to clear out her effects, and he had been more than happy to give it to her. He had said goodbye to his staff in International Relations sunday evening after the tiny going away party that they had thrown for him. He would of course still be preforming all of the duties that he had been before until he could get a suitable replacement. He figured he worked all the time anyway, and by accepting this position he would have absolutely no reason whatsoever not to devote all of his hours to the job, so doing his old job in combination with his new one, shouldn't be all too hard. He was almost excited, but his nerves were helping to keep that in check. He hadn't felt like this since he had been in school. He had stood outside of the building that he might as well have called home for longer than he should have. Coffee in hand, brand new briefcase in the other. Staring. It was his now, in a way, he controlled it. It was his job to look over every single person that worked within these walls. It was squarely on his shoulders to make the changes that needed to happen. To make this a place of Harmony, so that people close to him like Centara and Cammie would no longer need to live in fear of their government. He could do some real good here. He knew he could, if only he could get his feet to carry himself into the building.

Holding his head up high he wished Erich were were to push him over the threshold, to have some sort of support. It really was as lonely at the top as everybody had said. With that sobering knowledge, he pushed himself forward and through the public front entrance. Instantly he was engulfed in flashing balls of white and yellow light. He was a public figure now, more so than he ever had been before to be sure. This was his first day, why wouldn't the papers want to document it? He supposed that he was just going to have to get used to the attention. Watching the company that he kept, the things that he said. Practically his every action outside of his new office. Smiling brightly he trudged forward, not stopping to answer questions or make any statements. He felt like he had said enough at the press conference following the induction ceremony anyway, he just wanted to get to work really. Stepping into the lift alone the doors closed far too slowly, teasing him with privacy. For the first time, he pressed the very bottom button that would take him to the highest point in the building, The Minister's office. His own office. The doors parted again to reveal a massive desk, already with letters circling above the desk that was still empty. He wasn't surprised, Marlon had been making a habit of being nearly the first person in the building for years now. Given that this was such an important first day, this was going to be no exception. Soon enough his new secretary would be coming in. He hadn't had much of a change to read up on her, practically the whole floor had been replaced in accordance to the job specifications he had put forward. He needed people working directly with him who weren't afraid of working long hours whenever he needed them there. This floor wasn't for the fainthearted. Merlin his palms were getting sweaty. Laughing to himself, the sound echoed off of the empty floor, the large double doors that would lead to his office just off and to the right of the secretary's door. He knew that the moment he walked in he was going to be overcome with paperwork, owls to respond to, and documents to sign. Good, the more busy he was able to keep himself, the less he was going to think about how strange it was that he had actually managed to do it. He was the Austrian Minister of Magic. His new shoes squeaked on the polished marble floor as he turned on heel to his office, his name already emblazoned into the door with a golden shine. 'Marlon Wagner'. If he wasn't careful, that was enough to make a man more arrogant than he already had a tendency to be.

First order of business, the memo to the floor. This was going to be a crazy week, change was always difficult to overcome. He couldn't be bothered for every little thing, a few people from his previous department had managed the climb to this floor with him, he hoped that they would help acclimate people to the standard that he liked to operate on. Pulling his overcoat from his body and hanging it on the overly ornate coat rack just inside of his office he shut the double doors behind him with a grin. Unbuttoning his suit jacket but leaving it on for the time being he moved about the small space, drinking it all in. Very old books lined one wall in cherry mahogany half bookcases with what he assumed were hand carved filing drawers below them. His desk was obviously the focal point, two oversized beige winged chairs with their backs to the door. All the signed pointed to this room being normally used for comfort. Apart from the fact that nobody would be able to sit in either of those chairs, paperwork was stacked as high as the backing in both of them, as well as covering most of his desk. Inhaling sharply he moved around the other side of the desk and after a few moments of struggle, found a place to put his briefcase. Callista had been a secretary, it would seem that he really was inheriting four years of work in a day. He would have to tackle all of this before any of his changes could be brought forth. He would just have to see how far he could get today, as his floor's nightly paperwork was going to be brought up here at close of business. He knew, that even whenever it was just the nightly paperwork as a department head, it was going to take him well into the night. Add all of this on top of it all? He wasn't going to be leaving this building for the foreseeable future.

