November 21st, 1895 - Museum of Magical Miscellany

This was probably a little late, but Jack was still processing the unexpected promotion. He'd been at the hospital for two decades now, heading his ward for almost ten, but to run the whole hospital? It was intimidating, an extension of confidence he didn't quite have in himself, but he was willing to accept the challenge. It felt like the natural progression in the series; he'd worked hard to establish and maintain a good career, but surely there were others with more experience. Jack had to wonder what had led the board to make the decision, but thought turning it down might be a poor move, so he was going to find out.

Keene had mentioned doing a fundraiser, a place to announce the switch over in mid-December and Jack had fumbled for how best to go about it. Mrs. Keene was very good at these things, but he had no wife at the moment to run such events. His first thought was the Destiny Hotel, but it was booked for the evening he'd planned on, so Jack was fumbling. It needed to be a little more upscale, and larger, than the Ballroom in Hogsmeade. He certainly couldn't host it, so he was hoping Miriam might have the space at the museum. If he remembered right, there had been events of this magnitude hosted in the museum before, but it could have been the portrait gallery. It wouldn't hurt to ask. If it didn't work out, he'd go back to the drawing board. Perhaps Evangeline would have an idea, this was more up her alley. She wasn't responsible for his social life (yet) however, so he wanted to attempt it on his own first.

He'd wandered the museum for a little bit, waiting for a few minute while Miriam was tied up in another meeting before being approached to follow the employee to her office. "I appreciate you taking the time to see me." He started with, smiling gently. He'd reached out ahead of time to arrange an appointment, they were both busy people, so hopefully he wasn't taking up too much of her time. "How have you been?" Their Hogwarts days felt like a lifetime ago and life had taken them down wildly different paths, though parallel with how some of it worked out. The irony was not lost on Jack, but he was hoping that now, years later, things were better.

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Miriam Kyprianou

  

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The most difficult part of directing the museum was forcing herself to be polite to sellers and investors who were convinced they had something special to be placed within the walls of her beloved Museum of Miscellany. More times than not, she had to find a way to communicate, gently, that their 'artifacts' or 'pieces of art' were either inauthentic, or not as difficult to come by as they thought. This had been one of those meetings. In her day to day life outside of work, Miriam was free to be more curt and blunt. If she valued her role here, which she did, she would have to put those natural tendencies aside during office hours. Thankfully, she was able to dismiss them right on the dot of three in the afternoon with the excuse of having another meeting to attend.

The three wizards left her office, disappointment evident on their faces and Miriam let out a deep sigh -- she was happy that was over. While she normally wasn't the social type, Miriam was actually looking forward to ending her day by talking to Jack. He was an old friend who had been in touch with her since their shared days at Hogwarts. She stepped out from behind her desk as Jack entered the room, and Miriam offered him a smile of greeting. She wasn't one for hugs, but a handshake felt too formal for someone like Jack. Instead, Miriam stood somewhat awkwardly in the middle of the room and waved briefly.

"It's good to see you Jack," she told him, clasping her hands behind her back. When he asked how she had been, Miriam immediately felt the urge to tell him about her recent publication. Her biggest work to-date. However, considering her gender and her line of work didn't exactly go hand in hand, she had been publishing under a pseudonym. No one knew, even if they were safe to tell. Miriam would be devastated if the truth potentially caused her to lose what she had worked so hard to achieve. Instead, she'd tell him about her upcoming trip to Egypt for a dig and the end of the month.

"I am well. A colleague and I have a trip planned at the end of the month to a site in Egypt," she explained, the thrill evident on her face. "How are you, Jack? Well, I hope?"

While she wasn't the person to turn to for emotional support, Miriam still cared enough about her friend and his somewhat recent misfortunes to verbalize her concern. Perhaps not concern, but she wanted to at minimum make him feel as if she cared. She knew the pain of losing a spouse. It had been many years since Alexander had been killed, but a part of her would always feel a twinge when she thought of him. It didn't matter that almost seventeen years had passed.

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Jack Collins

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thank you, Kelly!

Jack immediately perked up at the mention of her travel to Egypt. "How exciting! For business or pleasure? I miss traveling." She had mentioned a colleague, but who knew. If there was one thing Jack wished he could do more of, it was travel. That seemed even less likely now with the promotion, but this responsibility wasn't something he was going to take lightly. Maybe in a few years time when he felt like he had things under control.

