All Other Duties As Assigned

It was one of those tasks that was official and yet not so. It wasn't written into his job description. Nor was he getting a promotion out of it or any more pay. However, there wasn't much that Brian wouldn't do for Robert, and when Robert had said. "Go train the new recruits," Brian went forth to train the new recruits, figuring it fell at the bottom of the job description in the handy catch-all phrase, "All Other Duties As Assigned."

It made him laugh, actually. It was on every job description, and covered anything else an employer hadn't thought of, and it was the one thing that made any job feel like willingly being taken hostage. He took the lift from Robert's office to the Department of Law Enforcement and made his way to the training room. There had been regular auror trainings scheduled but it seemed that the regularity of them had fallen apart because of the irregularity of having a trainer. And that was where Brian, apparently now came in.

The training room responded much like the room of requirement had in Hogwarts. When he entered, he spoke, to activate the spell.

"Physical and magical training room," he commanded. He waited and watched while the room reconfigured for both work out equipment, as well as a training space for magical spells--dueling matts, training dummies, and the like. He wasn't sure if anyone would show up, and he couldn't blame them if they didn't. But he was here to make sure the Ministry had done its part to start equipping them again.

Carth was so close to finishing his training he could practically taste it now - not that such an analogy even made sense when it came to Auror Training. Regardless, he was the type to never miss a session - his life's goal was to rise in the ranks of the Law Enforcement Department after all - so when he heard that there was an official one planned for today, he was quick to be prepared and out the door.

The time between training, he thought as he rode the lift, had been dull. Aside from the bizarre attack that had happened at the Shrieking Shack lately, things had been somewhat normal and calm. More than anything, Carth wants to be of use to someone, and mean something to a group he could be part of. Much like his Quidditch days at Hogwarts, Carth liked having people to look out for, and those who would do the same for him.

Walking into the training room, he saw the room was set up for some sort of physical training. A man was in the room already, and Carth thought that he must be the trainer - why else would the man have been there early? Carth had never met him before so it was unlikely that he was a trainee or anything like that.

"Hello," Carth called out in greeting, crossing the room to meet the other man. "My name is Carth Brownlowe." As always, Carth refused to be quick to judge, so he offered a warm smile along with his introduction.

The truth was that Brian was a bit of a fitness nut. He trained, physically and magically, daily. It was part of why Robert had figured he could rely on him for a last minute task like this one.

"I wondered if Robert had asked me to start this a tad too late. The aurors haven't trained in awhile," Brian laughed. "Brian Quinn. Nice to meet you, Carth. I'm the trainer of the day.

"I'm not sure what your experiences are, but I've found that it helps to have not just magical training but also some physical fitness. I've had some experiences where I was glad I could run--or brawl.

"So, tell me a bit about you and how long you've been on board with us and what your strengths are. I'd really prefer not teach you what you already know."

Carth nodded in response to Brian's introduction. It didn't seem useful to greet him again, after all. When asked to talk about himself, Carth was actually rather surprised. In his past training, he had been around people who didn't care, really, to find out about the trainees involved in their 'class' so to speak. Carth couldn't think of a better word for it.

"Well, I've been around almost a year, now. I'm hoping to finish training in the near future. I'm only twenty two, but I feel like being involved in the field is what I want to do with my life. I want to be sure, though, that I'm capable of what is required of me before I'm sent out into the real investigations and missions." Lifting his left shoulder in a shrug he continued, "I played Quidditch at Hogwarts and University, always loved being athletic. Where strength and speed could be considered my better attributes, when I'm in a duel I usually question myself."

Carth couldn't very well explain why he had troubles with dueling other than that, while he knew plenty of spells - defensive as well as offensive - he often didn't want to put his opponent into a position they couldn't recover from. He spent his missions going back and forth between his desire to do what was right, and his strange feeling that those who harm others for the sake of it don't deserve to be shown much mercy. It sounded extremely negative, even in his mind, when he admitted as much. Thus, he found that the hardest thing was trusting himself, even as someone who had been in training for so long.

"That, to me, sounds like you're going to be an excellent auror," Brian smiled. "That little hesitation comes from wanting to make the right call, and fully grasping that someone else's life or death comes from the end of your wand at times. You're welcome to join the sparring that Robert and I do. Or partner with me on some of my work if you like."

He thought about what he had just said and thought he ought to explain. "Maybe I should quit dropping the Minister's name until I explain the connection. He's my father in law. Khaat, the Chief Warlock, is my wife. And, truthfully, he really enjoys dueling and sparring. He and I make the time to spar at least twice a week. Its good practice. Let's start with some stretching before we do much of anything. We can talk while we work." He motioned Carth to the work out side of the room and started some stretching exercises to limber up with.

