December 19th, 1891 - Quidditch Charity Match & Auction

It was important that Ross went to charity events, but there were so many charity events in December that he was starting to get a little sick of them. He couldn't convey that he was sick of them, but he was sick of them. The person who had the most intimate view of his irritation was probably Miss Binns, who got to watch him raise his eyebrows every time a new invitation came in.

So he was at the charity Quidditch match, and he was hoping to leave before the auction itself. Ross was trying to socialize as much as possible at this event, because it was also important that people remembered him being here. "I'm glad to see our sponsors working on this," Ross said, although he wished it was in another month.

---

  

December was a generally tiring month - between the work to be finished up before the end of the year and the sheer number and length of these events it was all exhausting - add to that the fact that the moon had only just passed - it had been a tough one. His wolf, who he affectionately called Tiré had not taken it easy during the last transformation, some months the wolves would all just lounge together enjoying their own company in the forest around The Reach, but this month they had hunted, and whatever it was had been large. His muscles still ached from the exertion.

'Aye,' he nodded, accepting a whiskey from the passing waiter 'a worthy cause indeed,' he mirrored Rosses platitude. 'I just hope they don't keep us here till Christmas.' he noted, as the announcer called another near miss on the snitch.

---

  

---

MJ is a National Treasure

Ross was relieved to be chatting with Greyback; talking to other Ministry members, who were at the party for much the same reason, required much less exertion than talking with generic society members would have. He smiled, genuinely, at Greyback's comment. "If we're here past eight o'clock, my wife will be very displeased with me," he admitted. Ross would also be very displeased. "Is Miss Allaway here with you today?"

---

  

Murdock's face rather fell at the prospect that he might possibly be obliged to stay to anything like 8 o'clock, like a school boy who had been told that he was about to have double homework. After a flash of expression he managed to school his features.

'Afraid not' he answered and rather hoped his tone did not reveal the extent of his feeling of being rather abandoned by the woman he had come to rely on at social events like this. As gregarious as he could be in intimate groups, or in house party amoung people he liked and knew well - at events like this he all but clung to the wall or found a corner in which to sip whiskey. 'She is working at the moment' he explained, knowing that it was a little odd that she still work as a healer under the circumstances, but as a spinster, long used to running her own life and not needing to concern herself with a husbands opinion, he was aware he would need to make concessions - after all he had sprung the whole werewolf thing on her - so the least he could do was allow her to stay in a job she loved.

'Tell me Ross, as a man with more experience with marriage than I?' he ventured, 'At what point does guessing where the limit of a ladies tolerance for an event like this might be? When not to push ones luck' Murdock chortled, although he had been married, it had been a comparatively short period of time and anticipating the expectations of a wife was not something he had had to do in a very long time.

---

  

---

MJ is a National Treasure

So Miss Allaway was still a healer; Ross filed the information away as something to be aware of, although it was not that scandalous on its own. (Some people would certainly talk, but spinsters were set in their ways, and expecting one to change just for marriage was far too much.) It did mean that when Miss Allaway became Mrs. Greyback, her schedule would be slightly more difficult to deal with than most of the society wives were, so Roslyn ought to be warned.

Ross laughed. "If you figure it out, let me know," he joked. The truth was that it was not, actually, hard to figure out what Ros was feeling — and she would tolerate a lot for him. Hopefully Greyback would be just as lucky when he married Miss Allaway.

---

  

Murdock chuckled into his drink, sucking the sharp liquid through his teeth in amusement. 'Isn't that the truth' he muttered to the other man, his eyes not leaving the room with an abundance of casualness. The inscrutable nature of women was something he was sure the unspeakables were no doubt hell bent on 'solving'. - He would have to see if he could weasel the answer out of Urqaurt the next time they spoke.

He and Manon had been a comfortably marriage - happy for what it was worth, and although not a marriage of love per se but rather one of suitableness - a beautiful, dutiful and loyal lady for a first born son. He and Titania, in that one he was sure of proper affection. 'Although likes Mrs. Ross, I am the one with the large family to be married into - Is there advice you wish you'd known when entering the fray with a large new set of kin - I'm sure Miss Allaway would appreciate the forewarning.' The Fisks were nice people, although he considered his own crowd 'nice'.

---

  

---

MJ is a National Treasure

Ross hummed as he considered. "Tell her which of your siblings you think will be the best allies," he suggested. "And warn her that there's always noise." Ross had three siblings, so he had thought he had a good idea of what it would be like — he'd been wrong. The Fisks — and the Greybacks, for that matter — were an entirely different kind of large family. Hopefully Miss Allaway knew what she was getting into.

---

  

He nodded thoughtfully, and then chuckled. He needn't worry too much on the family ally front, the match had been his sisters brain child - she had maneuvered to get the two together and had been rather devious in that regards - Titania and Isabella had been as close as sisters since their school days, he was rather surprised that she had not alighted upon this brain child long ago. Thankful perhaps that he had been saved some years from her well intentioned meddling.

'Hold up' Murdock said by way of warning, hiding his mouth behind his whiskey glass as he feigned a drink. 'I believe someone is trying to gain your attention. A small skinny man in an expensive suit was making a great show of trying to catch Ross's attention - someone no doubt seeking to bend the ministers ear on some matter or other. 'I'm afraid I must abandon you mon'capitan, 'heavy hangs the head that wears a crown' he jested as the short man made it clear he could not be dissuaded from his course and intended discussion with the Minister. 'I leave politics to you old man' he clapped his hand on the others backs and made his escape.

---

Wrap?!

  

---

MJ is a National Treasure