Settling into the massive chair that had been left to him, he allowed himself a solid five minutes of panic. Nobody was here to hear it anyway. Whenever his time was up, he removed his suit jacket and carefully folded it, laying it to rest on the only open space that he could find in the large space, the bar. Rolling his eyes he covered the decanters with his jacket, he wasn't going to be needing them. Removing the cuff links from his shirt and placing them carefully into his pocket for the time being he rolled up the sleeves of his pressed shirt, and set to work. There was enough to keep his busy, and first thing he attended to was all of the memos floating around above his head. He wasn't sure how long he had been working at it, answering things and sorting out the piles taller than his head on his desk, but slowly as the hours ticked by he could hear the sounds of life filling out the floor outside of his office. He had hardly cleared out even a corner of his desk but the need for coffee was overwhelming. Might as well get familiar with the whole floor, it would do the staff good to see him out and about, obviously working harder than they were. He hoped it would instil confidence in his performance during his first day. Dropping his old cup into the bin he took a few moments to put his clothing back on right, cuff links and jacket before pulling open the double doors. Today was a power suit sort of day, and this was a new one. Might as well let it be seen. Composed and in control, that was how he wanted to be seen in spite of the bags that seemed to live under his eyes. "Minister Wagner," That was a new voice, his eyes jumped to hers, accessing where she had come from. Raelene, this must be his secretary. Scanning her badge just to be sure he returned her smile, flashing his pearly whites at her with a nod. "It's great to finally meet you. Raelene Abazis, or Rae if you would prefer. Your new secretary." She would learn that she didn't need to caption the obvious around him. She was still new. “Raelene, of course” He had no idea if he should address her formally, despite her offer for a first name basis. His previous secretary had always been formal, they never did anything outside of work. It had been very functional for them, it would be an adjustment to have to train another. Not that he thought she couldn't do it, she wouldn't have been brought on if that was the case. He accepted her hand easily, clasping it with both hands and pulling her forward to place a kiss on the air at either side of her face. He was great at first impressions.

"Anything you need at any time, please let me know." “I'll keep that in mind, rest assured you'll come to regret those words.” letting her go he took a step back, breathing in the floor and all of the people surrounding them. Mostly his press team, fielding appearances and statements. It was the only aspect of this job that he wasn't looking forward to. “I'm going to pop off for a coffee, can I get you anything while I'm at it? We can go over whichever of those stacks is most pressing once I return if you're ready?” He hadn't even thought to grab them on his way into the office this morning. He should have, it wasn't her place to handle all of this work. He mostly used his secretary's for filing, for running paperwork around, holding conversations. He knew he should delegate far more than he did, it just wasn't in his nature to allow people to do his work for him. It was his crutch, but then again, that was how he had managed to get this job in the first place. “The chairs are a bit bogged down, but I'm sure you can manage.” gesturing to the office after she had answered him, he moved in the direction of caffeine.

[Raelene Abazis]

While this should have felt strange, different than normal, Raelene felt oddly in her element. It felt right to work, to have something to do with her hands. The last few days, the time it had taken for her to move from Australia here and get settled, as well as actually getting the job offer, had been difficult. She hated standing around and doing nothing, so she had pretty much been working out the entire time, but even so, there was only so much exercising one could do before it got boring. It was just so natural for her to be working, for her to be doing something productive with her time. More often than not, even when she had a day off before, Rae had actually gone into the office. She hated letting work pile up, hated taking time off when she knew there was things to be done. It didn’t seem like many people at the Australian Ministry agreed with that sentiment, because she often found most people taking time off, her parents included. On the days when she had been in the office with no one else around, which actually happened quite a bit, Rae had been able to do so much. Without her parents looming over her shoulder, critiquing her every move, she had been able to do her best work. Of course, when everyone would return to the office and see the work performed, someone else would be given the credit for it. But she never did it for credit, never for praise. She had given up on those things when she was a child. It was more for her own pleasure that she did as much work as she did. And just being here, even if all she did was sort through paperwork, Rae felt better than she had in days. It was just her hope that this job wouldn’t be short lived, that he wouldn’t be the one who cycled through secretaries quickly.

