therealpm: (Thinking)
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*He's been told he has another inspection today- apparently it was delayed by a combination of staff cuts and his extended transformation, so Peter's dressed up in one of his better suits and tied his necktie loose enough that the collar can be inspected if necessary.

Bored for lack of work to do- Jo hasn't delivered the next tranch of paperwork yet and he's read all the books, he picks up The Machine's readouts and tries to work out precisely what got him into this mess in the first place.*

Re: Friday 6th October, 2 PM

Date: 2012-10-07 05:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] defrainspector.livejournal.com
*That's at least a little reassuring. But still...that wary look up at Dawn...

Time to bullshit with authority, as her mentor always said.*

Ms Primarolo, I am now going to cast a silence spell around myself and Lord Mandelson. The next question is confidential and involves medical privacy. I am afraid I have to advise you that if you attempt to breach this spell and its confidentiality, you will be appearing in magical court.

*Dawn does not look happy, to say the least, but she appears to swallow the explanation, albeit with a bad grace.

Molly puts up her best silence spell, which isn't particularly good, but it has the advantage of bursting like a bubble if Dawn tries to puncture it. The magical civil service trains its (usually severely magically limited) minions well.*

Lord Mandelson, there is something going on here. We don't have much time. If it's something I need to know, please tell me now.

*Belatedly, a strange vision of Dawn and Mandelson involved in an acrimonious and sarcastic romantic relationship comes to mind. She seems to remember Mandelson being gay - she doesn't really follow politics - but perhaps he's bi. That would explain some of Dawn's strange behaviour.*

If it's something I don't need to know, then on your own head be it.
Edited Date: 2012-10-07 05:16 pm (UTC)

Re: Friday 6th October, 2 PM

Date: 2012-10-07 05:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therealpm.livejournal.com
*Peter simply looks perplexed*

Something going on? You mean other than trying to hide a werewolf on a parliamentary estate that hosts on the order of two thousand people every day?

Re: Friday 6th October, 2 PM

Date: 2012-10-07 05:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] defrainspector.livejournal.com
*God forbid anyone actually be helpful. Just another day in the office, Molly supposes. If your office contains werewolves and vampires and soul-sucking water nymphs.*

Dawn is acting strangely. John answered my questions evasively last time. You keep looking in Dawn's direction as if you're afraid of giving a wrong answer. That little deputy looked like he'd lost a stone since the last time I was here.

Something is going on.

*She holds up her hand.*

Like I said, if it's something I don't need to know, don't tell me. But it's my job to make sure that no one is in danger.

Re: Friday 6th October, 2 PM

Date: 2012-10-07 05:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therealpm.livejournal.com
*He raises an eyebrow and ticks points off on his fingers.*

Dawn has just spent a week at conference and is currently buried under backlogged constituency work. John is chronically incapable of being concise. I'm not afraid of Dawn, I merely consider it polite to acknowledge her existence from time to time and Nigel's diet is no business of mine.

*He shrugs*

I appreciate your concern, Ms Cratchett, but nothing untoward is 'going on' as you put it and everyone is as safe as can be reasonably expected, under the circumstances.*

Re: Friday 6th October, 2 PM

Date: 2012-10-07 06:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] defrainspector.livejournal.com
*Molly bites back irritation. Fine. Fine. Obviously no one is going to tell her anything.

Given the werewolves in the DEFRA basement, she's not sure if she can blame them.*

Fine. Before I drop the silence spell, is there anything else you need?

*She knows her tone is short, but she can't help it. She wishes her caseload was smaller. She wishes she could actually help these people instead of institutionalising them or leaving them in potentially abusive situations. She wishes she didn't have to walk away, hands tied by bureaucracy.*

Re: Friday 6th October, 2 PM

Date: 2012-10-07 06:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therealpm.livejournal.com
*He sweeps his fringe out of his face- it's far too long, he needs to get it cut soon.*

The people I attacked. Have they recovered?

Re: Friday 6th October, 2 PM

Date: 2012-10-07 06:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] defrainspector.livejournal.com
*Yes, Molly remembers her promise to find out how the victims are faring. It seems forever ago now, but she'd asked the families, as the victims were currently incapable of consent.

She'd kept it simple - The werewolf would like your permission to be told whether or not your child has survived - because she knew from experience that the mother of a savagely attacked and brain-damaged person does not tend to respond well to "the supernatural being is so sorry for its attack and is in a lot of distress and pain wanting to know if its victim is okay" approach.

One mother had laughed in her face. The other had nodded numbly, her shoulders slumped.

Molly's stomach aches.

She keeps her sentences short. This news won't be easy for Mandelson, but knowing is better than not knowing.*

The man is recovering. His neck was broken, as you know, and he is a quadriplegic. He also sustained a brain injury from being flung against the tree. He is in cognitive rehabilitation therapy.

The girl's parents did not authorise me to speak to you. Her mother is too busy with her daughter's physical and cognitive rehabilitation appointments to reconsider authorisation at this time.

Re: Friday 6th October, 2 PM

Date: 2012-10-07 06:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therealpm.livejournal.com
I see.

Thank you.

*His head is spinning, but he tries to stay focussed. He can go to pieces later, when there's no one to see.*

What is DEFRA's usual process after completion of this inspection?

Re: Friday 6th October, 2 PM

Date: 2012-10-07 06:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] defrainspector.livejournal.com
*Molly tucks her clipboard back into her briefcase and drops the silence spell.*

What's next, Lord Mandelson? After I finish my rounds for the day, I write a report. I'm your assigned caseworker.

Then I go to the Foreign Secretary and inform him that you are on the no-fly list, now that you are approved for civilian ownership and therefore not going to be simply controlled at DEFRA.

After that, I file all the paperwork and it goes to Lord de Mauley for approval.

If everything is officially approved, then you get to see me on unannounced monthly visits.

Re: Friday 6th October, 2 PM

Date: 2012-10-07 06:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therealpm.livejournal.com
*Peter carefully files that information away for consideration later.*

Thank you for the clarification.

I shall hopefully look forward to seeing you in a month's time then.

Re: Friday 6th October, 2 PM

Date: 2012-10-07 07:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] defrainspector.livejournal.com
*Molly stands, and extends her hand to him again.*

Goodbye, Lord Mandelson.

*She leaves her number with Dawn. Just in case.*

Re: Friday 6th October, 2 PM

Date: 2012-10-07 08:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therealpm.livejournal.com
*He stands to shake her hand, watches her leave, then slumps onto his bed- the bit of the room most hidden from the prying eyes of a guard.

Quadroplegia.

He can think of little worse. Bad enough to depend on John to bring him food, without needing to be fed, washed... he shudders. He's ruined a man's life, and the woman's too, by the sound of it.

He curls up on his side, twisting the edge of the blanket around his fists. If they would only let him use The Machine, he is sure he could find some cure, some way to make things better. Sure of it.

He resolves to ask John about it when the man next stops by, loathing the fact that at present, it is the only thing he can do.*
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