Twelve Bells: [WRITTEN/ACCIDENTAL VIDEO/ACTION] The winter of our discontent.

[simplestgift]

[Filtered to Dawn Summers 40%]
Meet me this evening? I'll come by your flat to walk you to dinner. I've a surprise for you.
[/Filtered]


It has come to my attention that every copy the library has of Richard III is missing bits of his famous speech. I've noticed it in other places as well. Romeo and Juliet is lacking the lines when she wakes up and they reunite before he remembers he took poison. All for Love is also just a bit different from what I remember. Far as I can tell, The London Merchant is whole, but quite a lot of older tragedies are missing bits and pieces. Can anyone explain this?

There's something about the fight between Tybalt and Mer

[The writing stops. A second later, the journal hits the floor, showing a lovely view of the carpet in one of the many apartments in the village. In the background, Archie's voice begins, sounding a little flustered.]

Horatio, I'll be back in a few hours. Damn, damn.

Archie? [The immediate confusion is quickly replaced with a concern that he tries to make sound less pressing than he felt it.] What is it? Where are you going?

[Archie's voice comes back, less frantic but still speaking quickly as some jangling is heard from picking up his sword.] Nothing. In trying to get you settled this week, I completely forgot to practice. I'll be out back, behind the building, wishing I was dead.

Ah, of course. The pirate.  [A beat.]  Shall I wait here, then?

[A pause.]  I suppose two could practice.

If he'd prefer to deal with only one, I would be content to just watch.  [Not that he's trying to put off the inevitable-- that sooner or later, he has to let Archie out of his sight for more than a few minutes. ...To distract from that idea, he chuckles.]  Besides-- would be hard for two to practice when only one is armed. Perhaps once I have a sword again, you can teach me what he's taught you.

I don't have a lesson today, Horatio. We could stop by the weapons' shop and find you something more than suitable. [He sounds slightly wistful.]

[The thought of not yet having to deal with the pirate whose boat he borrowed? Perks him up.] I'd like that.

Very well, Mister Hornblower. I challenge you to a duel!

And, as a gentleman, I cannot refuse.  I am afraid, Mr. Kennedy, that in a matter as serious as this-- [the smile on his face is betrayed by his tone] --there can, naturally, be no quarter given.

[What follows behind CH1 is two navy boys gleefully trying to chop each other up.  It's more akin to horseplay than practice, but it appears that "the twins" are having fun, at least. Onlookers feel free to look on.

Later, Archie will do a little honest practice on his own in the same place.

OOC: Anyone whose character knows stuff about lit history can point out that a lot of older plays in the 18th century were rewritten just a little to update them for a "modern" audience.]

Comments

[ voice | same filter ] /holds

[simplestgift]

A surprise. I'll meet you around five o'clock?

[ voice | same filter ] /clings

[tothelibrary.livejournal.com]

I'm officially going to spend all day trying to harness Ultimate Power to make it five o'clock now.

[ voice/action ]

[simplestgift]

I won't be a moment late.

[And he won't. He'll knock on her door a little early, if a tad stiff after TONS of practice and showering. When she opens it, he'll be holding a box--the sort you wrap clothes in on Christmas--and looking fairly excited.]

[action ]

[tothelibrary.livejournal.com]

[ for her part, dawn will just be yanking open the door at the first knock, not that she's been waiting with excitement. she sees the box and her face lights up. ]

Okay, when you said surprise I was excited? But now surprise is upgraded to present, and if you weren't here I would do a completely dweeby dance or something. [ pushing the door open in welcome, she steps back. ] Also, hi.

[action ]

[simplestgift]

[He steps in, bursting at the seams with anticipation.] Yes, hello. [He hands it to her, positively dying to get her reaction.]

[action ] oh god i am SO SORRY this week sucked. /collapses on you

[tothelibrary.livejournal.com]

[ it's only dawn's innate fastidiousness-- and all right, a desire not to look like a total bimbo in front of archie-- that has her neatly using her nails to open the package rather that ripping into it.

once she does though, a hand flies unbidden to her mouth and she just stops, eyes wide. ] Oh my god, it's the prettiest thing I've ever seen.

[ she carefully sets the box down and the coffee table and fairly launches herself at archie, self-enforced being careful lost in a rush to clasp her arms around his neck. ] I can't believe you did this!

[action ] It is okay I was gone this weekend! /clings

[simplestgift]

[Okay, that reaction? That made his life worthwhile. He squeezes her tightly, pressing his cheek against her hair, babbling excitedly.]

I remembered you saying you thought the gowns of my time were--so--and I thought you'd look astonishing...

[In this chemise dress from c. 1799.]

[action ] AND NOW I AM THE LATEST IN THE WORLD hi. also oh god my html up there

[tothelibrary.livejournal.com]

[ dawn holds back just as tightly, before pulling back enough to plant a kiss on archie before squeezing him again, her words spilling out in a rush. ]

It's not even my birthday, are you trying to make sure that every boyfriend who ever boyfriended before you looks like a complete failure? Because it's working.

[action ] YOU ARE ALIVE!

