Twenty-one Bells: [ACTION/VOICE]

[simplestgift]

[Archie has barely been around town lately, but he does appear in town this afternoon, dashing about to various shops and stores and picking up various one-use items and lots and lots of groceries. He seems to have one thing on his mind.

Later, he'll sit at the fountain and send out the voice message:]

This is Mr. Kennedy. If anyone is in need of me, I shall be at the beach house for most of the week. You can reach me there or on the journals.

Moreover, Mr. Hornblower and I are wondering if anyone would be interested in helping to build a ship. A sloop-of-war, to be specific, with room and ports enough for eighteen or twenty-two guns. I cannot claim we have a practical use for itm besides exploration, but it would be something to do. We have the plans drawn up, and all we need is enough hands to make it possible. We would be grateful for any help at all.

[After this, he'll be walking back to the beach house, where he's been babysitting Jack Sparrow since yesterday.]

Comments

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[simplestgift]

Well. If it doesn't get better, it isn't likely to get worse.

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[herotypical]

You have no idea how worse things usually tend to get after someone says something like that.

[ ... ] On the plus side, it'd actually be a really pretty tattoo.

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[simplestgift]

No idea, do I? [He'd only been trying to cheer her up. But it's not the time to press that.] Well, what would it look like?

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[herotypical]

...It's just a way people say things, Archie.

A bird. It'd look like a bird. [ she doesn't need to identify the sort. ]

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[simplestgift]

[That is met with silence, at first.]

Well. You have your distance, and perhaps by the end of it you'll know whether or not you want to wear a bird for the rest of your stay.

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[herotypical]

When you put it like that...

[ it's almost funny. ]

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[simplestgift]

Hm?

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[herotypical]

Makes it sound like a bad fashion choice, that's all.

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[simplestgift]

[That gets a smile.] You would know better than I.

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[herotypical]

If Dawnie knew I was considering ink? She'd throw a fit. I've never let her get one.

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[simplestgift]

Afraid of infection?

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[herotypical]

Afraid she'd end up joining a girl gang.

[ she's joking. mostly. ]

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[simplestgift]

[He looks a bit blank at that.]

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[herotypical]

Mostly, I was worried it wouldn't be what mom would've wanted.

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[simplestgift]

[That gets a nod of understanding.]

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[herotypical]

[ this is some major deflection, here. she wants to bait archie away from the subject of jack with talk about dawn.

never mind that she's keen to talk about dawn, too. ]

They tried to take her away from me, once. I didn't let that happen when Glory came and I wasn't going to let the government do it either.

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[simplestgift]

Your government can take away...why?

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[herotypical]

After mom -- they wanted to make sure I was fit to be her legal guardian. Social Services isn't exactly up and up on the whole 'being a Slayer' thing.

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[simplestgift]

Social serv--social workers! [It clicks in his head, that term Jilly had used.] But I thought they were for, well... ["Kids like us," Jilly had said.] ...for, ah, beaten children and the like.

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[herotypical]

For kids who've been mistreated and abused...or kids whose parents are gone and they need new guardians. Someone else to look after them. Dawnie -- she was having problems in school. They investigated.

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[simplestgift]

That is [He wants to write amazing, brilliant, that they took notice and investigated, but this is Buffy and Dawn. Still, it's amazing and brilliant to him, somehow.] What happened?

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[herotypical]

There was a problem. I fixed it.

[ not necessarily in a legal fashion. ] It's not the system that's bad -- just that it doesn't really allow for an older sister with a calling to destroy vampires and demons and other creepy examples of evil.

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[simplestgift]

[He's starting to see the flaws in such a system.] Just because she was not doing well in school?

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[herotypical]

Skipping classes. Getting in trouble. Those were just things that warrant a visit. A check-up. Because there wasn't anything decided legally and I was only twenty. Ish.

But the social worker showed up and -- lo and behold -- there were weapons around the house and off-hand comments about being up all night and goddamned Spike was there and didn't help my rep at all.

Some of Will's spell components were left out. It was just herbs but it looked...suspicious. If you catch my meaning.

[ written; filtered 70% ]

[simplestgift]

Only herbs? [Such things as drugs and addictions weren't really considered problems in his time, and marijuana was hardly universally known.]