[OPEN] I'd have it no other way

"Miami, you can tell Bishop I don't give a shit about jurisdiction. This guy keeps popping up every time we deport his ass back to Brazil, and his threats against the Ministry are getting deeper and deeper, and his methods of getting back into the country are completely unknown to all of us. How he's getting past the wards, we don't know. That makes it a mystery, Miami. And where do we take mysteries?"

Claire's messenger, for that's all Jack would ever be able to view the Auror as, rolled his eyes, pursing his lips as he shifted his weight. She jutted her chin forward, staring at him. Waiting. He let out a sigh.

"Orlando."

Her eyebrows pulled even further inward, staring at the man with such confusion and surprise that one might think he had just told her that England had fallen into the sea.

"Excuse me?"

"You keep calling me Miami, but my name is Orlando."

"I know your name is Orlando."

"Then why do you keep calling me Miami?"

"Miami's another city in Florida."

"But why do you-"

"Christ, man, it's because of this! Really, how did you pass the intelligence exams, or are the state of things that anyone who can legibly sign their name can be an Auror-"

"I get it, you think it's funny taking the piss, but Ms Bishop doesn't." His face was stern now, as though he were kidding himself to have any sort of authority. He had been on the force maybe five years, but no amount of time gave anyone the right to tell an Unspeakable what they could or could not do. Because there was one beautiful loophole they could always pull out, and it was a commonly abused one.

Jack finally stopped, as the pair of them had been walking down the corridor of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, the file for Márcio Álvarez and his dozen or so aliases firmly in her grasp. They had reached the lifts, and she knew if she couldn't shake Miami here, she'd be stuck with him all the way to her department on level nine, until she could get their new security witch Lupita to send him packing.

"Miami-"

"You know my name!"

"This file is going with me. You guys have had multiple chances, and it's not working. There's obviously something deeper than stubborn criminality going on."

"What are you guys going to do about it?" And then came the loophole. Jack grinned and he was already groaning, having realized what she was about to say before she said. "Oh-"

"I really can't speak to that."

"-come on."

Jack gave his arm a sympathetic clap, reaching out to hit the button for the lift. "Don't worry about it, mate. If Claire really wanted the file, she wouldn't have sent you."

His face clouded with indignation. "I resent that."

She tilted her head. "How can I make it up to you?"

"Don't call me Miami."

"I can do that." The lift doors shuddered open and she stepped through, turning to look at the irritated Auror, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Later, Gator."

His face dawned with the realization. "Oh, come on, that can't be my new name-"

But the lift was hurtling off, and Jack was much too pleased with herself for her own good. She had been in the Ministry for nearly 24 hours straight at this point, having stayed late the night before to work a case before getting news about Alvarez. Their temp secretary, a tiny little Indian witch with a strength in her voice, had locked Jack into her office with a sleeping draught and forced her to get at least an hour of sleep, before giving her a concoction of energy potions to get the redhead through the day.

Jack hoped Karen stuck around. She'd love to see Fred get locked in his office one of these days.

In truth, Jack had been working even longer hours than before.The Falcons were taking a more laidback approach this year, still struggling to fill the spot Ivanov had left, and with her dad working through his mid-life crisis in the spare bedroom, Jack had more freedom than ever. She wasn't sure if she had almost lost her job at the start of summer, but the waves she had caused had revealed to her how important the work was to her. She had free reign to take on projects as she saw fit, had at her fingertips some of the cleverest people in the country, and very few people to answer to. It was an elite group, and Jack didn't want to see her time end there prematurely.

She, like many of her coworkers, loved the freedom. But they were addicted to it, scared to lose it. And so they tried to stay in line.

Jack had learned her lesson, for now.

The lift dinged and she stepped out, several memos flying in to take her place. She strolled down the corridor and turned, opening the secret door that led to their offices, immediately greeted by Lupita's grim face. Jack stepped towards Karen's desk and dropped the file. "I need an unreadable copy of this for Jet and Weasley."

"Can do. Did you guys really reverse the Delta experiment last night?"

"Karen, you know-"

"Oh, come on, they're going to wipe my memory when I transfer anyway. I live in the now."

Jack smirked and offered a shrug. "What Delta experiment?"

Karen got it and she grinned, shaking her head. "You lot are f-cking mad. 6 months all fixed in a day. Anyway. Sorry, for the swear - here's the copies."

"Never apologize for being you, Karen."