Her eyes took in his form, trying to make some sort of assessment on his temperament but he was hard to read. He had the appearance of someone who could be mean, but yet his facial features told her he didn’t have a mean bone in his body. She hated people who she couldn’t read. His smile helped a bit, but anyone could smile, anyone could put up a front. Oh well, she signed up for this job knowing full well that it could be short lived or a long-term career. She just had to do her best to make sure it was the latter. “Raelene, of course.” Of course he would choose her full name. Merlin, what was she thinking? Giving him an informal option was just part of her nature, mostly because she wanted to ensure people that they could call her whatever she wished. It didn’t help that her father hadn’t been one to use formal speech at work. He expected it from all of his workers, expected them to address him formally at all times, sometimes even at home he had expected it, but he never delivered it in return. While her first name wasn’t exactly formal, it was much more than her father chose to use. There was going to definitely be some adjusting with this job, some adjusting to her new boss, but Raelene was ready, willing, and able. As he grasped her hand with both of his own and leaned in, placing an air kiss on either cheek, Rae mimicked the same move, offering him a smile once distance was put in between them. She had been right, he wasn’t mean. He had the demeanor of a proper business man. He was nice, proper, but would do whatever necessary for his job. At least, that’s what she was gleaming off of him. In time she was sure she would narrow down his personality further. That was, after all, the key to being a good secretary. You needed to know the person you worked for inside and out, be able to anticipate their needs and perform your duties without interrupting their work flow. She intended to be nothing short of the perfect secretary.

“I'll keep that in mind, rest assured you'll come to regret those words.” Raelene smiled and resisted a chuckle as he stepped back. “We shall see, sir,” she stated, shrugging as she laced her fingers behind her back and stood at attention. There were rare few occasions when Rae had ever regretted her words, and she didn’t think that she would regret these. However, she wouldn’t say never, because anything was possible. All she knew was she lived to serve those who served the general population. No matter what that meant. “I'm going to pop off for a coffee, can I get you anything while I'm at it? We can go over whichever of those stacks is most pressing once I return if you're ready?” Raelene tensed her hands behind her back, trying to maintain a neutral face. Why was he offering her coffee? Normally the secretary was the one running to get coffee, the one offering it to whomever was around. Was this a test? Or was she just looking far too into it? Surely the second. The person who had been here before her had mentioned he had been locked in his office. Maybe he just needed to get out of there for a bit and coffee was his way of doing that. Smiling slightly, Rae nodded. “Coffee sounds great. Black. Thank you,” she replied, still feeling strange that he was the one offering but she couldn’t deny that coffee sounded good. While she was still awake, the sun was only just making its way over the buildings and casting light into the room, shadows stretching across the floor and up the wall. No doubt caffeine was going to come into play soon despite how exciting the first bit of her day had already been. She was somewhat of a caffeine junkie, already having had a large cup when she woke up earlier that morning. If she didn’t go without it for long, she was bound to crash. So, she pushed aside the awkward feeling she had and just rolled with it. Hell, at least it gave his brain a bit of a break as he walked. If he had really been there for a while, he no doubt would need it soon anyways.

“The chairs are a bit bogged down, but I'm sure you can manage.” Quirking an eyebrow, Raelene glanced into the room where he had indicated, catching a glimpse of the chairs of which he spoke. They were bogged down, each covered in even more paperwork. She had no intention of sitting, but she would certainly clear them out. “Of course, sir,” she replied, turning back to him as he walked out of the office. Unlinking her hands from behind her back, Rae took the moment to take a look into his office as she gathered up the paperwork on the chairs and began to organize them into their own stacks. This was yet another location she was going to have to have a good recollection of. She noted all of the important pieces of furniture, how many chairs he had which directly resulted in how large his meetings in his office could be, and how much desk space he had. She could spot stacks of more paperwork across the office and she gathered up some of it as well, being sure not to disturb items that looked like they had been placed there purposefully. Merlin, if he had all of this in his office plus what was out on her desk, he was certainly going to be busy for quite some time. Suddenly she was happy she had prioritized everything, given him the opportunity to get the important things out of the way first. Maybe it would help lighten the workload. But, she needed to do her part too. Walking back to her own desk, she continued to organize the paperwork she had just picked up into their own stacks separate from those that she had prioritized that morning. No sense in mixing up paperwork that may have separated for a reason. Once she had the bundles stacked and organized, Raelene slipped back into his office and placed the stacks on the side table where she had pulled most of the paperwork from. At least now his chairs were clear if he had nay meetings later that day. Moving back to her desk, Rae began siphoning through the most important stack that she had worked on that morning, grabbing the bundles of paperwork and perusing the information to find out what each bundle was. At least if she knew what she was looking at, she could inform him of that and save him some time. He would be more aware at this point of what required more attention than anything else. She had a general idea of what was most important from already having worked in a Ministry, but he would ultimately make the decision. Requests from other Ministries for assistance with a problem was probably going to rank higher than a request for increased personnel, so on and so forth, but there was no real way to tell. Everyone had different priorities. So that would be left up to him on what order he went in, but it would also give her a good idea of how to prioritize in the future.