[simplestgift]

[Well, part of it is that he kinda wanted to see her in one of these gowns anyway...

He returns the kiss firmly, then plants another on her hair.]

Are you going to wear it to dinner?

[action ] IT WAS UNCERTAIN FOR A PERIOD BUT YYYYY

[tothelibrary.livejournal.com]

[ selfish gains or not, dawn is adding approximately all the points to your column, archie. ]

I think if you didn't want me to, you might have to resort to physical restraint-type measures.

[action ] Didst thou have thy surgery?

[simplestgift]

Never. [Once more plucking a kiss from her lips.] Try it.

[action ] they judged it unnecessary, thank god. just lots of pain pills and exercises.

[tothelibrary.livejournal.com]

Just because you know I could kick your butt. [ just one more kiss, archie. ] Is there-- am I going to need any help, or can I get it myself? [ because other than 'oh god pretty dress' the details are lost on her for now. ]

[action ] Good! Are you getting better?

[simplestgift]

[Oy.]

There's a shift that goes underneath everything. A set of stays [half-boned and totally not scary]. If you have trouble...I could help...

[But it would be sort of like him helping you put on your bra.]

[action ] working on it! it's touch and go and largely annoying, but i'm muscling through.

[tothelibrary.livejournal.com]

Okay, shift and stays. Front laced or back? [ blushing, forever and ever blushing. ] Because not to sound like the skankiest tramp in loose woman town, but I'm not exactly experienced in stay tying up and I don't really mind you seeing me in a shift and I won't tell Buffy if you won't.

[action ] /clings

[simplestgift]

[Just a little blushing. Shifts are not super-opaque.]

I didn't look. It's...been some time since I wore stays, and they were a bit different back then. But... [He gestures toward her room. Silent offer to help once she's covered.]

[action ] /glues myself to you

[tothelibrary.livejournal.com]

[ dawn is half-expecting a more modern, cover-y shift; more of something like joyce's slips than anything else. but that doesn't mean she'll object to the reality; instead, she will turn colors more suited to lobsters post-boiling and stammer a lot, but not object. ]

We can muddle through. Together. With the stay tying, and-- I'm going to go take my clothes off now. In the other room! And in a not skanky way. And then, put the shift on and then you can help. While I have things on again. So... that's what I'm going to do, now. [ 'fleeing' might be an accurate word for the speed she applies to disentangling herself and heading for the other room. smooth, she is not. ]

[action ]

[simplestgift]

[Well, hopefully she'll at least have the stays on before she calls him in to lace her up. The shift has short sleeves.]

[action ]

[tothelibrary.livejournal.com]

[ she will indeed; first she needs to shove all the stuff on her floor under the bed, but when she calls archie in the stays will be firmly... well, roughly where they're supposed to go. ] Hey, Archie? I'm decent, you can come in.

[action ]

[simplestgift]

[He comes in--and by all, she's gorgeous even in the underpinnings. For one crazy-inappropriate moment, his eyes go wide...then he takes a breathe, glances away like a gentleman, and hurries behind her to lace her up.]

You might...take a deep breath, as deep as you can.

[action ]

[tothelibrary.livejournal.com]

[ if this was a bad romance novel or dawn was someone like buffy or faith, she might say something about that being difficult because she's already breathless. (or okay, if she was someone like faith she'd probably swear a lot and then get naked.) but this isn't one of her hidden stash of cheesy books and she's not buffy, so she nods and inhales deeply. ] Okay, breath taken.

[ ...then inhales again, because talking is maybe less of a good idea for right now. ]

[action ]

[simplestgift]

[YANK!

It's a good thing Dawn took that breath, because he's lacing them as tight as they'll go without squeezing her air out. It won't hurt, at least, but if he goes easy, they'll be riding down all night. By the time he's finished, they'll be securely in place, but comfortable and supportive.]

There.

[action ]

[tothelibrary.livejournal.com]

[ she stumbles a little when archie first tugs, because other than watching kate winslet hang to a bedpost and longing for red hair, any kind of stays are a foreign idea. but she rights herself quickly and widens her stance a little, making it easier to ride it out and not fall. it takes a second to adjust to the feel of wearing something that constricting, but once she adjusts her breaths it starts to feel more comfortable. ] Okay, how do I look?

[action ]

[simplestgift]

[He has to be the gentleman and look away. It isn't that he hasn't seen her in street clothes nearly as revealing, but it's habit. But when she asks, he glances briefly.] It seems straight. Is it pinching anywhere? Can you take a deep breath?

[action ]

[tothelibrary.livejournal.com]

[ dawn inhales again, thoughtfully. ] Breath, check, and no pinching check.

[ the next sentence tumbles out at high speed, because she is worried if she comes on too strong archie might think less of her. ] You can look, it's okay. I mean-- it's not like I'm full on naked, and we're dating and I don't actually mind. If you look.

[action ]

[simplestgift]

[A little too late. As soon as Dawn started talking, Archie found himself completely unable to take his eyes off her. After a moment, he brushes a lock of hair away from her face.]

It's not pinching anywhere, then?