Year/Job
Auror
Never meant to be a bad man, I just had a fast hand |
Occulmens
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Post by Rip Winstead on Jan 19, 2024 15:24:23 GMT -8
Rip had just gotten to his cubicle when his boss waved him over. The wizard raised an eyebrow and glanced over at his partner who gave him a shrug in response. He sighed lowly and took his jacket off and draped it on the back of his chair and then followed Morgan into his office. Rip shut the door behind him and stood erect at his desk. “Sit down, Winstead,” Morgan said with a wave of his hand. Rip was still confused, his face slipping into a puzzled expression as he took a seat in one of the armchairs opposite his boss. “Your work on the poachers has attracted the Prophet. Someone’s coming by to interview you.” Rip balked at him. “Is that really necessary? Why do they care so much?”
Turns out it was very necessary. Rip left the room feeling particularly frustrated and annoyed. He didn’t want to talk to reporters; he spent the last seventeen years avoiding them. Now, he had to to help “build morale”. It was a bunch of bullshit if you asked him. The Ministry just wanted to look good to the public and they decided he was going to be the guy to do it. Rip shook his head at Nyle’s silent question as he swung in to grab his coffee mug. Whole thing is supposed to go down to the break room and Rip hoped he had enough time to get himself some coffee before the journalist arrived.
He hurried to the break room, saying a silent prayer that there was fresh coffee when he arrived. Rip slipped in with ease and let out a sigh of relief when he found a full pot of coffee waiting for him. Quickly, the Auror poured some into his mug and by the time he turned around, he realized he was no longer alone. Rip looked over the stranger before letting out another sigh and moving to one of the tables, sitting down and bringing his mug to his lips. He sipped slowly before resting it on top of the table. “Don’t mean to be rude ma’am, but I’d like it if we could speed this along.”
Carmen Canek
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Year/Job
Photographer at the Daily Prophet
Heaven help a fool who falls in love! |
Sol
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Post by Carmen Canek on Jan 19, 2024 16:38:13 GMT -8
Carmen Canek was a woman constantly in motion– and it seemed, even when her time away from the Quidditch Pitch had ended, she was still whizzing about like a restless Golden Snitch trying to race from the hands of an eager Keeper. It was coffee on Monday with an expert in her field, and dinner that same night with an Editor from a rival publisher– that schedule continued every single day since she’d started working as a journalist. And while Carmen wasn’t immune to exhaustion, it hadn’t yet hit her– in fact, it filled her with the energy to keep going the next day, constantly pinging from place to place, snapping pictures, writing her own articles that would never see the light of day, and hoping the next day would be her big break.
That day, unfortunately, hadn’t come yet. But with news of the Ministries biggest bust… Carmen just knew she was on the cusp of a big story.
Excitement oozed from the young woman like sap from a tree– she practically was glowing as she made her way through the overly ornate and scoffingly intimidating building. She’d never liked the Ministry of Magic’s building– far too drab and dark for her tastes. It was just the kind of place that her older sister thrived in. As if conjured from a mere thought, the older Canek sister appeared, offering a tight smile to the youngest.
“What a sight seeing you here, Carmen.” Isla greeted her sister with a quick kiss on the cheek, devoid of any real affection. It was unseemingly to show anything but professionality at a place of work, was likely what her sister was thinking. Carmen resisted the urge to roll her eyes, playing along if only for Isla sake. “I told you I was coming… I’ve got an interview with a very important individual that I absolutely cannot be late for.”
“A very important individual? Who? Are they an Auror? Carmen– Dios mío, niña impaciente.” The woman grumbled under her breath, making a fleeing Carmen smile. “¡Hasta luego, hermana! Don’t miss me too much!” She cooed in jest to her tightly wound sister. Isla needed a vacation. For two years. On a remote island. Far away from the Wizarding World. She was bound to explode one day if she didn’t take it easy– Unfortunately, that was the least of her worries. She was already running behind– albeit, only by a few minutes– to an interview that could make or break her entire career.
“Break room, break room…” The reporter mumbled aloud as she scanned the seemingly endless doors until she found the one she was looking for. Glancing at her clock, she slipped into the room only to be greeted by the subject of her interview– Rip Winstead. “Ah, Mr. Winstead!” She chirped cheerfully, quick to set the items she was carrying on the table. A camera, a reusable coffee cup, a stack of papers, a small audio recorder and a notepad– all having found a home in her arms, rather than the seemingly empty tote bag that was slung around her shoulder.
