simplestgift: (z In the middle of it all.)
Archie Kennedy ([personal profile] simplestgift) wrote2011-11-14 07:33 pm

Twenty-four bells: [Action]

[Luceti. Even the name is beautiful.

It's quiet here, but not silent. No cannonfire, no stomping feet or shouting men. No bars or guards or grey stone walls. Everything is lovely and serene and everyone is pleasant. Well. Nearly everyone, but that's okay.

In Hornblower's company, Kennedy stops by the bakery and selects, for some reason, cheesecake. He's never had it--not that he can remember, at least--and it is absolutely the most beautiful thing he can imagine. Chocolate cheesecake, smooth and rich and flavorful with a drizzle of raspberry syrup. He tastes it and doesn't just eat it.

They visit the tea shop and he is floored. They visit the clothing shop and he finds a new linen shirt, already made. They visit the library and...

And...

O the glory of the library. It's as if this town was created for his rehabilitation.

Hours are spent in the library until he learns he can take books out. Even then, he very nearly doesn't leave.

On the way home, he asks to be alone for a moment. When given the chance, he walks the woods close to the village. At twilight, he sits at the fountain, staring into space with utter blankness because he knows the pleasantness of this day is going to end.

He doesn't realize it when the moon rises and he's still sitting alone in its pale light.

OOC: Kennedy's replies will come from [livejournal.com profile] babymid_archie. Meet him absolutely anywhere during the day or at night. Depending on when and where, Horatio will tag in as well, so remember to specify when/where in your tag. Share his rapture or cheer him up. Possible triggers--character is hella post-traumatic.]

consultmybooks: (Child - Attentive)

[personal profile] consultmybooks 2011-11-15 12:42 am (UTC)(link)
[Rupert is not far behind Kennedy or Hornblower all throughout the bakery. He ducks and dodges around them as he examines the displays, he stands behind them in line, and finally he stops and stares when he later comes across Kennedy blissfully eating his cheesecake.

The child can't help himself.]


What's that you're eating?
all7seas: (pensive)

[fountain]

[personal profile] all7seas 2011-11-15 12:43 am (UTC)(link)
[It is a quiet night, a good evening for a stumble home from Good Spirits. Jack, as a matter of habit, now, checks his compass for any sign of Archie. He is surprised when he actually gets a heading this time, and follows it with no small amount of anxiety on his brain. Kennedy, back?

When he sees the figure seated by the fountain, Jack gives a shout.]


Oi! Kennedy! You're back, man!
unneeded: (Hm! Really!)

[personal profile] unneeded 2011-11-15 12:52 am (UTC)(link)
[Little kid. Archie glances down at his piece, then breaks off a section to hand to the child.]

Here! Try it.
unneeded: (Frightened.)

Re: [fountain]

[personal profile] unneeded 2011-11-15 12:54 am (UTC)(link)
[Jack might notice a few differences. First of all, a midshipman's uniform. Second of all, about two inches of height, gone. Lastly, Kennedy is slowly rising to his feet and looking at Jack like a bear is lumbering up to him and there's no place to run.]
Edited 2011-11-15 00:54 (UTC)
consultmybooks: (Child - Attentive)

[personal profile] consultmybooks 2011-11-15 12:54 am (UTC)(link)
Really? [Rupert looks up at Archie before cautiously shaking his head.] N-No, it's all right. If you like it, I mean. Do you like it?
captainhornblower: (On guard)

[personal profile] captainhornblower 2011-11-15 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
[Horatio chuckles under his breath, silent for the moment but dark eyes watching Archie and the boy, whom he cannot place. But, then, it isn't surprising to him that there are children in Luceti he has never seen before.]
all7seas: (Erm...)

SUPROSE

[personal profile] all7seas 2011-11-15 01:16 am (UTC)(link)
"Kennedy," the pirate repeated. "You're.......short. And you've been demoted."
ext_934189: (In the Dark)

[identity profile] tehoniongirl.livejournal.com 2011-11-15 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
[The fountain, especially on a clear night like tonight, was a comforting landmark. The sound of the water, the central location, and the clear view of the night sky helped sooth away the stresses of the day. Today, Jilly was seeking that bit of comfort.

Finding a uniformed officer by the landmark wasn't unusual, and in the darkness it's almost possible to mistake the cut of the coat and the color of the hair. But the discrepancies, recognized even before she can figure out what she's recognizing, will not be ignored.

The hair is much too smooth. Too light. The face is too round. And she knows...

Even before she can see that the eyes are too blue, she's running, almost afraid to trust what she's seeing.]
Archie?!
unneeded: (Wistful smile.)

[personal profile] unneeded 2011-11-15 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
Very much. But there's plenty more where it came from. [He still offered the chunk of the treat to the boy. Somehow, having enough to share was itself a pleasure.]
unneeded: (Uncertain.)

Re: SUPROSE

[personal profile] unneeded 2011-11-15 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
"...What are you talking about?" There's real anxiety in his voice. This is the first hint he's had that he didn't just arrive.
Edited 2011-11-15 01:25 (UTC)

at the library

[identity profile] 4000excuses.livejournal.com 2011-11-15 01:26 am (UTC)(link)
[Being stuck in this place without his military and without a way to get back is disconcerting, but at least the library is large and free and no one is telling him he can't come in here. Japan has a few books on future military strategy as well as a few on his world history tucked under his arm as he passes by, still dressed in his full military regalia. He sees someone familiar and stops, narrowing his eyes as he tries to place the face.]