As she finished skimming the last of the stack, seeing something about high priority prisoners needing to be transported across the borders to Azkaban, Raelene heard footsteps. She looked up as he stepped back through the door coffee in hand. Smiling, she straightened up and grabbed the high priority stack of paperwork in her arms, moving around to the other side of the desk. With her free hand, she accepted the coffee cup as he held it out to her. “Merci vu cu,” she thanked as she took a sip from the cup and proceeded into his office with the paperwork in tow. The amount already on his desk was even more staggering up close. “If you’d like, I can also go through and organize the paperwork in here. Unless you have a system already worked out, of course.”

Words; 1,727 | With; Marlon | Outfit; Here | Notes; Glad to be working with you!

[Marlon Wagner]

Marlon still hadn't made up his mind about whether or not she was going to be a good fit. Now that she was more than just a file on his desk anyway. He could only hope that she turned out to be as good in person as she had been on paper. His ears were still ringing from the title that she had called him by, Minister Wager. That was his name now, he supposed. No longer just 'department head'. She was the first person to officially call him by his new title, and he really liked the sound of it. The verbal embodiment of years of hard work paid off. At least he could tell one thing for certain about her, she was a hard worker. The callouses on her fingers from flipping through papers and typing over years. The lack of polish on her fingers or proper hem to her bright dress. Showed lack of personal expense, which he didn't mind. His hair wasn't exactly what one would call professional either. It was the only physical sign of self that he retained. The rest of him was trimmed and tailored to look the part of Minister, of a professional. The stacks of paper that were on her desk seemed more organized than whenever he had entered the building, and he soon would have all of that removed from her desk and into his office so that he could take care of it. He cared more than she was a physical presence to field all of his meetings rather than his paperwork. She was young, he could tell from her posture rather than her words, was this her first job? He couldn't remember, but he doubted it. He wouldn't have approved a first time worker for this position. His mind was jumbling his facts together, already today he had attempted to absorb far too much information and was suffering because of it. Coffee would straighten the mess out, as it always did. “Coffee sounds great. Black. Thank you,” Nodding his head once as he logged her order in his head for future notice. It was easy enough, was it her real order or just one she thought he would be filling to fill? Well, she had signed her fate there he supposed.

Marlon's eyes scanned the floor as he walked in the direction of the break area. This floor actually had a formal lounge for the workers, he supposed it was a bit strange to be out and about like this, but he wanted to see what everybody was doing. Not just to keep them on their toes, but to see all of their faces. He needed to know who was and wasn't supposed to be here. He couldn't be the sort of man who lived in his office during work hours, he lived there enough outside of the posted office hours. More than one coffee maker was on the elegant table along the far side of the wall. A breakfast spread seemed to have been provided to them, something he hadn't ever been able to arrange on his previous floor. Ah, perks. Grinning to himself he moved over to the pot and poured two tall mugs worth of coffee, adding cream and sugar to his to make it a latte and leaving hers as it was. Selecting a chive bagel for himself and a doughnut for her, just in case she wanted something and he hadn't thought to think of it he headed back toward the office, making a point to smile and nod his head at anybody who braved eye contact with him. He knew he was being judged, and it needed to look like he was in control, like he could really do this and be the change that this country so badly needed. It did run the risk of of humanizing him too much, but that was alright. He didn't mind being human to those that shared the floor with him. Most of the staff didn't look up from their desks or the letters that they were busy writing to pay him much mind. It was a shame he hadn't had any cause to come up here while Callista had still been in charge, he was very curious as to how she had run things, if she even had any sort of process whatsoever. If she was as strict as he was getting the impression, he could start making changes here. On his last floor, he had prioritized his staff having family time and regularly scheduled vacations. Because of which, they had all preformed to the top of their ability, he would do that here as much as he was able. Though, given that this would require more dedication, it would be difficult.

