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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[ 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.

Hence the supreme amount of not blaming you.

I didn't think about it at all. I only wanted her to be safe.

[ in a cooler mood, buffy would have unabashedly told archie that the first step to keeping anyone safe generally involved thinking about it.

but she's trying on gentler tactics, lately. inspired. ]

That's all any of us wanted, in the end.

[In which case, he would only pause to clarify which part he didn't think about, which had nothing to do with Jilly's safety.]

Jack wanted her to be unafraid.

I'm not gonna debate this one out with you, Archie. I already said it. Blame goes to the labcoats.

[ and then to herself; however, that will remain firmly unsaid. ]

[Right. No griping to someone about their SO.]

Of course.

[ mostly? the topic exhausts her and dredges up enough insecurities to feed a whole support group. now that she has said her non-blame piece, she wants to move on. ]

I'm...still trying to find some of the weapons I hid away when she was little-ized. I can't remember where I put them.

Do you need help looking? [See? He told you you'd be great with kids.]

...C'mon, working man! It's late. You don't wanna get roped into a game of deadly-object hide and seek at Seven.

Not especially.

Lesson the...what number are we even on, now? Don't offer to do things you don't wanna do. Lesser people would've pounced on your offer of free labour. You're lucky I'm so good and noble.

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