She swung by Fred's office, and after his nineteenth attempt to declare a curse upon her and her entire house, she finally forced her way in, threw the file at him, and managed to escape before his carnivorous waste basket took off her leg. She returned to her office to write out a memo for Jet, summoning her from the archives of the department, when Karen knocked on her door.

"It's lunch time."

"Thanks, mum."

The short witch cocked an eyebrow and a hip simultaneously. "Correction, it was lunch time an hour ago. And you haven't eaten breakfast either."

"Are you the spy we've been looking for?" Karen wouldn't be thrown from the trail though, so Jack waved a hand. "Could we order in?"

"Are you supposed to have food delivered to the most top secret level of the Ministry of Magic?"

"Well, they let you in."

"Jack."

"I thought you could pick us all up-"

"I have memos. I took my lunch break during lunch. Go eat."

Jack let out an exaggerated sigh and pushed out of her chair, snatching up a file. "I'm going to go live with dad."

The file was plucked from her hands and set aside. "You shouldn't carry secrets around. Go eat. Be nice to someone today."

"Bite me."

"Mother's proud of you."

Jack had changed her mind about Karen. She should be reassigned immediately.

Jack didn't often eat in the cafe. In truth, few of the Unspeakables did. They either left the building entirely, or took lunch in their offices, but Jack hadn't accounted for her extended stay, and she was beginning to get so tired that she didn't quite trust herself to not fall asleep in whatever unsuspecting bistro she found herself in. At least if she passed out at work she didn't have far to go when she came to. Her hair was mussed, and anyone who cared to notice would see that, beneath her robes, was the same clothes she had worn the day before. Her eyes had sunken even deeper than usual and she looked a mess.

It didn't stop her from making puns on the soup of the day, though.

Servers appropriately harassed, Jack took her sandwich and collapsed into the first table she spotted, propping her elbows onto the table to keep her from falling asleep right there. But the lunch rush was over, and the cafe was quiet, and Merlin, it was warm. She had to take at least a bite though, to satisfy Karen-Mum. She had to stretch her mouth wide to sample the sandwich and it transformed into a yawn. She tossed the sandwich onto her tray. "F-ck it," she said, reaching up to vigorously rub her eyes.

That was it, she was leaving early tonight.

Some days she didn't know why she had chosen the career path she had. To other students, mostly younger Gryffindors, who knew about her apprenticeship at the Ministry, being an Auror was one of the coolest things ever. Apparently, just working at the Ministry itself was a really cool thing, too. She had been one of the students who thought working at the Ministry was cool when she was younger, and that was what swayed her in that direction for her apprenticeship. They were right, to an extent.

But aside from being cool, a lot of areas in the Ministry were also dangerous. Anabelle had learned that the hard way the previous night. It made her think that even though she had done well, according to Robert and Brian, she might not be cut out for being an Auror. She wasn't a quitter, though, so she would just have to tough it out because they rewards she obtained were great.

Don't be confused, though, they were not material rewards. The rewards she got that were so important were the smiles she now got to see often and the praise for the job well done. But the thoughts of what could happen if she were to ever fail were always there and they were terrifying. Like with the mission to rescue Ekko. What if she had failed? What if she hadn't been able to get the younger girl away from the den?

The thought sent chills down her spine. If she had failed, the others that went with her could have gotten hurt or killed, she could have gotten killed and Ekko would have remained with the pack. She would have remained in danger - and she would still be with Dylan. Hit brought her hand up to her injured shoulder, wincing as she touched it. The wince was not because it hurt, it barely did, it was because she was upset with herself for being careless enough to have even allowed Dylan to get close enough to her to inflict damage.

It was so stupid.

The Gryffindor scoffed as she walked down the corridor to make it to the cafe. The meeting with Lorcan D'Eath regarding Ekko, who had turned out to be his daughter, had taken longer than she was expecting and she wasn't sure if they could trust D'Eath to actually take care of the girl the way she needed to be taken care of. Hit would have preferred that she stay with the Lupins, at least until she started at Hogwarts in the fall.

They'd even missed lunch and she was supposed to be headed back to Hogwarts soon, right into one of her classes, so she wouldn't have time to eat until dinner. She didn't think she was going to be able to make it that long, considering she hadn't exactly eaten a lot during breakfast. Ekko's voice sounded in her head about the food and it made Hit smile.