Coming back across Raelene's desk he considered grabbing a stack of the paperwork himself, but that would run the risk of dropping something. He would just have to leave the office and grab a stack at a time until he had all of it. Perhaps some people allowed their secretaries to do their work for him, but he just couldn't stomach it. Opening and shutting his office door behind him he extended out the coffee that was meant for her. She had organized. He could tell by the shifting of the paperwork. He should have been pleased at her motivation, but it was just irritating. She could touch anything on the floor she wished, just not in his office. Setting his own cup down on the square that he had emptied earlier. Setting the food items down on top of a stack of folders safely ensconced in a green folder. “Merci vu cu,” “Merci beaucoup” he corrected her diction without even realizing that he had done it. His voice instantly transforming in inflection to that of a french countryman. French and German had been the very first two languages that he had learned in primary school. It was natural for him. However, she might take it as rude, was she just learning the language? He didn't want to deter her. “Sorry, force of habit” his voice rang with sincerity and back in it's normal guttural German. Flashing her a smile and attempting to move past the situation. “I wasn't sure if you were hungry? I didn't think to eat before coming in.” Which was true enough, he had been too excited to even consider his stomach. He had only remembered coffee just because he couldn't force himself to wake up that early otherwise. “If you’d like, I can also go through and organize the paperwork in here. Unless you have a system already worked out, of course.” He wasn't sure how to answer. “Quite fine, I can handle it.” He wasn't attempting to be modest, so he hoped that she was taking him seriously. Reaching out in front of him for the stack of papers in her hands with a neutral expression. “That lot on your desk, I'll have that lot throughout the rest of the day.” he tried to keep his tone flat, but he wanted to impress upon her that he liked to handle his own business without seeming too pushy on his first day. “Have you looked over much of it?” he wasn't serious, he would want to read it all on his own anyway.

[Raelene Abazis]

While she felt at home doing her work, Raelene had to admit that the first day was always the most awkward. She was getting to know a new persons working habits, getting to understand what they did and didn’t want her doing. With her father, if it was work, he wanted her to do it. Period. Even forging his signature on some things that didn’t need his direct attentions. Obviously she had no expectations of needing to do that here. She doubted Marlon would allow for such falsifying of documents. He didn’t quite seem like the type. However, she did hope that he allowed her to do enough work for her to actually be useful. Though, from the way it looked thus far, she wasn’t sure if she was going to be allowed to do much. He seemed to like to keep his files in his office, not handing them out to her for help. It was her first day, so maybe she just needed to earn his trust, but the first day usually said a lot. “Merci beaucoup.” Like that. Rae’s back stiffened as she bit down on her tongue, holding back a nasty retort that she usually had for those who corrected her language skills. French came like second nature to her, but it was one of the few languages in her arsenal that her Australian accent still had a slight influence on her diction if she didn’t watch it. She was certainly not fond of people correcting her, especially those who were not born of the country of origin. Sure, there were some occasions where she didn’t mind being corrected if it was someone who had years of experience and she was obviously unaware of the proper diction, however this was not the case. And it took a lot for her not to inform him of her proper awareness of the French language, in the exact tongue he had corrected her in. But she didn’t, because that was not how it worked here. She was the worker bee, he the boss. She held her tongue and instead shrugged slightly, the only thing she could offer that could not be construed as offensive in her opinion.

“Sorry, force of habit.” Had he noticed her tension? She sure hoped not. Rae released her tongue from between her teeth as she tried to relax, but she didn’t feel like any of it was outwardly expressed, only internal. Maybe it was him just being polite, but his smile didn’t help to take back what he had done. It was still frustrating and rude in her mind to correct someone when you weren’t originally of the language. And she did not see him being of French origin. But she smiled back, just to be polite. As he moved past the subject, her smile became more genuine as she forgot of his correction. Eventually she would forget until it happened again, but she would always hold her tongue until the day she no longer worked for him. If it was only one of few things she had to sacrifice for the job, then it would be alright. “I wasn't sure if you were hungry? I didn't think to eat before coming in.” Raelene shook her head, raising two of her fingers that were holding the cup as she gestured that she was fine. “I’m alright, sir. Thank you for the consideration though,” she replied before taking a slow, careful drink from the coffee cup to keep from burning her lips or tongue. The coffee was better than that at her old job which had been cheap and watered down. This stuff was stronger, but still far from the finest coffee one would buy. But it would do. She had already determined it was going to take her time to find her perfect coffee shop, that she was going to have a rough time finding anywhere that even rivaled that of her favorite coffee shop right outside of the Australian Ministry. They made a mean cuppa. She doubted there would be a single place here in Austria that could even come close, so maybe black coffee would be in her future, but she sure hoped someone around here could make a decent flat white.