"Things are going well, which is part of what brings me here today." So far Jack had only told Emerson, Evangeline and his family of course. It felt strange, still a little surreal and Jack was not the kind to enjoy the spotlight. Maybe in his youth, but now he preferred being on the edge, letting others stay in focus instead. He planned to continue this way, even with the new position. He could handle the pressure, that was no problem, running the hospital was fine, he just wasn't so sure about these more social endeavors. Jack, ever since his elopement, had learned that people will think what they want, no matter what the truth happened to be. Ever since he'd tried to just life quietly, celebrating with those who mattered. This was big though, and he couldn't exactly hide it away, not when it was such an important position.

Jack ran a hand over the back of his head, bad at talking about himself, but knew sharing the news was necessary. Thankfully he and Miriam had known one another long enough that he was less awkward about it than he could be. "I've received a pretty big promotion, director at the hospital, and I need to hold a fundraising event." Merlin he hoped this didn't come across poorly. "I was hoping maybe you had the room here at the museum?"

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   Miriam Kyprianou

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The benefit to working at her beloved museum was that her work was pleasure. Miriam adored going to work every day and being surrounded by artifacts and pieces from Muggle and Magical history. "Well, both I suppose," Miriam told him with a small, breathy laugh. "The opportunity came from museum connections in the region, though. They need someone who can help decipher hieroglyphics that were uncovered during a dig near Giza."

The more she spoke, the more excited she became. Plus, it would be nice to have William along. They hadn't seen each other in a while since he was off on Gringotts business most of the year. Eleana would be happy to see a bit of her godfather as well, she knew. The girl had a sweet bond with him and always had -- it made Miriam feel less bad about never remarrying and giving her daughter the experience of a father.

Jack shared his reason for visiting and Miriam's smile widened. "Jack, that's wonderful news!" she exclaimed, feeling genuinely happy for her friend. She imagined he welcomed such a promotion given the last few years. 'Don't be strange, just hug the man, it's not a big deal,' Miriam thought harshly to herself. Her feet felt planted in place, but she didn't want to seem unfazed by what was truly a great accomplishment on Jack's part. After a second or two, she stepped forward and offered her friend a light hug of congratulations. "I'm sure you're thrilled. I'm happy for you."

Miriam took a step back as he continued and asked about hosting a fundraising event here at the museum. She didn't see why it wouldn't be possible as long as there were no scheduling conflicts. She had a new exhibit being debuted in mid-December, and several other small events during the day -- field trips from Hogwarts and the like -- but Miriam was determined to make this fundraiser work.

"Of course, I see no reason why not," she told him, clasping her hands behind her back once more. "What is the fundraiser for? And when?"

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Jack Collins

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thank you, Kelly!

He could tell Miriam was looking forward to her trip with the way she spoke of the reason. He could empathize, preparing for something exciting or of high interest was always fun. Jack remembered fondly, the planning and the execution of a trip. "I hope you have a wonderful fulfilling time." It sounded like it was right up her alley. Miriam's sheer intelligence and skill was something Jack was always in awe of. He'd never been very good at languages or anything of the sort, which had led him away from classes like Ancient Runes, but could understand the interest.

The unexpected hug had him chuckling quietly. Jack accepted easily enough, giving her a gentle squeeze before letting it. They had been friends for a long time, so it wasn't as awkward as he could make it, but had never been very good at deciding where the line was in situations like this. "The second or third week of December if you have an opening?" He needed enough time to get invitations and the like settled, not to mention all of the actual event planning that would need to happen. Hopefully his sisters would be able to help him out, they were both well-versed in such things.

"It's typical, when someone takes over to celebrate somehow, but you know me, I don't need the spotlight." In fact he would rather stay far, far away from it. "But I plan for most of it to go to the relief fund for those who have been displaced in Irvingly. It might get split between the children's ward, and we can, of course, funnel some toward the museum." In the past the fundraiser had been successful. "I'm just not sure what to offer other than dinner and dancing." Jack paid so little attention to things like this in the past that he really had to be strategic here and start things off on the right foot.

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Miriam turned for a moment and grabbed a small, leather book from her desk -- it was her planner. She had a way of forgetting dates, meetings, and other 'mundane' things so she resorted to writing it all down. If she ever misplaced this book, Miriam would be doomed. Thumbing through the yellowed pages to the second week of December, Miriam adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose and said, "I should return from Egypt by then. Aside from a few meetings and the opening of a new exhibit, I am certain we can fit in your fundraiser."

Miriam made a mental note to assign one of her senior employees to oversee any communication with the ancient Rome exhibit while she was away. She probably was trying to do too much at once when it came to her job, but she couldn't help it. "Did you have a specific day in mind?" she asked, looking up slightly at Jack. "Evening, clearly, is the better time-frame. This place is busy, busy, busy until about 5:30pm."

