simplestgift | Eight Bells: [Action/Written]

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Eight Bells: [Action/Written]

[Luceti, Jack Sparrow now has drapes. They are lovely drapes, made of something like spiderweb silk and dyed a nice, neutral, manlyish color. The furniture and silver are both polished. There is even a new rug on the living room floor. Everything looks very home-ish.

Jack's clothes, on the other hand, are strewn all over the place, and every drop of dairy is badly curdled. Missing is a pair of trousers and Jack's Jolly Roger t-shirt.

Archie Kennedy comes dashing into town from the Cullen House wearing a pair of trousers and a Jolly Roger t-shirt. He'll make his way as quickly as is possible to his own apartment to get dressed properly so no one will suspect he spent the week with Jack--least of all Jack. He can be run into at any point.

After all this is accomplished and he's eaten something at Seventh Heaven that does not include porridge, honey, or cream, he will sit down to write this note.]

May I speak with a tailor in this town?

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[ watching all this romancing from a spectator's position has been...interesting, to say the least. buffy has tried to meddle only when invited to. like now. ]

Probably bet not to tell her you involved me at all, by the way.

I won't, then. But won't she wonder?

Just let her figure it out on her own. She's smart. She'll do it -- and then she'll deal with that information how she wants to.

[He nods.] All right, then. [He picks up his cup of tea and sips. He won't ask her about being a robot. He doesn't generally ask questions about things that bother people he cares about.] I hope she made it through the week just fine.

As far as I know? Fit as a fiddle...except for -- well...Spike's gone.

[Surprise takes over his face.] Spike...

Xander, then Willow, and now Spike. Poor girl.

[Poor Buffy, but saying that to her face feels wrong.]

The Good Ship Sunnydale has taken a big hit the past month or so.

Except...well, Giles is back. There's that.

Giles was very helpful last week. He was the one who suggested I find a house and stick with it instead of cleaning every kitchen in the village.

Where do you think Dawnie got her brains? It certainly wasn't from me.

[ oh wait. that whole thing sounded very awkward. but the monks did make dawn out of her and... ] I just mean that he's always been like a father to us. [ perhaps more so buffy but...but buffy doesn't see it that way. ]

That's good. He said he's been here before and remembers everything.

[ a slow nod. everything before wasn't strictly good, however. and right now she and giles are hardly getting along. but she can't risk anyone else getting a whiff of that. ]

[A sidelong glance.] How's your tea?

Good. [ she responds with enthusiasm though she's sure it could use some milk. ] Thanks -- for it. And for Jack's stuff and for...I don't know. I'm kind of rambling now.

That's perfectly fine. [She can talk as much as she wants. She keeps losing people.]

Dawn wanted to be involved in what I mentioned. The...the ceremony, for people who've gone home.

Great. That'll be good for her. It'll be nice to think that maybe at some point there'll be people here who've never had to go through something like that without a...ceremony.

[ though in future you may find her conspicuously absent from them. buffy works through these things either privately or one-on-one. she can't afford a breakdown like she had with archie. not in public. ]

[That he can understand.] I'm...not certain I'm the right man for the job.

Archie -- [ she could almost laugh. ] You're talking to a girl who took up being a champion for the good fight at the age of fifteen and also a mostly-teetotaler who serves at the local bar. I'm the definition of not right for the job. It's never stopped me.

[ a warm smile -- possibly the warmest since this conversation began. ] Just do it. Own it. Nothing wrong with that.

[It takes him a second--he wasn't the right man for the job even in his previous career. He could be grateful that no one here saw him lose his control to panic in his first land battle. But he's not a bad lieutenant now at all, so her story strikes home.]

Of course. [He thinks.] Maybe Dawn will have better ideas about what to do. If I can just get the names from everyone who wants to attend, it'll be a start.

[ summers girls. also experts in grieving. they came with such maudlin resumes. ]

Find some musicians. Music always helps.

Right. [A tight but grateful smile at her support.] Thank you.

[ she sips the tea, slowly. not much left to it. ]

No problem. Just -- good luck with it.

[A sigh as he looks up to the ceiling.]

I don't know if I'm qualified because I haven't lost anyone I'm particularly close with yet. I'm not complaining, mind you. But people might talk.

Someone who raises an opinion over that is someone whose opinion you don't want to listen to in the first place.

Very possibly. Though I'd rather be spared any claim that I'm mocking anyone.

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