His request wasn’t shocking– she could tell by the look on his face he was the stern type. Cold, badass, and too busy to sit down and be interviewed– but Carmen excelled at befriending anyone, even if only for a few minutes. “Don’t worry, I won’t take too much of your time. I’m sure there are more poachers to be caught just waiting for you to finish up,” She cracked a smile, sitting down. “Black coffee? I’m more of an herbal tea fan myself. It’s great for high stress jobs– Might want to try it sometime.” She took a sip from the cup, finally picking up the audio recorded and the notepad. “My name is Carmen Canek, by the way. It really is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’ve kept up with your work with the Ministry– Great stuff, truly. Shall we begin then?”
Rip Winstead
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Year/Job
Auror
Never meant to be a bad man, I just had a fast hand |
Occulmens
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Post by Rip Winstead on Jan 21, 2024 17:54:18 GMT -8
The witch was perky and Rip didn’t know how to feel about it. He was still apprehensive about this entire interview and that likely wasn’t going away. He let out a short huff as she set all her belongings down on the table, side-eyeing the camera. Rip didn’t do pictures, either. A deep frown lined his face as he watched her settle in her seat. She commented on his coffee and Rip felt offended at her suggestion, the stubborn ox was simply unmovable when it came to drinking tea. He was an American and Americans drank coffee. He grumbled something about thinking about it and sipped on his drink. The brunette introduced herself and Rip nodded sternly in her direction, his hands sprawling out to say ‘go ahead’.
Part of him was scolding himself for being so unapproachable, that this Carmen seemed like a nice witch and she was just trying to do her job. Rip just didn’t like that this whole thing was sprung on him without a moment to prepare. And he didn’t really like being told he had to do something. Maybe take it easy on her, the little voice in the back of his head whispered and Rip sighed heavily. “Ask your questions, I’ll answer them.” There. Was that so hard?
Carmen Canek
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Year/Job
Photographer at the Daily Prophet
Heaven help a fool who falls in love! |
Sol
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Post by Carmen Canek on Jan 22, 2024 8:20:22 GMT -8
His attitude was less than superb, noted Carmen. She considered herself highly perceptive, but anyone with two eyes and sense in them could see that Mr. Winstead wanted to be 100 miles in the opposite direction of her. The Prophet had set this interview up as soon as the Poachers case was a hit– but it sure felt like poor Wip had been informed minutes before Carmen strolled into the break room. So, he was in a sour mood. She could work with that.
“Simple. I like it, Mr. Winstead.” She smiled, picking her notebook up and the small recorder, which she depressed the red button, sliding the small device to the center of the table. “I am informing you that what you say will be on tap– don’t be shy if you’re not digging a question, you know? I’ll move one if it’s not your style–” From the looks of it, most of her questions were going to be “not his style”, which only made the burning curiosity in her stomach burn even more.
“To start off with– How did this victory feel? I’m sure there’s a sense of pride in catching these guys, right?” She adjusted her chair closer, prepping her pen down to scribble the significant statements uttered from his mouth. She wasn’t sure what kind of story this would turn into– if it was anything big and she actually turned it over to the Prophet, someone would claim her work and slap their name on it… Part of her wanted something exciting and thrilling– the other part hoped he was just some boring American.
Rip Winstead
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Year/Job
Auror
Never meant to be a bad man, I just had a fast hand |
Occulmens
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Post by Rip Winstead on Jan 24, 2024 3:21:24 GMT -8
Rip raised a hand. “Please, call me Rip,” he said. Mr. Winstead was his father and he really didn’t like all the formalities. His gaze flicked down the recorder, some anxiety starting to stir up inside him. Morgan owed him big for this. Carmen explained that everything he said would be on tape, but made it a point to let him know he could tell her if something wasn’t to his liking. The man nodded solemnly in response, bringing his mug of coffee to his lips for another sip. He just really wanted to get this over with so he could go back to work. JJ would be here soon and he really didn’t want to leave his brother to his own devices.
“To start off with - how did this victory feel?”
