RP: A Hands-On Sort of Guy

[rar_rita]

Date: Saturday, October 8, 1998
Characters: Rita Skeeter, Gawain Robards
Location: Prophet, Diagon, some place of eating?
Status: Private
Summary: Rita runs into Guy and cajoles him into luncheon.
Completion: Complete

Comments

[rar_robards]

Guy finished writing his name and the woman behind the desk stamped the time for him. As he turned, he found himself facing the Prophet's prize gossip mongerer, and smiled, slowly. He'd not had a good time over the years with journalists - working as a lower Auror, one had always needed to be careful what one said. As Head of the Aurors, he'd not been surprised to discover that the job meant speaking to the Prophet about matters quite often; to clear up mistakes, provide correct information instead of allowing them to spread hear-say, and to make sure that nothing got out that the Auror Department didn't want to get out. Whether good or bad, the Auror Office had to liase with the Press. The advantages, however, went both ways. If Gawain provided a few choice quotes on one subject or another, the Prophet would print his wanted posters, or pull out a story that he didn't want out there. Gawain also got a number of owls that might contain information that the Auror office could use; most importantly, at the moment, to catch those still

[rar_rita]

Rita smiled at the compliment, then arched a brow, surprised. Of course, she'd known Robards to visit the offices on occasion in the past, but she hadn't seen him at all in the past year, and would have presumed he'd always been on tasks assigned to him by the Department Head. She wouldn't have imagined him to 'make the rounds' now that he was Department Head.

"You're a hands-on Guy, then," she smiled. "I would have imagined you had some trained monkeys, or some such, to make the rounds for you. Though perhaps monkeys aren't your style?"

[rar_robards]

"Running a bit low on trained monkeys right now," he answered, moving out of the way of the desk. "They went on strike - wanted more bananas, you see."

He ran a hand back through his hair. "No, honestly; we're a bit underhanded right now - and besides, there aren't any trained monkeys well enough versed to avoid journalist trickery." He smiled. "You'd rip my trainees into little shreds, I think. I can see the headlines now: Ministry Guarded by Addled Aurors". He lifted his hands up in front of him, as though framing the words.

"Some things need to be done personally," he said, and smiled. "Speaking of, I'm going to lunch," he said. "Might as well, as it's lunch time already."

[rar_rita]

"Ah," Rita replied, nodding with exaggerated understanding. "I see. Are the bananas on strike as well?"

She wasn't at all surprised that the Department was lacking in staff at the moment. It must, after all, have been one of the worst hit during the war. She chuckled at the comment. "Wouldn't that do them good? You have to break them in somehow, unless you want to send out a memo asking all potential Dark Lords of Disturbing Power to please not plan to take over the world again any time soon, because the Aurors are all still training." She smiled. "Or is it more a case of put them in front of a Deatheater and they'll take him apart, but put them in a room with Rita and they won't last five minutes?"

She glanced at her watch. "Actually, that's where I was heading, as well. Would you care to join me? Did we have an unfinished conversation from Narcissa's party?"