“Quite fine, I can handle it.” Raelene gave a slow nod. Whether it was something in his tone or just the words themselves, she wasn’t sure. But somehow she felt like she had possibly overstepped her bounds already. It was the last thing she ever wanted to do was go outside of her job description, but she was there to help. If he didn’t want her sorting through and helping him with his files, what exactly was she here for? “That lot on your desk, I'll have that lot throughout the rest of the day.” Another nod, this one less tentative. “Of course, sir,” she responded, taking another slow drink from her cup. The caffeine was already starting to hit her, make her a bit jittery. Hopefully if he didn’t want her working on his files, he gave her something to keep her busy. She was going to have to work off this extra energy somehow. “Have you looked over much of it?” And yet another nod, the tentativeness gone. “The bulk of it, yes. Merely to help in prioritizing.” She stepped forward towards his desk and offered him the files that were stacked in her arm. They weren’t heavy, but he clearly was the kind of man to do his own work. She wouldn’t hold him back from the files any longer if he wanted them that badly. She was only disappointed that he would apparently not be allowing her to do much in the way of easing his workload. “Sir, if I may be upfront,” she began, trying to keep her tone from being too pressing. She did not feel like upsetting him in anyway or sounding like she was pushing him, but she knew she would feel better if she at least asked. “What is it exactly that I was hired to do here?” The job description hadn’t exactly been clear. It had seemed devoid of any work that would actually keep her busy throughout the day. More like just busy work that would take minutes to an hour to complete. Then what? She just hoped it had been an error. That there was more to this job than just filing and running errands. Her skills were much more useful than that.

Words; 1,085 | With; Marlon | Outfit; Here

[Marlon Wagner]

Perhaps he was reading a touch into things, he was tired, but he felt like they didn't click the way that he might have wanted. Whenever he had been on his last floor and in a position to hire himself a secretary he had allowed the women to all sit out in the waiting area together, while he watched from the confines of his office. He had done it to see how they reacted to one another, which one rose above the rest to keep everybody calm, and that had been the one that he had ended up hiring. They were a good match, the pair of them. She had worked for Marlon for three years before he had gotten this final promotion. He still had a hard time accepting that this was the highest he could go in this career field, or even at all really. He had chosen to leave Margot behind to help train his replacement. Of course, he had yet to find whoever it was. He had no doubt she would be a good fit for whoever he did find, and he was looking forward to seeing her before she headed home for the evening with his paperwork from that floor. It was greedy, but perhaps she could stop and talk to Raelene if she was still here at that time, talk about how he liked to do things. It would certainly be easier than wasting his time attempting to show her every little thing. Marlon had felt the air change in the room whenever he had corrected her, he hadn't even meant to. It was just habit. An obnoxious habit, he knew, but it was a hard one to break, his situational rudeness. It had been such a long time since he had worked with new people that it was a transition for him as well.

“I’m alright, sir. Thank you for the consideration though,” “Sir.” he muttered to himself, his nose crinkling. He didn't care much for that title, he had always been instructed to call his father Sir, and that was not a man that he was fond of in the slightest. To him, the title meant that he was as old as he felt most days...and he wasn't hardly. He was only going to be twenty eight, by Merlin's beard. He knew it was only proper of her to call him such, and he had already corrected her once, so he said nothing. Though, that ran the risk of having to correct her later because he really hated the word. Placing his coffee mug carefully atop a stack of papers by his chair he moved to scoot the stacks on the guest chairs around so that she could sit, perhaps if only to put him less on edge, gesturing once more to the seat before taking his own. “Of course, sir,” There it was again, that word. Oh it really was too late already. He was saddled with it. Like a coworker who got your name wrong once, and you never corrected it until it was years later and there was just no point. This wasn't quite as bad he supposed, he just didn't care for it on a personal level. “The bulk of it, yes. Merely to help in prioritizing.” She was a different sort than he was used to. Margot wouldn't have done anything of the sort. She would have brought it straight to his desk and left it there for him to handle as he preferred to do. His eyes moved to the folders and the titles on the edges, he assumed it was in descending order of most urgent to that which could wait. He would just have to see what she had deemed urgent before implementing it into his own rather complicated system. Accepting the files from her and placing them to the side of the desk he unbottoned just his jacket so sit more comfortably, starting in on his coffee.