"And I'm glad to hear you like to work out. Me too. Oh, hey, do you have a pass for the gym at St. Mungo's? Awesome work out space. You should go see it. I try to go there every morning by around 7 so I can be here on time."

ooc: sorry. had the wrong hat on. LOL

Carth had to admit, at least mentally, his surprise at Brian's offer. Somehow he must have made a good first impression, he figured. Listening to Brian's explanation of how he and the Minister were connected, Carth nodded along.

"That would be brilliant." Carth said, finally able to choose the right words. "Thank you." He returned the man's smile, feeling rather pleased with how his day was going thus far.

Joining in on the stretches, Carth vaguely wondered if he was the only one attending training that day. Things had been rough lately and he wasn't sure exactly what he should expect. "I hadn't heard of it, no." He replied. "That is, I sort of expected there to be something like that, but I haven't had the opportunity to check for myself. Everything has been kind of crazy what with the students being attacked at the beginning of the summer at the Shrieking Shack, then the battle that happened in the same place. There really should be some kind of protection on that place." He shook his head, surprised that so much was happening in one location. Carth had somehow found himself drawn into both situations, as well, so he knew much about what had gone on those nights.

"Oh, you do need to check it out," Brian grinned. "I could live there. It takes up the entire basement. Its got a full running track around the perimeter, a full sized indoor pool, a large workout center, physical therapy services, sauna, spa, massage services,....They've left no stone unturned. I'll get you a pass. I'll get one for you from Khaat or Robert. You'll be able to go whenever you want--its open 24 hours."

He frowned slightly at Carth's mention of the shrieking shack. "That shack has lured every sort of curiosity seeker or curiosity maker since it was built. And there isn't usually anything good that comes from there, except if somebody uses it as a haunted house on Halloween. If it were solely up to my family, we'd have torn that place down after Remus stopped needing it. Its just a menace now."

He finished his stretching. "Alright, lets go for a run. There are ten floors here. Lets see how much of it we can tour in 30 minutes," he grinned. "You up for it?"

"Wow," Carth replied brightly, "That sounds like the place to be." Though his words probably came out as a joke, he sort of meant it. It sounded like just the place someone might want to go. "I can't wait to see it. Thanks."

Their conversation had quickly turned dark, and Carth frowned as well. "As a student at Hogwarts, you don't really know what's going on around there. But I knew a lot of kids who would go up there just to say they had done it." Shaking his head, he returned to his proper standing position.

At the suggestion of a run, however, Carth nearly grinned. That, he could do. "Absolutely." It was interesting, he found, to have someone who seemed to appreciate the feeling of working your body until it told you to stop, and then pushing it further. The body is stronger than the mind wants to believe it is, after all.

There were two things Brian thrived on. Well, three. Khaat was first--always. She'd been first, really, since they were children. The once confirmed bachelor had been married not quite two years and now found himself not just married but as a father of six, with five of them under 3. And he loved every moment of it. She was first, his children second.

And then there was the third--the adrenalin, the burn, of a good hard work out. It made him feel alive, and he was delighted to find a fellow runner to run with. For some odd reason, he'd found wizards, by and large, to depend on their wands and to not understand how powerfully addictive endorphins could be. He knew a handful that got that, but he loved finding another kindred soul.

"What are we waiting for?" he grinned. "Let's go!" He motioned to him and headed out into the hallway. He figured he'd make the loop around this floor and then perhaps head up to the next.

As he passed Khaat's office at the Wizengamot, he called to her. "Come run with us!"

"In this dress? Have you lost your mind?" she called back. "Catch me after five."

"I need a gym pass!"

"Ok!" she said, just before he ran out of her voice range.

"Keep an eye out for flying objects," Brian said, expecting her to deliver the pass to him in a moment or two.

Carth had always been eager to jump into things head first, not questioning whether or not it made total sense. To some people, getting up and running for the half hour they had decided on would be like writing an essay on the purpose of the color pink. To him, exercise was something he did regularly. It kept his mind off of things he didn't want to think about or worry about. It also allowed him to think through things much like he burned through calories.

Easily keeping pace with Brian, he laughed at the reaction of the woman Brian called out to. His wife, Carth assumed once his running companion requested a gym pass. Not but a few moments after Brian's warning, a pass flew up and Carth grinned as he caught it out of the air.

"Brilliant." He said, glancing at Brian with a smile.

Carth had found that after years of staying active he could easily talk as he ran. "Are you one to chat while running?" He asked lightly. If not, they could continue their run in peace, and pick up their conversation back in the training room.