April 20, 1895 — Some Pro Quidditch Stadium

Eva hadn't been to a professional quidditch match in so long that she'd forgotten how much she enjoyed the energy of the stands. She hadn't meant to be away for so long. These things just sort of happened, unfortunately. At any rate, she was happy to be here, and she was happy to be here in Mr. Collins' company.

"I am so glad we're doing this," Eva said as she settled into her seat. It had taken more time than expected to get here, but that was sometimes the nature of life. Being older had its advantages, undoubtedly, but it also came with more responsibility. Still, Evangeline didn't need a chaperone attend a quidditch match with a handsome gentleman she liked and that was certainly a thing to be grateful for, regardless of their schedules.

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Daffodil Grimstone / Jack Collins

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   Jack Collins

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Set by Bee <3

Pleased they had finally gotten their schedules to line up, Jack was grateful at least, for the warmer weather of April to attend a quidditch match. Between his having to be out of town for a seminar on healing in Norway and then just general life things getting in the way for a chance to make good on the second half of his birthday present for Evangeline, Jack had rather worried things wouldn't be quite as easy as they had been. Needlessly so, as they settled into their seats and he felt that comforting level of ease in her presence.

He grinned at her comment, nodding his agreement. "Agreed, I was worried we might not make it." He was mostly-joking. It had been a concern at one point. "I hope the children won't hold it against me," Jack had thought of inviting Elliott and Emilia, but wasn't sure how that would come across. Maybe this summer they could cross that bridge, if he wasn't reading too far into this.

"Who shall we root for today?" He added knowing he had no preference, as he had never been a strict follower of quidditch, but did enjoy a match when the opportunity presented itself, especially given the company.

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"I shouldn't tell you this," Evangeline said conspiratorially, "but they can be bribed." Perhaps it was a bit too much. But it didn't feel like too much, and Eva trusted nothing as much she trusted her own feelings on people.

"I've heard Ballycastle's new keeper is very promising," she said. Even if she didn't get to see matches very often, Eva did tend to keep up with quidditch news. It was more interesting than some of the other sections in the Prophet. Especially when they censored out the best bits of the news.

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Set by Bee <3

Jack thought her comment rather promising. This whole new chapter of his life had some unexpected details he hadn't had to worry about the first time. This time it wasn't just him that he was trying to think through a future for. If he was going to seriously consider remarrying, he had Emerson to think of and with Evangeline, the twins as well. He wasn't afraid of the added layers, but worried he wouldn't be able to navigate them successfully. That was a concern for another time. He didn't want to cast a cloud on their experience today.

"I shall take the Wasps, then." He hummed out. "Loser buys the post-game treat?" Jack had no intention of letting her pay for anything today, and he was hoping he might be able to coax her over for dinner later, but he rather thought he ought to take it one step at a time. Still, a little friendly competition was all in good fun.

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"I will take that wager," Eva said with a smile. She settled into seat, intent on being comfortable. The downside of quidditch matches, she supposed, was that you never knew how long they would be. It all depended on the seekers' luck and skill. To a certain extent, that was part of the excitement--the uncertainty--though. "It should be a good match."

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Set by Bee <3

Jack didn't have much frame of reference for how good the match up would be, he was woefully out of touch on the quidditch front, but Evangeline seemed confident.

It didn't take long to prove interesting at the very least, if a bit more aggressive than he was expecting. Not a bad thing, it made for an entertaining game, but he found himself wincing at the more brutal hits. "That had to hurt," he grimaced appropriately as a bludger caught a chaser, but fortunately did not unseat them.

"So what has been keeping you busy lately?" Their seemingly full schedules had been what had prevented a get together before this and he was curious how she filled her time.

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There were some things that Eva spent her time doing--specifically the Athenaeum--that she didn't want to say. And wouldn't broach the subject at a public venue like this, anyway--it was not the time. So, what she said was, "I have some social and academic pursuits that take up my free time." That was a simple way of putting it, and a foundation of truth that she hoped they could build on later. "I feel like I'm in a privileged position to help with the social causes that concern me, it'd be unconscionable not to." Some of those causes--like the rights of married women--had had a direct impact on her life, but that was another conversation for the future.

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Set by Bee <3

Jack had to admire her thought process. Thinking and acting charitably were both something he saw a lot in his line of work, but generally more at a superficial level. Eva really seemed to get in and get her hands on whatever it was she was interested in and that was a quality he liked. Women in her position had no true expectation to take an interest in things on a broader scale, but he liked that she wasn't idle.

"How very philanthropic," he mused with a smile. "Anything in particular you're passionate about?" Either academic pursuits or social efforts. He was naturally very curious to see what it was she liked to spend her free time while the children were occupied.

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Eva hesitated. She didn't think she was worried about being truthful--not really--but it was an opening into a topic that was deeply personal, and that she'd rather wade in slowly than dive headfirst into it. "The rights of married women," she said after a moment. Eva didn't look directly at Jack, instead choosing to keep her eyes on the pitch. One of the Wasps' beaters was close enough that she heard the crack! as he hit a bludger across the pitch. "It's a subject of particular personal interest."

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Set by Bee <3

Jack angled his body ever so slightly towards Eva as she spoke next. It was almost hesitant and while he hadn't expected the answer, he couldn't say he was surprised. "I would say that's paramount for someone in your position to be invested in." Jack couldn't pretend to know exactly how these things worked in the upper class that she had grown up in, but he had always thought Lena, in their few short years together, to be his partner more than anything else. He'd set everything up to make sure she and the children were taken care of in the event of his untimely demise, because he didn't want her to have to worry. It wasn't something he'd truly had to worry about in the end, but he he had, if anything were to threaten that sort of stability that he'd tried to provide, it would warrant some attention.

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Evangeline smiled wryly. "It's deeply ironic, I think, that the main occupation women are expected to take up is one that so many need protection in." She shook her head. "If people like with the means to help don't try, I worry that not enough people will care to." No one should have to fear their spouse or their intentions, but there ought to be protections in place in case that happened.

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"Agreed," Jack could not fathom a marriage in which one spouse held much more power than the other. Sure, he had worked and worked a lot, long days to provide for the family, but Lena had done more than her fair share too, running the household and raising Emerson. No one job was more important than the other. He had learned to do it without her, with the help of reliable staff, but he would have rather not had to. Maybe this was where his thought process diverged from most men in his station, or above it. They simply had not had to do it alone like he had and so therefore did not know how good they had it.

Mostly, he now worried that Evangeline was speaking from experience, but he did not know how to bring that up, or if it was even the time. "If there is anything you need from me, please let me know." If she was going to take this somewhere, Jack would like to support her.

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