“Sir, if I may be upfront,” “Of course,” “What is it exactly that I was hired to do here?” Marlon's brow pinched, he wasn't certain what she meant. She was here to be his secretary, to anticipate his needs and learn his habits. To bring lunch if she was comfortable doing such things, and keeping track of his schedule. Perhaps he thought of her position as more of a personal assistant, but he didn't see why they two were all that different. She wasn't a standard employee, filing and press conferences wouldn't be for her. The folders that she had been holding, she technically wasn't cleared to look at. This, was awkward. He was Minister now, how was he supposed to run the wizarding branch of Government if he couldn't even speak to his own secretary. Setting his face into a more serious expression as opposed to the friendly one he had been attempting to use he settled, his hands folded neatly in his lap. “To, anticipate, to greet along with other tasks around the office. As you can see I have a lot to go over and will need with my schedule.” He didn't want to come out and say that he preferred to do his business himself, most of all since this was an all new field for him, so he pressed on, skipping over it. “If you feel that you are overqualified?” his voice trailed at the end, if she didn't think that she could do it, or would rather be doing something else...now was the time to speak up before he got used to her. He didn't like turnover with those that worked closest to me. He hoped that wasn't what she meant, they had only just met after all. Perhaps she had just formed a random judgment of him.

[Raelene Abazis]

“Sir.” While Rae had hardly just met him, she could sense the distaste of the word. His nose crinkled, his tone just emanated that he didn’t like being identified so formally. Perhaps he was one of those that identified the word ‘sir’ with their father? She most certainly did. Her father required she call him ‘sir’ her entire life, ever since she was a child asking if she could have a cookie from the jar or a chocolate bar at the candy store. It was always ‘please, sir’ and ‘yes, sir’ and ‘no, sir’. It hadn’t translated across to any other males in her life except bosses, because mostly the other males in her life were closer to her age than her fathers. She had a very hard time addressing anyone so formally who was too close to her age. Then again, how far off really was Marlon? He looked older, but was it the job that aged him, or was it actual time? His facial hair wasn’t extremely helpful in determining his age, either. But either way, he was her boss, so age didn’t apply. She was trained to address her boss formally, so that now meant Marlon. However, with his obvious distaste of the word, she made a mental note to keep it out of her vocabulary. She would have to address him in other forms, other ways that were not so proper. That might appeal to him better. After all, she wanted to keep her job, keep from being sent back to Australia and if she pissed him off, gave him any reason to can her, she was going to be sucked right back into the life she had tried so desperately to leave behind. She would do whatever needed to keep that from happening, even if that meant allowing him to correct her.

“Of course.” Well, at least there was that. Most bosses hated their subordinates being straight forward. But Raelene had never abided by that. She liked to have her voice heard and when she was muffled, her work satisfaction decreased. Good to know that wouldn’t be a problem here. But she could see that he didn’t understand quite why she was asking. Wasn’t it obvious? She wanted to be able to do her job as effectively as possible and as he saw fit. If she didn’t know what he wanted, how could she properly perform her job and keep it instead of being shipped back overseas or on the street due to lack of income? But she allowed her facial features to remain lax, to avoid showing any further emotion until she had an idea of what was going on in this room. The last thing Raelene wanted to do was get fired on her first day for something stupid as looking confused too often or smiling too much. Merlin, that would suck. “To, anticipate, to greet along with other tasks around the office. As you can see I have a lot to go over and will need with my schedule.” Straightening up her posture a bit, Raelene bit down on her tongue, hard. Not hard enough to draw blood but enough to make her wince ever so slightly. It refrained from her showing too much distaste for the answer, though. That was the point. Because she didn’t like just being a secretary. She liked putting all of her skills to use and those skills were not just helping around the office and answering phones. It was sad that he wasn’t going to put her to more use, but she wasn’t going to complain. She would bite her tongue and drive on, as she always did. “Of course,” she replied, faking a smile as she let her posture loosen slightly.

