Fire & Sass

[Maeve Connolly]

That poor, poor man. However comical it was, Maeve could not help but think that Mr. Potter was rolling in his grave—though at least his new companion’s attitude was something the witch could find entertaining. She had already seen this Ellie cuss out one of her more uppity colleagues today, and had decided to take a bit of an afternoon break in the department’s lobby on the off chance she would get to enjoy that particular source of entertainment again.

It seemed she was in luck: the pirate princess—were there truly such a thing?—chose the next moment to say something particularly saucy to a passer-by, and Maeve could not restrain her laughter.

  

[James Monroe]

The amusement had rather gone out of the whole thing, in James' opinion. It was one thing when the portrait had been revealed--that had been rather amusing, though he'd also feared for his life at the hands of Mrs. Prewett--but now he'd gotten used to the thing, and now it was annoying. Made more so by the fact that it wasn't really appropriate to stand around arguing with a painting all day.

This particular time was made especially irksome by the fact that it was apparently being witnessed by someone else. Turning around, James pointed at the portrait, not particularly caring if he offended it when he said, "This thing is a menace."

  

[Maeve Connolly]

It was even more entertaining when the portrait’s victims didn’t enjoy it.

“Come on, be a sport!” she chided as she laughed. “That’s our former Minister up there, after all—though I never did know him to be quite so musical.”

Maeve had been somewhat acquainted with Potter back when he was a lowly intern, below even her on the food chain. And now he was a pirate—a fact a small part of her actually envied, or would have were it not a fictional existence

  

[James Monroe]

James cast the woman a dubious look. "Somehow I don't think this is how he'd like to be honored." Not that James would know especially, but he could assume. Certainly he wouldn't want to be.

  

[Maeve Connolly]

She had to give him that much. Potter had been ambitious, but not exactly bold.

“You’re lucky he’s not here,” the redhead replied. “I saw him threaten the poor secretary who suggested he was not actually the former minister. Something about ‘when the kraken returns,’” Maeve elaborated, doing her best imitation of the late wizard’s voice (which wasn’t very good).

  

[James Monroe]

"When the kraken--" James shook his head. "Honestly." He couldn't understand why the thing had been allowed to hang in the office in the first place. He wouldn't claim to have seen every minister's portrait, of course, but surely they were meant to be a bit more dignified than this? "I can't imagine how the painter thought this was a good idea."

  

[Maeve Connolly]

Maeve laughed. It was, frankly, the only reaction one could take to something so utterly ridiculous.

“I do believe he has been blacklisted from any further Ministry commissions,” she offered, “but I think it would have been more insulting to Mr. Potter to have no portrait at all to mark his time here. I believe that if you look for it, you can find…elements of his former self. Or at least,” Maeve amended, “you can if you knew him very well, which I cannot claim for myself.”

  

[James Monroe]

"True," James agreed, to the bit about it being insulting to Potter to have no portrait at all. It was a bit late to redo the painting after all, though he didn't say this. "I'm afraid I didn't know him particularly, either," he admitted. James sighed. He started moving away from the portrait, not wanting to look at it anymore than he had to. "I suppose it could be worse." He wasn't sure how, it just seemed like the only thing to say.

  

[Maeve Connolly]

“He could be naked,” she agreed matter-of-factly. “I wonder what would have befallen the artist then.”

  

[James Monroe]

A surprised chuckle escape James' lips. "That would have certainly made for an interesting dilemma," he agreed.

  

[Maeve Connolly]

Maeve was rather glad, with that thought now in mind, that this Captain Potter was fully clothed. She was not a prude by any measure compared to most Victorians but having actually met the artist’s model in the past…the auror doubted she would have been alone in her discomfort.

Just then, the captain protested, saying something in his ridiculous pirate speech that Maeve took to mean he would prefer to be naked. Merlin help them.

  

[James Monroe]

Merlin, that was quite enough. James wished that they could just cover the painting up, but that would hardly keep the occupants from moving. At least he could move as well. "Well, I think that is my cue to go then," James said, turning to do just that.

  

[Maeve Connolly]

Maeve chuckled as she bid him farewell, getting up to leave as well.