LONDON CALLING

"It's all good," Victor said. "Sam was just telling me he's seen part of the place."

"I've been looking not only at the good stuff, but I'm also looking for the skeletons in the closet here," Sam said to Ruby. "At home, I knew where they were. There was more crime and dark arts crap at home than there was good stuff. Either these folks are on the up and up, or they're damned good at hiding their dark arts stuff."

"I haven't met anybody that decent," Victor said. "They keep telling us at Hogwarts that there are a lot more good guys than bad guys but it's hard to see that when your parents are dark all the way through. Keep looking, Sam."

"And what happens if you don't find any dark arts activities here?" Edward asked.

"I don't know,' Sam said. "I've never not found it. I always find some sort of dark arts crap. You've been here for a bit. Ruby. Where is it?"

Ruby listened to the both and smiled "There isn't any, becuse were light users, not dark arts , Robert would never have some one who used dark arts on the grounds" she told them. " in the time we've been here its be that way." she sat down with them and smiled " Jess darkhart would sense it along with Khaat and Kate." she touched her necklace that Angus gave her " unless you mean like James Blood Jacks brother or Gelding himself, but the Lupin family don't have any dark users, even little Abby is a light user or will be when shes older, shes only three eyars old" 

Rowan looked at Michel and smiled " its good to hear you guy have such a good relashanship , even one where you pass a goggart abck and forth." he chuckled as he took a short bread buscuit from off the counter and ate it " should teach me how to cook like you one day."

Sam and Victor neither one were impressed by talk about seers rather used for alarm systems. They put no stock in it. They didn't see it as realistic or practical either one. They hadn't found enough decent people to count on one hand. Everyone they'd met pretty much had had a dark motive somewhere and some darker than others.

"By all means, keep looking," Edward told them. "If you find it, do let us know, would you?" Sam just nodded.

"So what's it like so far?" Victor asked Sam. Sam told Victor about Angus and about what he had seen on the grounds and how much he had liked what he had seen so far. Sam seemed willing to give it all half a chance. Victor was ab it ore close minded yet, but Sam suggested to Victor that since Victor knew Ruby already, Victor put some effort in getting to know the people here and then make his own decision.

Michael laughed when Rowan wanted to cook like Michael. "The cooking came out of appreciating fine food and not always wanting to pay the five star prices to get it. So I picked up some cookbooks and learned that some fabulous food can be made just by starting with some really good quality ingredients and always trying to take advantage of what's in season."

Angus and Andrew packed up the fish pies and the shortbread biscuits and the sherbert Angus had made. Andrew had made a huge tossed salad, making use of the best of the gardens on the estate. He packed that up too, keeping some for the people at the duplex, and then he sent the lunch over to the main building.

Michael picked up the huge delivery baskets and took them to the dining room. He was impressed by the many individual fresh fish pies, the huge salad, and the homemade shortbread and sherbet.

"Angus has been busy. That looks wonderful," Michael said. He called everyone for lunch and then brought in a pitcher of iced tea, one of water, and one of lemonade and set it all out on the sideboard.

Andrew set the dining table on the deck with the same lunch for those at the duplex.

"I hope you like fish," Angus told Sam and Victor.

"Looks like chicken pot pie, Sam said.

"Not chicken," Angus replied, "but tuck in all the same."

Ruby chuckled as she could tell on the look on their faces they were not convinced when Micahel told them to go ahead and look and to tell them if they found any she chuckled "Please do, it would be interesting to know who if any." she said smiling at them as she stood and moved with Andrew and Angus to the out doors table. " smells wonderful" she said sitting down next to Angus.

Rowan looked at Michael " so you telling me you learned all this just from picking up a book?" he said softly as he opened one to lok inside it. he smelt the food and nodded his agreement " I thik hes out done himself." he said and took some of the pie " wow this is delish."

"Angus, I have to say I've never had a fish pot pie before, but I really do like it," Andrew said.

"You really do cook," Sam looked at Angus, surprised.

"I do," Angus said.

"Angus is a certified executive level chef," Andrew told them.

"No way!" Sam said. "You didn't tell me that. You just said you cooked."

"Same thing," Angus shrugged.

"But Sam said you were an auror," Victor said.

"I do that too. My job includes cooking, fighting, tending the gardens, the barns, and about a hundred other jobs," Angus said. "The fighting isn't on a daily basis, but when Robert needs fighters, he needs ones that know what they're doing. And in between, life goes on. So in between the missions, I cook and do all the other things."

"Does it pay alright?" Victor asked.

"Vic," Sam scowled.

"What?" Victor frowned. "I wanna know."

"Whether it pays or not depends on who you work for, and, yes, Robert pays well."

"What if we wanted to do this next year?"

"You'd have to prove you can shape up to be the sort of men that Robert looks for--men that are willing to learn, to work hard, to train, and, beyond all else, to be lightworkers and to be honest," Angus said.

"Yeah, but with mom selling herself and ad doing 'contract' work, he woujldn't hire us," Sam said.

"Why not? He hired Jessie and Ruby. He's not hiring your mom. He'd be looking at you and who you are, not who anybody else is," Angus said.