“If you feel that you are overqualified?” Raelene’s eyes widened slightly, but she quickly returned them to normal and gave him two quick, short shakes of her head before answering, “No, of course not. I just want to be sure that I do all that is asked of me and don’t step on any toes. The last thing I want to do is make your job any more difficult. I’m here to make it as easy as possible for you.” Shifting her weight to alleviate some of the pressure on her heels, Raelene gave him another, more real smile. “I hope you do not feel like I’m unsatisfied already. I’ve been working for the same person for most of my working life so I am just trying to get a feel for the difference in work styles. I assure you, if you prefer me to do a set list of tasks, they will be done. If you ever wish to add more to that list, I will be happy to oblige.” Why did she sound so formal? She was talking as if she was talking to her father, like she was talking to someone who wouldn’t be afraid to slap her if she said the wrong thing at the wrong moment. Marlon hadn’t given her that impression, but yet, she couldn’t help but hold the same demeanor. Hopefully he wouldn’t mind, see her as too stiff. Maybe one day she could loosen up.

Words; 869 | With; Marlon | Outfit; Here

[Marlon Wagner]

He hadn't even stopped to think that he would have hired somebody that wouldn't fit. It hadn't ever happened to him. He never had had an employee quit on him, or leave to another place. Transfers, promotions and the like notwithstanding of course. He had always just compensated, adjusted as needed...doing their work for them if he really needed to. He treasured his employees. Now, if he was about to lose an employee on the very first day of his new office...that certainly wasn't going to go over so well. What would they think of him then? The first new person to work directly with him in over five years and she up and quit the very first day? Merlin that would be a disaster. Of course, he wouldn't dream of keeping her here against her will. If she would rather go back to wherever it was that she came from...he knew, he just couldn't remember...then she was welcome to do so. He didn't have to like it. It was never his intention to force anybody to do anything that they didn't want to do. Whether she did or did not leave...he could feel them getting off on the wrong foot. Somehow. She wasn't please with her job description, and he didn't know why. Marlon was a very intelligent man...he knew he was, why else would he have been promoted to Minister of Magic? He could read body language, the subtle way that her shoulders rolled backward, her spine straightening. Yes, he could see she wasn't pleased. Was she going to be the sort to traipse off and mutter about him behind his back? He certainly hoped not. That would be even worse than her just leaving.

“Of course,” She was mimicking him? There was something...punctuated about her tone that made her seem displeased. With him? With the task? With her job? He didn't know her well enough to know. Hopefully, over time, they would become better accustomed to one another. He couldn't expect too much from her too quickly, he had a bad habit of doing so. Was this just one of those things that was going to take time? “No, of course not. I just want to be sure that I do all that is asked of me and don’t step on any toes. The last thing I want to do is make your job any more difficult. I’m here to make it as easy as possible for you.” “I see,” he nodded once, bringing his mug of coffee closer to his body, watching the liquid settle under the steady grasp of his hands. “I hope you do not feel like I’m unsatisfied already. I’ve been working for the same person for most of my working life so I am just trying to get a feel for the difference in work styles. I assure you, if you prefer me to do a set list of tasks, they will be done. If you ever wish to add more to that list, I will be happy to oblige.” He wasn't sure how to take that. It wasn't so much as he found her unsatisfying, he hadn't even seen her working yet. He would read over her resume again after her had left. He hated feeling like there were gaps in his recollection. Like in this case. He nodded regardless. A set list of tasks would perhaps be the best place for them to start. Best to see what would work for them. It was a relationship, a working, business one, but a functioning relationship that would be needed to make the two of them successful.

He took a sip of his coffee, wanting to make sure that he chose his next few words carefully, he didn't need to make the situation worse before it even had the space to get better. Perhaps it might even be better served just sending her on her way, and busying himself with the massive amounts of paperwork towered so high they threatened to bury him. It had just been amassing in the wake of Callista after all. He didn't even know where that woman had gotten off to any longer. Setting the mug carefully down, he straightened in his seat. “I do apologize if I've...intimidated or impressed upon you the wrong way.” he smile brightly “I've been told that whenever it comes to by work...I'm a 'one track minded arse-face” he joked, quoting his former best friend....would a joke help set her at ease?