perfectible | duplicity ic inbox

They left you guys in the dark? ( it’s not surprising that a system that slots them into boxes and treats them like property would further separate its people, it’s that things got bad and they made them worse. betty must have been terrified. ) Was Reggie hurt while he was trapped there? Did he tell you anything?

( he can ask reggie about it on his own, though considering the guy’s track record for keeping a low profile, he wonders if he got mixed up in any of it while in the Down. he knows he personally would have been neck deep in the thick of it, probably bleeding out somewhere.

betty, on the same hand, is equally as awful as sitting on her hands while people suffer. ) How did you stay busy? What happened here?

Sorry. I'm not trying to interrogate you. ( it sounds that way, mr. 20 questions. he should have been here. conscious. around for her. )

You know how Reggie is, he downplays everything. [ and to be honest, she hadn't been able to ask him because getting in touch with him while he was stuck down there was impossible. not that she didn't try, desperately.]

I tried everything I could to get to the Down, even bribery. [ none of it worked.] My friend Inara left me her house and her business so... I just tried to get things organized there. [ but she exhales at his last words.]

It's fine. I wish I had more answers.

Yeah, I know. ( maintaining an image is important to reggie and archie won't presume to know why, though deep down he has his suspicions. he's their friend and no matter what issues he has, he should be able to come to them when he's ready. if not them, someone. ) I'll talk to him.

( whether that's shooting the shit or actually getting to the heart of the matter is anyone's guess. he picks up his second taco and takes a bite, chewing while he listens to betty's side of the situation. )

I'm sorry about Inara. ( he never met her but it's not as if he can't see why that would suck, here, where everything feels so fragile. ) Do you need a hand with any of it?

( she's probably fifty kinds of organized if she was isolated the whole month but it's the least he can do. )

And I don't expect you to have all the answers, just like I'm not expecting Reggie to want to touch on what happened to him too much. ( he shrugs. ) We don't have to talk about this stuff. We can watch a movie or pick it up in the morning?

( it's whatever she's up for. he's going to chomp down the rest of the taco and wipe his hands off. he could probably sleep the grogginess off but he doesn't want betty to feel like he's going anywhere. )

Okay, good. [ she looks relieved at that because as much as she's managed to get reggie to open up to her, it's nothing compared to what she imagines archie can. and she already knows better than to push reggie too hard.

at his offer, she shakes her head.] She ran a pretty tight ship, I think the business kind of runs itself to be honest. [ for which betty sounds and is thankful. betty doesn't know anything about running that kind of business but she's trying to learn.

she brushes off his offer to drop the subject in favor of: ] Are you okay? I know you just woke up but... do you feel okay? That's only happened to me once and I didn't feel particularly great when I woke up.

What is it? ( anything interesting? it's wild to think of any of them running businesses when they should be graduating or in college. betty's more levelheaded than he is so if anyone can do it properly, she can balance it. not having to maintain grades here is one perk. admittedly, the family business and the center cross his mind here and there, but he'd been stumbling through those from the beginning. )

I feel like I could pass out for at least 8 more hours. I shouldn't be tired. It's like when you feel a cold coming on, all these aches and your head doesn't feel right. ( he shrugs off any sympathetic glances from betty. ) I'll be okay.

( he's not trying to be tough about how he feels. he has an easy confidence about his health, assuming that youth is on his side and he'll bounce back in a few days. )

It's a spa. [ although a part of her wonders if it was a bit more given the state of the city and the profession that inara had back home. ]

You should go sleep then, [ she urges him with a gentle smile, reaching down to give Vegas another pet as butts her hand with his head.] I don't want to keep you up.

You can have unlimited spa days? ( he suggests, knowing that it's about as useful to betty as having a hair salon would be for archie. it's not that she isn't feminine ( she is ), it's that he can't see her hanging out there all the time. )

I know but I just woke up and you're here. You're not keeping me up. ( it's the same argument he has for dragging her out of bed. ) I'm choosing to be awake to see you.

( the truth is that his place is too quiet with only vegas around. )

[ she laughs softly at that. it's true, she's not veronica when it comes to being pamper-yourself-forward but she could have a spa treatment or two for free whenever she wanted. ] That is true. But so could you. [ free massages for everyone!]

If you're sure, [ she says, glancing at the couch.] We can sit down at least, put on a movie or something. [ she suspects that maybe he doesn't want to be alone and she can relate to that pretty hard. especially right now.] It's nice not to be alone.

