Torch Passing

Claire had finally moved up in the Ministry... just in time for the corruption to be mostly over. She was disappointed, as her boss wanted her to get the dirt on the weakness that the British government had been suffering from. It seemed that her job was done, and there was very little she could do here. She had waited and waited for the call that would bring her back home to New York, her friends, her dream job... but no such call made. There wasn't really even a Ministry to report on anymore, and yet... here she was, still in the country that reminded her all too much of her inability to remain in people's lives in a healthy way.

She was meeting with Tobias Acker, the man who had replaced her as the Captain of the Magical Law and Enforcement Patrol. She did not envy him, for there were truly some dullards in the squad. She had managed to find one or two people who managed to know what they were doing, and she had managed to whip up a third of the patrol into decent enough shape, but there was that stubborn two-thirds who seemed incapable of learning or competency. Truly, she did not envy the man.

Though, to be truthful, she did not envy herself. Here she was, stuck with a job she had not wanted, stuck in a country she did not like, working with people she did not know. It struck her that she was now at the same political level as her boss, but she knew her job back home was more important. She could split, but that would be treason and she would be stuck in England. She would go back home and work with the Minister and she could forget all the pain she had to go through here.

That was, if she was ever called back home.

She had chosen to meet Tobias at the library, as she had been told it was a very quiet, serene environment. So far, she had not been disappointed, as she took her place at a booth. She had ordered a coffee and two waters, one for her and one for her successor, and had draped her long coat over the back of the booth, her hair tucked behind her ear as she reviewed a file she had kept for her own use during her time as Captain. Hopefully, she'd be of use to Tobias.

Falling was never fun. Tobias knew that now. Falling in love. Falling ill. It all sucked. He wasn't afraid to say that his wife had loved him. It didn't seem egotistical, considering Tobias knew it was impossible for someone to express their love another if that other person didn't accept it. He wouldn't have married her if he hadn't believed it. But she had also experienced the other kind of falling, and that was the problem. His daughter Colleen had never even had a chance to experience the first kind before the second had gotten in her way.

All he had left was his work. And he had taken couple weeks for himself before returning and throwing himself into the busiest schedule that he could conceivably manage. Hence, his promotion might have seemed well earned. But, truly, he was more concerned about being too tired to think about what had happened as well as too busy to seem lost. He needed to find ways to cope, and for now he had nothing better.

With the Ministry in shambles, it wouldn't be easy to meet with Claire. But they had arranged for a time to talk at The Library, which he could only hope was as relaxing as it sounded. All he really felt was anxiety and pain. He needed focus and closure, and if those came with his new job, all the better. Tobias supposed he couldn't be expected to feel different after only a month, though. So if Claire had been told what happened, perhaps she wouldn't fault him for it.

Walking in, Tobias cast his gaze around until he caught sight of the blonde in question. He gave a little nod in greeting before crossing the room to sink into the chair apparently meant for him. "Miss Bishop," he offered gently, a hand reaching out for his water. Tobias rather wished he had something stronger within his grasp, but he certainly wasn't about to drink in front of his superior. "It's unfortunate that we cannot meet in an office, but I'm interested in any advice you might have. Regardless of location."

She felt him enter, as humans had that unexplained ability to feel their presence being acknowledged, and she raised her head. She tightened the corners of her lips in a greeting, quickly turning the last page to ensure she had indeed brought everything. She closed the file as he sat across from her, greeting her. While she appreciated his use of her professional name, she had never been fond of remembering her own last name, as it was a subtle reminder that there were those out there who shared the name - and she simply hadn't the time to think too often of them.

"Thank you, Mr Acker. Feel free to call me Claire, it's much simpler. If you'd like to order anything, go ahead. I may try out one of their paninis - supposedly, they're not of this earth."

The casual, light-hearted part aside, Claire felt her nature steering herself towards topics that forged their relationship, namely work. It was much easier for her to speak of work, for it was something she actually knew of. Small talk was out of her realm of expertise, and she did not like to venture out of that realm. She slid the folder across to him. "That is some basic information I have compiled and kept throughout my time as captain, for your later reference. Most useful in that are performance reviews of everyone on the squad, from second in command to interns. I'm a firm believer that good personnel can make or break a department, and the patrol has quite a mixed bag."

She looked at the file for a moment, now on his side of the table, belonging to him now. All the work she had put into those people, and they weren't even her real job. Why did people even work? She enjoyed her work more than anything else, but she did not think that necessarily said anything good of work, and more pointed towards her own lack of priorities and joy. She blinked, unwilling to allow her successor to see her seeming sentimental, for this was definitely not something to be sad to leave behind. "Do you have any questions specific to the department?"

"If that's what you prefer," Tobias nodded. "You're welcome to call me Tobias as well, if it suits you." Really, he didn't have a preference anymore, provided no one attempted to address him using the nickname his wife had given him. But nobody knew the moniker outside of his family, and they didn't dare. So, theoretically, he was safe. The woman in front of him, though, seemed tense and he wasn't exactly sure what he had said to cause it.

"Oh?" he asked, practically jumping at the chance to steer the conversation away from the part that nagged at him. He could practically hear Haleigh in his head, and he needed to shake it off before he said or did anything stupid. "I haven't been here before, so perhaps I should," he agreed, referring to the sandwiches.

Lifting a hand, he greeted the server who was ambling about. She gave him a smile that was a bit forced, but Tobias knew the feeling and couldn't fault her for it, even silently. After requesting one of the supposedly-astounding sandwiches, he waited for Claire to choose something if she wished to, then turned his attention to her file.

His expression morphed into one of slight befuddlement at her list of employees. It would be helpful, undoubtedly, and save him the time, but Tobias half wished he had been forced to talk to all of them. Most of the names he recognized from working in the same department, but some he couldn't place. Wouldn't it have been smarter to evaluate them himself? Probably. But it did save him from having to actually socialize, which was a bonus. He didn't feel, really, that he had a reason to complain. Not a worthy one, anyway.

At the offer to answer any questions he had, Tobias tilted his head to the side, considering it. His hair - a bit too long and in need of a cut - fell forward until he reached a hand up to shove it out of the way. "Honestly, I'm more of a hands-on person," he started finally. "I'm taking what you've said as a sign that I won't need to look for replacements for any of these? Or did I miss the hint?"