A rather strange sight caught her attention after she ordered a sandwich at the cafe. Jack Dyllan was there. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized it and she had no idea what to do. Should she hide? No, that was weird. Should she go up to her, then? That was weird, too. Jack probably didn't even know who she was. But maybe she did.

Definitely not. Jack had pretty much been the deciding factor in a lot of the decisions she made. Being a member of Potter's Army, joining the Gryffindor quidditch team, and working at the Ministry (Ryo working there was an added bonus), and she'd never even really spoken to the woman. Maybe this could be her chance. Hit felt her legs shaking, not from fear but from excitement, and she struggled to gather enough confidence to go over to her. Hit took a deep breath and started to walk. Even the walk made it obvious that she was nervous, how could she not be? The person who was basically her idol was right there.

As she approached, Hit noticed that Jack seemed tired. Really tired, and the vigorous eye rubbing was a tell-tale sign. What should she say? She didn't want to embarrass herself. But she had probably already done that by walking over to Jack without a single clue as to what she was supposed to say to her. "J-Jack? Um, hi. Are you alright? You look tired."

Smooth.

A voice sounded and her hands slipped from her face, dragging down her face and bringing the skin with them, before her hands dropped heavily onto the table, never one for putting on a show for anyone, especially when she was as exhausted as she was now, and especially for an... intern? The girl before her was much too young to be anything more than an intern, but Jack spotted the badge on her and realized this girl was even younger - an apprentice. Ah, so that's what the show of deference was for.

Jack was infinitely glad that her department didn't take apprentices. She barely made it out alive, she really didn't need to worry about making sure some cocky sixth year didn't lose a piece of themselves either. If she was still working in the Department for Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures, she might not have minded so much. Even with all of the threats of dragons and ghouls, at least those threats were tangible and known. She never knew what she was getting into with her line of work.

Besides, Harry Potter had taken down a Hungarian Horntail when he was fourteen. And the only application process he had gone through was a magical cup.

Recognition tickled at the back of her mind, but Jack wasn't in the mood to chase it down too vigorously. She shook her head, biting back a yawn as she said, "Bet your boots I'm tired. But if I don't eat, I'm getting a spanking or a time out or something." She paused. "Are you eating here? If you are, I wouldn't mind someone to poke me every time I fall asleep." Her foot reached out and kicked the chair across from her out from under the desk.

The warmest type of invitation Jack Dyllan could offer.

Jack Dyllan was inviting her to sit with her? That was.. what? There was no way, Hit stared at Jack for a moment before nodding and sitting down across from Jack. This had to be a dream, to have her role model be so close and to actually get to talk to her.

Hit could die right there and it would be a happy death.

While the thought might have been tempting any other time, she would have to decline Death's invitation because there was still so much she had to do. Especially now that Ekko had to deal with adapting to a whole new lifestyle. At least it would be better than the way she lived at the den, hopefully.

She really hoped D'Eath wouldn't treat her badly.

But Damitrius was there, so it wouldn't be so bad.

Hit let out a small sigh before bringing her sandwich to her mouth and taking a bite. She looked at Jack, her eyes studying the woman's face. The bags under her eyes were dark and Bit was tempted to reach up to her own face to touch the smaller bags that had begun to form countless things that had happened.

At least she'd gotten some sleep the night before.

She managed to keep her hands on her sandwich, though. If she'd touched her face it would be a clear sign that she had been staring at Jack. Maybe. Okay, Hit might be a little paranoid. But how could she not? She didn't want to do anything that would make Jack think she was weird.

But she was weird. What was the point in hiding it?

Hit should just be allowed to have this. And have it she shall.

"I don't know if I'm the best person to have around to poke someone awake. I'm not big on touching."

And maybe she just ruined it.

Jack wasn't normally one for company, but she truly did need to get through lunch without passing out. She still had a two more cases to check in on before she went home and if she could have handed them off or saved them for another day, she might have. But it wasn't an option, not when one had to do with a field test that, if not properly supervised, could have the potential to release another poltergeist into London and Jack was soooooo not down to play with that. Nope. One a lifetime was enough.

Peeves hardly counted. He was just a goof.

Point was, she took too long at lunch and Karen would force her to go home and Jack was supposed to - what? Trust Marvin Richards on his own. Ha. No. Not happening.

So allowing herself some lunch company was a necessary precaution against... workplace injury, let's say. The girl - Jack was still reaching for a name and struggling to come with anything but a vague voice whispering Gryffindor? - seemed a bit cautious but took her duty on like a champ, sitting and delving into her sandwich. Jack turned to her own sandwich, glad to have gone for the extra meat, certain the protein would be one of the few things to keep her tired body going later.

