"Yes, well..." Balthazar answered after clearing his throat uncomfortably. True, he was accustomed to such meetings—or had been, at least—but that had been before. The Department of Mysteries was all but an island. He could handle an island. But the politics? Just because the wizard had been ready for one did not mean he was ready for the other!

"I will, of course, need some time to transition back into the post," he offered diplomatically, "so I do hope you will indulge me at least for a time. But no, Mulciber, I shan't shunt my duties onto you—not in the grand scheme of things, at any rate. You'll be back with your cogs and your gears before you know it."

Perhaps 'before you know it' was a bit optimistic, but optimism was necessary if Balt was to keep placing one foot in front of the other.