He pondered the question, thinking back to the moment he captured Fritz. His heart sped up in his chest, recalling the moment he thought he was going to lose Juniper and his actions following. For the millionth time since it happened, he replayed their kiss in his mind, his desperation and attraction for her overtaking him in a single moment of weakness. Rip could feel the heat starting to crawl to his face and he cleared his throat. “It felt good,” he told her gruffly. “But it’s not over. Abernathy Fritz was just a pawn in the poachers' game. I know they’re still out there, biding their time. And I’m going to find them all.” He nodded when he was done, drinking more of his coffee to help soothe his nerves.
Carmen Canek
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Year/Job
Photographer at the Daily Prophet
Heaven help a fool who falls in love! |
Sol
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Post by Carmen Canek on Feb 4, 2024 16:40:26 GMT -8
Carmen scribbled down his words attentively, despite the recorder in the middle of the table. Getting important quotes would save her the work of doing it later-- Lachlan would thank her too; she knew damn well he wasn't going through the tape himself. He'd ask her to write up a draft, do a couple edits and then publish it under his name. It infuriated her greatly, but what could she do about it. "You're going to find them all?" Carmen repeated, lifting her eyes to look at him with a skeptical expression. "All by yourself? Or does the Ministry have a team of Aurors on the look out for other potential poachers? Surely one man can't do it all by himself, right?" She waited for his answer, pen ready to write and ears ready to listen. His persistence and intensity was admirable, but being a lone wolf... Well, it wasn't the most useful trait, especially in a place like the Ministry when there was so much collaboration and team work that needed to happen.
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Year/Job
Auror
Never meant to be a bad man, I just had a fast hand |
Occulmens
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Post by Rip Winstead on Feb 4, 2024 23:21:38 GMT -8
Rip felt a flash of annoyance at her skepticism, a slight frown pulling at his lips as he sipped on his coffee. What was the point of this interview anyway? Oh right... morale boosting. The man let out a sigh as he lowered his mug, his gaze falling on the recorder between them. "No, not by myself," he said after a moment, his frown deepening. He didn't want to talk about Juniper's involvement in the case. Mostly because he didn't want her name plastered in the papers, he wished to protect her from all of that. But there was a part of him, albeit a selfish part, that wanted to keep her all to himself. "My brother, JJ, is my trainee and I have my partner's help when I need it." That sounded good enough to him. His gaze lifted to look at Carmen, his expression softening for a brief moment. "The poachers are growing more confident and taking out small bit players isn't going to faze them. If we can find their main base of operations and cut the head off at the source, then the rest will fall in," he said. "Abernathy could lead us there with the right motivation." Rip wasn't very hopeful that the wizard would spill, but it wouldn't be much of a morale boosting interview if he said they were fumbling in the dark. "So far, they're limited to the Scottish highlands. I'm determined to protect the magical creatures from them. I want it to be known to everyone that harming them will not be tolerated."
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Year/Job
Photographer at the Daily Prophet
Heaven help a fool who falls in love! |
Sol
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Post by Carmen Canek on Feb 11, 2024 8:49:47 GMT -8
Rip was a willing interviewee which made her job a hundred times easier, but some part of her felt like he was holding back. Carmen was well aware the hesitation many people had to reporters, journalists, or even lowly photographers that wrote articles every now and then. It was only natural to hold back-- after all, with the way words were being twisted and turned in too many papers, it was only right to be cautious about one said. But there was something more. Carmen shifted her position, leaning forward with elbows pressing against the table as she listened to him intently, as if she were clinging to every word he said. Even if there was something beneath the surface, the words coming out of Mr. Winstead's mouth were just as valuable as whatever secrets he was holding back. "It's good to know someone's looking out for the magical creatures," She smiled, shifting in her seat. The Ministry's oppressive stance on a handful of magical creatures was an opinion Carmen held back and kept to herself most times, as not everyone agreed-- but it seemed Rip was one of the few that had a good head on him.
"Well, Mr. Winstead, it seems like the Poachers will be no match for you and the resources you have at the Ministry of Magic. The Wizarding World can rest assured they'll be caught before long." She smiled, picking her pen up again. "How about we turn the focus to you then? What kind of experience makes you right for this kind of job? What kind of history does an Auror like you have to have to be so good at his job?" Part of Carmen was trying to bait him into revealing something he wouldn't, but then again, a profile piece on a badass Auror wouldn't be bad either-- it just depended on what Rip let slip.
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