...Ah. The man from the journal.
consultmybooks: (Child - Grinning)

[personal profile] consultmybooks 2011-11-15 01:27 am (UTC)(link)
[...eventually, however, Rupert will give into his baser instincts and take the piece of cheesecake to eat. The taste of it makes his eyes go wide before he grins broadly.] Mmmmmm! That's amazing! What's it called? Tell me!
all7seas: (dressing the wound)

[personal profile] all7seas 2011-11-15 01:28 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, how to proceed. It's clear that this is a different Archie, now that Jack sees him up close. And it's clear that he has absolutely no idea who the pirate is or what is going on. And Jack has had enough trouble with small childified Gileses and Ginias and Helioses lately---this is all he needs. A youngified Archie.


And he had just sworn off looking after stray Lucetian children, to boot---or any children, really. Not in the cards.

"Nothing. Nevermind. Hallo. I'm Jack. How are you this fine evening?"

unneeded: (Blank.)

[personal profile] unneeded 2011-11-15 01:28 am (UTC)(link)
[Kennedy immediately tenses, seeing someone run towards him, but...

It's a small, slender woman in baggy clothes who knows his name. So he holds still and waits for her to arrive, staring blankly and wondering if he's about to disappoint her horribly.]
captainhornblower: (Default)

[personal profile] captainhornblower 2011-11-15 01:32 am (UTC)(link)
[There had not been nearly enough opportunities, Horatio decided as he concealed a smile, to watch Archie with young children. The powder monkeys had always escaped his own attention most of the time, for they rarely needed the supervision that the older men did. Children had the blissful talent for minding those in charge most of the time.]
unneeded: (Uncertain.)

[personal profile] unneeded 2011-11-15 01:32 am (UTC)(link)
[Japan gets a highly reserved look. He sees the epaulettes, but he does not trust them. If anything, they make him warier. He wants nothing to do with the military right now, and the very sight makes his stomach churn. After a moment, he looks away, at Horatio.]
unneeded: (No breath.)

[personal profile] unneeded 2011-11-15 01:35 am (UTC)(link)
That. Is not a name Archie has good connotations with. But Archie is used to being mistaken for a child, even if he's unusually tall for one. Even the uniform doesn't help, on land. He keeps a distance between them.

"How do you know my name?"

To call it a demand is to overstate things greatly. This is not an assertive Archie, so the question is simply spoken in low, solemn, and fairly even tones.
all7seas: (hear me out)

[personal profile] all7seas 2011-11-15 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
"We're..."

Friends? Were they, still?

"Friends."

Going with that, then.
unneeded: (Good news at last.)

Rupert -> Horatio -> Archie?

[personal profile] unneeded 2011-11-15 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
[A smile creeps onto Kennedy's face at the child's joy.]

Be polite to me and I shall. You shouldn't make demands.

[But it's spoken so very gently that it's more like a fond caress than a reprimand.]
consultmybooks: (Child - Mature)

Re: Rupert -> Horatio -> Archie Right! Sorry, forgot to track the thread!

[personal profile] consultmybooks 2011-11-15 01:41 am (UTC)(link)
[Several thoughts pass over Rupert's face in quick succession, chief among them being surprised. There's a brief moment where he weighs his chance of being able to bully Arche into letting him have his way, as is his habit with adults who aren't distant or cold.

...but, no. He settles slightly, and composes himself, and takes a breath to calm down the familiar mania.]


I'm sorry. Can you please tell me what this is? It tastes very good, and thank you for letting me try some.
ext_934189: (The things we don't say)

[identity profile] tehoniongirl.livejournal.com 2011-11-15 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
[it's the silence that stops her.

Every fiber of her being wants to pull him into a hug. The family she'd chosen. Having him missing from this place was as painful as having Geordie far from her side. Worse, even, because Geordie was safe back home, but in Malnosso hands Archie was far from that.

But he doesn't move to greet her. He doesn't raise a hand. He doesn't call back. And as she gets close, she can see that there's no smile. So she stumbles to a halt short of actually touching him and quickly takes in a breath as she works to place what has happened to him.]


You're back! Are you-

[she trails off as the tinier details, masked in shadow, begin to reveal themselves. She doesn't notice the missing inches. But observant eyes soon catch those signs of stolen years]

...wondering why I'm shouting at you....
unneeded: (Nose scrunch.)

[personal profile] unneeded 2011-11-15 01:44 am (UTC)(link)
A dubious look. "We're friends."

Archie doesn't have a lot of friends anymore, just a couple of quiet supporters and Horatio. Having a man Jack's age as a friend doesn't seem very likely.
captainhornblower: (Patriotic)

[personal profile] captainhornblower 2011-11-15 01:46 am (UTC)(link)
Sir.

[It's polite... but not truly friendly. Then again, that sentiment could sum up Horatio more often than not.]
unneeded: (Uncertain.)

[personal profile] unneeded 2011-11-15 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
[Pretty much that, exactly. But this isn't the first time this has happened tonight. He sounds weary when he speaks.]

I'm going to guess it's because we're friends.
all7seas: (a dishonest man)

[personal profile] all7seas 2011-11-15 01:49 am (UTC)(link)
"Right. Possibly we're not friends. I wore a mask once and told you some very silly things and then the moon fell. I'm not bloody well used to having them anyway, so what do I know, eh?

Let's go with something different: you saved my life in the war. Dragged me up out of the waves and into the boat with Leonard McCoy."

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