Seventeen Bells: [WRITTEN/ACTION]

[simplestgift]

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?

Comments

[simplestgift]

"Best of luck." Archie loved Buffy in that semi-comfortable platonic way, but even if he'd never met Dawn, he would not touch that with a ten-foot pole. He empathized with her, was there for her, but dating her would be too much. "It tore her apart, you know. When you left."

[all7seas]

"I know. I'm tryin' to put it back together."

Ironically, she had been one of the healthiest things in Luceti for the pirate. "And no sign of your Dawn yet, eh?"

By his calculations it had been....a while.

[simplestgift]

"None." He swirled his whiskey in his glass, then drank. "Mister Bush thinks I should--"

Aaand he cut himself off there, because what he told Jack would surely get back to Buffy. Although Buffy had just almost-given him The Talk, so might she not be on board with a proposal?

[all7seas]

"Lieutenant Bush thinks you should what, Kennedy?" That voice was almost a purr. Things had suddenly become very interesting indeed to the pirate.

[simplestgift]

A beat.

"Well. We've been courting for five months now, and we like each other very much..." or perhaps another l-word "...and back home, it would be high time for a...a proposal."

[all7seas]

Marriages: match races to see how quickly one could fall out of love. Jack decided not to say that, however.

"I love weddings! Plenty of free drinks, dancing, beautiful ladies! I expect Hornblower would marry the two of you but if he refuses on account of he's a prat I'll do the honors, of course!"

[simplestgift]

"But what if things are different in her time? What if she does not want to?"

[all7seas]

"Hmmm? What's that? Why wouldn't she? You're a strong, able young man with no horrible diseases that you know of. She's a beautiful lady what will make even more of a man of you. It's a lovely match if you ask me.


But if she doesn't want to, I'll expect she'll say, 'No, Archiekins, I don't want to.'"

[simplestgift]

"She doesn't call me that."

[all7seas]

"'Archie-warchie?' 'Cuddlybritches'?"

[simplestgift]

[all7seas]

"Not her fluffy bunny, are you? Because that's just sad and unmanly, mate."

[simplestgift]

"She calls me Archie, actually. And Horatio would do well, thank you."

[all7seas]

"Right. 'Archie.' I suppose it has a ring to it. Very well, then---Hornblower would preside. Being a captain, he's got that privilege. How long would the engagement be, Kennedy?"

[simplestgift]

Okay, fine. "Oh, I don't know. Why not a double wedding, as you're so taken with her sister?"

[all7seas]

".......................What?"

[simplestgift]

"What's the matter, Jack? Don't you love her? Hasn't she well and fully trapped you in?"

[all7seas]

"With all my black heart. But...to make an honest man of me? Buffy? I don't think she ever would."

The completely untrustworthy institution of marriage aside.

[simplestgift]

"Jack. If marriage made a man honest, the English government would collapse and have to be built anew from the ground up because it doesn't work without dishonest men." A blink. He was not sure that made sense.

[all7seas]

"This? True." Apparently it made sense to Jack. "Do you know how many married women I've been with, mate? Lots." He wasn't trying to brag, for once; he was trying to make his point about marriage without directly making his point about marriage. It was like a false tie, to Jack, and easily broken, though fancy words made it seem indelible.

[simplestgift]

"Then whatever troubles you?"

[all7seas]

".......You're taking the piss, aren't you. Kennedy...."

[simplestgift]

"I'm sorry, Jack, I could not hear you. I was briefly deafened by your powers of deduction."

[all7seas]

"Forgive me, sir. Right. You coerce your Dawn to the altar? And I shall be standing there with Buffy at my side, arrayed in white."

Not bloody likely.

[simplestgift]