The girl spoke just as Jack took a large bite, and she nodded through her sandwich, a hand flying up to cover her mouth as she finished swallowing the sandwich down. "Good policy, honestly. Some of the lawyers that come in here require a no-touching policy. They get a little excited. Especially with the interns." She quirked an eyebrow as she reached for her drink. "What department are you with?"

At times like this Hit wished she still had at least a semi-okay relationship with Naomi. The way she was before, Hit was sure she would've been excited beyond belief to hear that her sister had gotten a chance to talk with the person she looked up to (even if she was doing a terrible job at it.) The urge to run to Naomi and tell her was there, but Hit had to shove it away, knowing it would never happen.

At least she'd be able to tell Freyja.

But it wouldn't be the same. Nothing was ever the same without Naomi by her. Hit let out a sigh, having abandoned her sandwich in her thoughts. Her eyes had been on Jack the entire time, though her mind had wandered elsewhere. She blinked.

Had she just been staring, again? Had Jack noticed? Oh no, oh no. Her appetite was suddenly gon and her hands were now under her legs, flat on the chair. She had a habit of doing that, as well as leaning forward to take a sip of her drink instead of grabbing it like a normal person.

She released her straw as Jack spoke, a cough escaping her lips before she answered. "Um, Law Enforcement." She answered. Her answer sounded strange coming from her mouth, considering she'd never been interested in being an Auror before just a few weeks ago. Her mind had practically been set on the Department for Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures. The sudden change was weird but Hit thought it was worth it.

Besides not being able to hang out with Ryo that much anymore. But she doubted she would have actually learned anything being with Ryo all the time since all she did was goof off with him.

(Don't tell anyone about that. Hit's not supposed to be a goof.)

Oh well,

It struck Jack that the only reason she was even able to do this, to stay away for so long, was her father. A man she was a little anxious to kick out as his mid-life crisis of sorts was beginning to bleed into her life. At first, she had no problem with letting him hide out from her mum while they sorted themselves out. But that had been... Merlin, nine months ago. He had left a few times to go... travel with friends? She didn't understand. Her dad didn't have friends. But he always came back, and he was always a little more upbeat, a little stranger, a little more manic.

It would be funny if it wasn't so weird.

So while she wished he would just snap out of it, divorce her mother, and move on with his life, she also couldn't help but appreciate the relief of having to fret about Sunny. (Anyone else would have pointed out that all those manic episodes and spontaneous breaks from reality were probably reason to disqualify him as a guardian of sorts for the girl, but Sunny had been around a lot stranger. Besides, Greg deserved to know his granddaughter.)

She made a tired, mental note to do something as thank you for her father as she took another bite of her sandwich, focused on a spot on the table as the girl answered her question. Jack nodded and swallowed, finally lifting her head. "Fun. Bishop runs a tight ship. Never tell her, or anyone, but I kinda like her. She just needs to break a few rules before I can actually admit to like her. Straight shooter that one." Jack nodded her chin to the girl's sandwich. "Eat. You need the energy. Have they let you do any field work yet? Or is it just coffee runs like it used to be?"

"Yes, actually. It was just supposed to be a cold case that I was going to look over and talk about with Brian, but it turned into more."

Hit bit her lip, looking down at the sandwich after Jack had motioned to it. It was fine to talk to her about this right? She didn't think there was anything wrong with it, if there was Brian would have told her not to speak about it with anyone at all. She was pretty sure she hadn't been told any of that, so she should have been fine.

Besides, she'd already mentioned it to Ryo and hadn't gotten in trouble yet so..

Hit brought her hands out from under her legs and took the sandwich in her hands again. Jack had a point about her needing energy. The girl took a bite of the sandwich and replaced it back on her plate before continuing with her explanation. She wasn't sure how interested Jack would be in the entire thing but if she didn't care, she would probably stop her.

Not that Hit wanted to bore the person she looked up to.

"It was about a woman who'd been murdered last year. The case had gone cold but when we looked at the file, there were things missing from it and Brian thought it was weird so we started investigating it further. We ended up finding out that she was killed by werewolves." She took another sip of her drink. "And that she had a daughter. But no one knew were she went."

"It was kind of obvious where the little girl was to us, though. So we went to get her."