simplestgift | Twenty-three bells: [WRITTEN/ACTION]

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Twenty-three bells: [WRITTEN/ACTION]

This is Mr. Kennedy. The Britannia, Luceti's new sloop of war under command of Captain Hornblower, is finished and for all purposes ready to sail. Unfortunately, as she cannot sail herself, Captain Hornblower is in need of a crew.

Not many are required simply to sail her. A half dozen at least, although we should prefer more. We do not expect exclusivity--in Luceti, there is no point. If you are already part of another crew, you are welcome to remain a part of that crew and sail with us as well. As the winter months are approaching, we are not likely to weigh anchor for some time, so there will be plenty of time to train recruits who have no sailing experience.

Thank you, and I look forward to any questions you may have.

-A. Kennedy

[He's using the "Lt." less and less nowadays in his signature.

Tonight he'll be working at Cloud Nine. He'll be home late.]

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[Not a lot? But Archie knows Buffy's not going to hurt him. He just jumps a bit when he first sees her.]

...Oh! Buffy.

...Didn't realize you worked so late. Then again -- who'm I to talk. Right? [ after all, she's still on the clock. ]

Let me walk you home?

[Archie nodded, glancing back at the door, pretty sure he knows what this is about.] I was the only one working tonight. I'd be glad of the company.

[ so she pushes off the wall. the scythe sits casually on her shoulder. ]

Then company you'll get. How'd the recruiting process go? I saw the call -- I figured as Jack Sparrow's probably patronizingly promoted First Mate, I'm pretty much excluded from any and all cross-crewing.

[ not that she'd necessarily volunteer in the first place. the power balance was easier with sparrow. buffy would only chafe under some sort of other nautical command structure, no matter how casual. ]

We're not particular, but for his sake, it would be best.

You make him sound like a...[ little kid ] like a schoolgirl. He's a grown man. I'm not here to look after his sake.

[ she lies with a dismissive little wave of her hand. ] I suck at seamanship, anyway.

...I meant he'd start getting a bit jealous. All this is making him slightly mad as it is.

Him, recently? That's not even close to slightly mad. But I can't say anything about jealous.

[ or she could. but she won't. ] Either way? I hope you get the crew you need.

We're on our way. Some of the volunteers even have experience.

I'm sure they'll all rush to your banner. It's a pretty wholesome banner.

[ she kicks at the dirt and twirls her scythe. a soft sigh. ] I don't blame you, you know.

For what?

[ she talks around the subject: ] ...It was a shift. Apparently that means no one's to blame.

To blame for what, Buffy?

[Carefully.]

...For you not seeing the mask.

...The mask?

[ ...hmm.

she touches her cheek. ] Never mind. You and Horatio did the right thing, the night before Halloween. Probably.

...Thank you. Probably is as close as anyone can come, I suppose. You probably were right to want her to stay, at first.

[ the thank you still manages to make her frown. just a small one. ]

Whatever. It's -- the past, right? The very passed past.

[Archie glances at her and sees the frown. He can't win, can he?]

I confess I wasn't aware that was in question.

...Those things tend to have a bad habit of being up in the air, post-experiment.

What things, Buffy? It isn't as if you were giving her to a stranger.

Try Jack's boots for just three seconds. Because of me and that stupid mask, he woke up hours later to an empty couch fort. [ and so some of the real issue is revealed. ] I didn't even tell him until...until it was over.

[A slight wince.] Hence his speech to me about my "bit of piracy." "Stealing the girl."

I wasn't me. Not my -- not my most me version of me, at least. If I was? I would've at least shook him up and had him say goodbye. Goodnight.

[Archie looks somewhat ashamed now.] I didn't realize.

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