A social event didn't thrill Miriam, but she understood it was sometimes part of her job. Just like the interviews and the small public speeches she occasionally had to make when welcoming in a new artifact, exhibit, or when speaking to investors. Thankfully, Miriam did well enough when it came to speaking. Although her Cypriot roots were still evident in her voice, Miriam rarely had issues with anyone understanding her. Her accent only thickened when she was barely awake, or under the influence of alcohol.

"I understand. I will have to clear it with the board, but I believe we will all be alright with allowing all proceeds to go toward the relief fund," Miriam assured him. "There may be some small fees to cover, but beyond that, the money should go towards hospital and relief endeavors."

Miriam looked at him with a furrowed brow and slight concern -- did he think she of all people would have suggestions for entertainment? She couldn't remember the last time she attended an event of this caliber. "I'm afraid you're asking the wrong person," Miriam said with a slight chuckle. "I have a tendency to throw money at these sorts of events and avoid attending altogether. Of course, I should probably make an appearance at this particular event."

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Jack Collins

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thank you, Kelly!

Jack nodded along, noting the possible setbacks, though Miriam seemed confident it would pan out. He had no backup plan, but he ought to, shouldn't he? "Fortunately my sisters are adept at the planning piece." Jack had half a mind to ask Evangeline if she would like to help, but he honestly didn't know if she enjoyed that sort of thing, or if it was too presumptuous.

"I don't want to make it difficult for you. But if it works out, I would greatly appreciate it." Hopefully Em and Eve would be able to come up with something. His eldest sister was pretty good at the whole organizing thing. It would come together. It would have to. Maybe he would have to get better at organizing this. Perhaps he should have Evelyn walk him through it all in greater detail rather than deferring to her. This was unlikely to be the last time he would have to host something like this.

He chuckled at her reluctance to attend. "I can sympathize, I too, unfortunately, will be unable to skip this one." Considering it would be hosted in his honor and all. Jack had never considered himself much of a public figure, but now he was certainly more involved in society than he would have ever planned. It was alright, as long as the hospital was really the focus, he could skirt around the edges as the facilitator. "We'll cover any costs necessary," he assured Miriam with a smile. "But I really do appreciate the help." This was him trying to put his best foot forward and if he did it amongst people he liked, hopefully it would set him up for success.

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   Miriam Kyprianou

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Miriam had known all her life that there was something different about her when compared to most other women. Not in a condescending way, Miriam very much so admired other women and their endeavors, but in a way that often made her feel somewhat odd or inept. She wasn't bubbly and friendly and cute like many of her upper class peers. Miriam was kind, but often times very awkward and quiet -- it had gotten her a handful of lectures from her mother, and countless sideways looks from people throughout her life. Hearing of Jack's sisters did bring both a sense of relief and a small twinge of envy -- why couldn't she be good at such things, too?

"That is a relief," she said with a light chuckle.

At least Jack shared her dislike for social events and parties. Miriam often felt overwhelmed and cornered when in large groups of people -- especially when she was expected to speak or present something. She assumed she'd have to talk at least a little bit given that she was the museum director. "Well, at least we can commiserate together," she told Jack with a tiny shrug. "The cause is a noble one, though. I am truly happy to help how I can."

Miriam made sure to add that last part -- she'd hate if Jack thought she was only going to fuss and complain the entire time. She would be, internally, but no one else needed to know that. Of course, Miriam often displayed her inner thoughts all over her face, so if one paid attention to her, they'd definitely notice her discomfort. Hopefully she could find solace in some familiar faces -- she'd be sure to invite Eleana and William. She'd be lucky if one of them could be present, the latter being the more difficult person to convince.

"I'll be sure to put you in touch with the museum accountant. They'll be able to give more specifics about numbers and financial costs," she told Jack, turning for a moment to go to her desk. She'd then take a small piece of paper and scribble the name and contact information of the museum accountant on it in her elegant script. Turning back toward Jack again, she handed him the paper with a nod.

"Forgive my manners," she said. "I'd offer you a drink, but I have none on-hand. Please, sit on the couch there and get comfortable."

Miriam motioned to the wood-framed sofa a few feet from her desk. She'd make her way over to it as well, sitting at the opposite end from Jack. "Aside from the promotion, how has life been treating you? I've missed your company," Miriam told him, smiling warmly.

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Jack Collins

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thank you, Kelly!