simplestgift | Seventeen Bells: [WRITTEN/ACTION]

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Seventeen Bells: [WRITTEN/ACTION]

On July the 4th, 1776, one Horatio Hornblower was born in Kent. If you see him, bid him many happy returns. He will most likely grump about it all day and act ungrateful, but don't allow it to discourage you. He does appreciate it, he simply does not know it.

[For most of the day, Archie will be running around trying to furnish a bedroom in the house for a new housemate. He'll end up in the library, Good Spirits, the grocery store, then finally the Battle Dome, mostly staring in bewilderment at the controls before deciding this is too scary and leaving. At some point, he'll also take a walk in the woods, rain or no rain, in shirtsleeves and waistcoat but no coat. After a while, he'll get back on the journals.]

[Filtered away from Grell, 44%]

If you wanted to surprise someone dear to you, to cheer her up when she returned from being kidnapped, what would you do for her?

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You know, from where I'm standing it's a pretty good birthday to have, honestly.

You're American.

Well, that would be the point.

All you did was sign a bit of paper that day, you know.

[laughing] I wouldn't discount it. They do say the pen is mightier than the sword.

I'd like to see an army wielding pens, for a change. How do you like William?

It would be a nice change.

He's a friend of yours. That's good enough for me. I haven't really had a chance to talk to him much.

Truth is, I didn't even know him a full year, back home. But we were together almost constantly, the last few days. He's a good man.

[Very kind to a dying one, as well.]

[the last few days...

It's enough to cut the laughter from her voice, settling it on something more serious] Then I'm glad he's here.

As am I. It's good to see him again.

Two people from home in such a short time. Whatever's drawing people here seems to like you.

[it's somewhat light. Not quite teasing, but related]

...Perhaps it will be you, next.

[that gets a bright laugh] Oh god...

I can just imagine Geordie's face if he woke up with wings. He wouldn't believe it even if he saw it with his own eyes.

He doesn't believe everyone has wings inside them already, I take it?

He's a bit more of a skeptic than I am.

[it was the understatement of the century, to say the least]

Doesn't believe in magic?

Not even a little.

Or, he claims so, anyway. I think he's in denial.

Has this Irish fiddler seen anything like what you've seen?

Mmmm...

His girlfriend was stolen by a ghost.

And his brother collects stories of things people have seen. Some that Christy's even seen. That's the book I brought you.

It's just... the Professor called it The World As We Know It. How people have just agreed on what is or is not possible. And if something doesn't fit that mold, they try to find another explanation for it. Any explanation. So the fae creature running across the road? Was just a piece of paper blowing past. And the girls with feathers in their hair were just teenagers...and they most definitely weren't crows a few minutes before.

It doesn't matter what they see. They believe something else entirely.

[There's a thoughtful pause.]

That's something, it is. Not the sort of thing I'm used to thinking on.

Well..that's the point.

We aren't used to thinking on it. And we aren't told that we should be. After all, we know what can and can't be real, so why would we look for the rest?

[except she'd always seen them, those little glimpses you could only see from the corner of your eyes. And, for most of her life, she'd believed. Even when she didn't realize it]

My nurse when I was a boy always said she said fairies. Our governess when I was older said not to pay her stories any mind, but I was never sure.

I guess I always just choose to believe. Maybe they're lying or simply have overactive imaginations...but maybe they're telling the truth.

And the world's a more interesting place by far if they are.

I know who I believe now, surely.

[a laugh] Maybe you can help me convince Geordie, if he ever does show up.

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