ooc:

Ahhh... I love the new sig... xD I love youuuu.
And I edited a date into your post. Hope you don't mind. ^^

ic:

Panthera sat at his desk, stoic. His eyes were watching the flames flickering in the fireplace behind his desk, amber eyes unmoving and indifferent. He was perfectly still in the black leather office chair, and if not for the slight rise and fall of his chest from his breathing, it would have been hard to tell him from a statue. Pan was like a feline as he sat there, just waiting and watching, biding his time. But he soon turned back to his large, black desk, empty for the most part save a few folders, papers, and pens. He had no picture frames of loved ones as others working in the building did. He had no clever and cute contraptions or decorations stationed in his working area, and despite not having anything in any particular order, everything looked strangely organized, as though they had been placed there with good purpose. Everything in the room seemed to have that same vibe and nothing seemed awkward or out of place. Everything had a reason for being there.

Of course, Pan had no real reason for still being in his office. He could have gone home long ago. His work was finished, most of his employees had gone home, and he had done what he needed to do for the day. Yet he stayed. Panthera was not addicted to his work, nor was he particularly overzealous when it came to his company, but he remained in his office anyway. Some days, he went home along with the other employees and other days, he just stayed in his office into the wee hours of the morning. Doing what, no one really knew and no one really bothered to ask. Pan was an enigma, especially to those working in his company. Most of the employees were lucky to catch a glimpse of him. Even the employees higher in rank were somewhat wary of Panthera, not really understanding him, but being too afraid to try. While he wasn't particularly threatening or intimidating, Pan certainly had a commanding presence and people took notice. When he talked, people tended to listen.

And then there were the Death Eaters. They probably knew him better than most. They knew his nature. They knew how he really was beneath that businessman façade -- that he was just as much a demon as the rest of them. He simply was more sophisticated and elegant about it. His lust for blood and causing physical pain to others had faded long ago, swept away with his youth. Pan had changed, grown, and hardened into the man who was the real brains behind the Death Eaters. While Maleham was the face of the Death Eaters, it was Panthera who controlled the forces and called the shots. In an instant, he could take up the seat as leader of the Death Eaters, but Pan was biding his time. Maleham still had some use and the animagus was never one to just do whatever he wanted to do. He always thought things through and he had to be certain that everything was in place and his pieces were set. He had no worries about whether the Death Eaters would follow him; he knew they would. But Pan would not go as far as to call it loyalty, for with a group like the Death Eaters, loyalty was not a prominent trait. They were all part of the group for a reason. They all had their own agendas to fulfill and Pan wasn’t so blind as not to see that. He would not be made out to be a fool as Maleham was and he would not so lightly trust any of the Death Eaters with anything, save the tasks he sent them out to perform. One could never trust those within the ranks of the Death Eaters.

Of course, there was one who had what was as close to trust from Panthera as was possible. He had created her in a sense, after all. She was his creation, his prodigy, and he knew she would never do anything to betray him. One could almost say that she was completely loyal to him and Pan almost even affectionate toward her. But a cold, heartless man like Panthera could hardly show much affection, yet he supposed he did feel some affection for the girl, somewhere in the depths of his twisted, cunning mind. But at the same time, Pan was a man of business. No such word as love would ever enter his mind, nor would he ever think of sacrificing himself for anyone.

There were three knocks on the door and Panthera knew it was her. Still sitting his chair, he lifted a hand and gave it a light swish. The double-doors slowly swung open, revealing Branwen Llywd, his secretary, but oh-so much more. As the doors opened, they revealed to the young Death Eater what so few had the opportunity to see. The office of Panthera Lupus was gigantic, to say the least, occupying nearly the entire top floor. The only place not occupied by the room was the small hallway where apparition was permitted. Within the office though, apparition was not allowed and a spell had been cast to prevent anyone from apparating staight into Pan’s office. There was also an elevator and a staircase leading into that hallway. The inside of the office was quite bare, hardly any decorations anywhere. All there was was a large, black and white photograph of a Hungarian Horntail, its mouth open wide and fire spewing out above the large fireplace behind the desk. While the fire was on, no heat seemed to come from the flames, for Pan used the fireplace strictly for use of the Floo Network. The walls of the front half of the room were all windows, but as they continued on, they turned into black walls. There were some rather monstrous bookshelves lined on the walls in a corner, filled with hundreds and hundreds of books. Near the bookshelves, there were a few rather comfortable-looking couches, though it was doubtful they had ever been touched.

Amber eyes fell on Branwen, watching her with his idle, predatory gaze. He expected her to enter, for she did not need permission to enter his office. She was the only one who had that privilege. “Branwen,” Pan said, his deep voice carrying from all the way across the room. “I do hope your night went well.” He flicked his wrist again, and the doors slowly closed behind her. He continued to watch her, face remaining always stoic, eyes betraying nothing. Branwen often came to his office after a meeting, especially when Pan left early, to tell him of anything important that had occurred. She was his eyes and ears when he wasn’t around.

Edited by: Snake Skinned at: 3/12/06 1:08 am