"I like what I see so far, but I want to see the rest of it," Sam said.

"Fair enough," Angus said. "Ruby, I think you should consider asking Jack if he could give him a tour of the rest of the grounds, and maybe Jessie can show them Kate's studio. Victor could borrow my all terrain chair."

"I have one for him to use that has an elevated leg rest for his leg," Andrew said. "He can go outside whenever he likes. He isn't going to want to jar that leg, but other than that, there isn't any reason why he can't go outside."

Michael tucked into his own fish pie in the main dining room.

"This is great," Michael said. he smiled when Rowan asked if he learned it by picking up a book. "Well, one book turned into lots of books and lots of practice, but yeah. Essentially, that's how I did it. If we have time this afternoon, I'll take you to see the Paris office and the Colorado estate. We do a lot of training at Brian's Colorado estate. Robert isn't going to mind my taking you to see both of those. Maybe it'll give you some ideas for your own organization."

Ruby listened to the talking and smiled as Angus got to know the boys and vis versa " of course, I'll talk to them after lunch I'm sure they will be amenable to taking you guys around" she said smiling as she finished her pie. "That was delicious Angus," she said as she moved her plate to the sink for washing.  

Rowan looked threw the book and then looked up at Michael " sounds good, never been to colorado " he said " hum..could merge the two, one doing security the other doing retrieval." he said sipping his drink as he sat and looked at Michael.

"I'm glad you liked it," Angus smiled. "I presume you and Michael will be dealing with supper? I hadn't planned on doing both today."

"I don't think you should do both," Andrew said. "Doing all those individual fish pies and the biscuits and the sherbet. That was ambitious. You need to pace yourself this afternoon."

"Can't," Angus replied. "I forgot. I'm going out this afternoon."

"Going out? Where? You didn't say anything about going out. Where are we going?"

"I forgot. I apologize. I made an appointment for a fitting for my suit for Edward's wedding."

"Seriously? And you didn't tell me? We need to move it. I can't go with you today," Andrew said.

"Calm," Angus said. "I'll manage. I'll do just fine."

"How? You don't have any magic to do it with."

"I'll find one of the guys. One of them has to be free. It'll be fine," Angus said. He looked at Ru. "Suppose you might find any of the guys that are free to go with me on a suit fitting? Oh, and by the way, I know Simone would like you to go with her when she goes to try on a few dresses for the wedding. She said she's just doing a nice dress either in sage or taupe and not really doing a wedding dress, but she'd like you to go with her. I know she wants to do that maybe tomorrow or the day after, if that works for you."

Ruby was about to offer to go with him but he mentioned Simone wanted to go dress shopping for their dresses for the wedding " he heard his sugestion and nodded " okay I'll see what I an find" she said " oh and I'll send one of the guys over, unless Rowan could go with you?" she sugested to him " I know hes with his dad right now but Im sure he'd go with you for a fiting of a suit , hey maybe he will pick one up too." she said smiling as she ate her desert.

Rowan looked at Michael " so what do you think about merging the two companys?" he asked him as he ate " would give loyal men and fully trainned staff that can handle any situation, my self included, we'd spend time hashing out the lagistics of it all" he finished the pie and sat back in the chair waiting for Michael to respond to his ideas.

"It doesn't matter who goes, I guess. I don't really know Rowan, and I'll need them not only to get me there but to help me in the changing room. That's why I didn't ask you to go. It will require a bit of muscle," Angus said. "I hate to ask someone that I don't really know for that, but I suppose it doesn't really matter."

"I don't know if I could do the apparating," Sam said. "We haven't covered that yet, not the Ministry approved course anyway, but I could help you with the changing if you're comfortable with that--if you can't find anybody you know better."

"Thanks, Sam. I appreciate the offer," Angus smiled. He was glad to see that Sam seemed to be trying to find a family, and he seemed to like that he might have a chance of finding what he was looking for here.

Michael listened as Rowan talked about merging the companies. "Well, it might give you manpower for both divisions. You'd have to be willing to make sure that you have cross trained all your staff so that your security team is also capable of doing rescues and extractions too. That's part of what helps us to be so ready for whatever comes our way. We're largely cross trained. We do have specializations within that, of course, like my skills with climbing and with locks but for missions work, we are cross trained so that we can ensure that there are always enough operatives to go on whatever mission we're sent on. If you want to see what our training really involves for the first stringers, you should train under Robert for awhile. That's the hard core training that separates the men from the boys, that's for sure."

Ruby smiled at Angus " oh I understand, I'll ask one of the men to go with you." she said finishing the sorbet she took the bowls to the sink then spotted Jack " Jack do you have a free man to take Angus for his suit?" she asked he nodded and walked quickly towards several men and one walked over.

"Im Gary, you asked for some one to go with Angus." he asked and Ruby nodded noting his buff apearance.

"yeah , Angus has to go for a fitting for his suit for the wedding and well need some one to lift him in and out his chair." she siad Gary nodded and walked over to Angus.

"hi Im Gary you need me to go with you to the fitters?" he said looking down at Angus.