Yeah. Will I get cucumber slices for my eyes? ( that's what hollywood tells him happens at spas. girls in towels with nothing underneath and cucumber slices. ) I've never had a spa day.

About having you here? ( that's rhetorical but he'll answer it anyway. ) I'm always going to be sure about that. ( he abandons the last two tacos for now and crosses the room, moving on over to the living room while vegas pads after him to turn on the television. ) I didn't think I'd miss having my mom around.

( considering what missing her would mean here. he definitely doesn't want mary in duplicity. )

But I guess that's one positive to signing a contrat. Someone's around. ( vegas is the best company, there's no doubting that. he's archie's one reminder of his dad. ) What do you feel like? Action, comedy?

( probably they have enough horror to go around. )

I'm sure we can have that arranged-- [ she grins at him, at his notion of what spas are. it's only fair because she can't imagine he's been to a spa except maybe with veronica and even that is doubtful to her.]

I miss my mom. [ this is the longest she's ever been away from alice in her whole life and she even misses her now.] But I'm glad she's not here. [ for countless reasons.]

Whatever you want, to be honest. [ she doesn't really care, as long as they're hanging out and she moves to plop down on the couch.] Maybe not true crime though.

Yeah, having our parents here? ( mind you, he's not including hal in this ) Eugh. Does it get any easier?

( maybe archie means losing your dad. he won't ever outright ask betty that unless it's something she brings up because it's beyond complicated. the guy might have been a monster but for the longest time, before everything changed and he was inspired by betty's speech, he was her dad. he's okay with her inferring the surface level — alice and mary, although fred's the one archie wishes he could wake up and see stirring around. )

Something light. ( he drops next to her, snatching one of the throw pillows from the middle and resting it on his lap, under his elbow. they don't need dividers. ) They do have regular movies here, right? Not just x-rated versions of The Hangover?

Not really, [ she means about missing their parents but losing parents doesn't get any easier either. her father had been a monster. he'd tried to kill archie, he'd tried to kill a lot of people and sometimes he'd succeeded. he forced her into his game, scarred her. but before that, he'd just been her dad. he'd been her ally against her mother's intense nature. she loved him... loves him. it's all so complicated.

and despite all of that, she knows he's the last person she'd want to see show up here even if it meant seeing him again. and that only makes her think of how she just lost the only people she considered family here, in this city. it makes her jaw tense a little, her eyes close even as she answers archie.]

Okay-- [ she agrees, settling into the sofa as he asks her a question.] Yeah, there's normal stuff. Most of it's not... the best but it's good for shutting your brain off.

Edited (because things happened in game before this that me, the dummy, didn't know until now.) 2021-05-27 06:46 (UTC)

If it's awful, you can change it. ( he can be dense. archie's guilty of getting so wrapped up in his own world that he misses the signs that his friends are also struggling sometimes. he chops it up to being so gloomy and steering the conversation the wrong way, scraping over some sores. he catches betty closing her eyes but he doesn't know what to make of it. she could be lying about being tired.

he settles on what's described as a comedy, figuring they could use something light and mindless. he's not sure whether the feel-good messages hit the right places in this city but it's the thought that counts? ) And if it's not doing the trick for shutting your brain off, you can tell me and I'll talk so much you won't be able to focus on anything else.

( he's not prying but he's curious. )

[She draws in a slow breath, glancing at him and desperately trying not to cry again. She's already cried about this so much. ] I'm just glad you're back. [ She lets out another breath, trying to temper her emotions.]

Bellamy and Emma got sent home. [ There's no doubt that she's told Archie how Bellamy was more than her boss, that has been like the big brother she's never really had. When Reggie was wrapped up in Nick and Betty was without Archie and Jughead, Bellamy and Emma were her family, her support system. ]

They've been here even longer than me. And I thought you were gone, I thought I was going to be alone again.

Edited 2021-05-27 20:50 (UTC)

Betty... ( he turns inward, facing her with one leg planted on the floor. he doesn't care if his knee bumps her thigh. he's trying to show his support for her without treating her like glass. she can handle it, of course she can, but archie wants to help. ) I'm sorry. I know that might sound empty because I've said it so much tonight and apologizing doesn't change the fact that they're gone. That I was.

I can't make that okay. ( and honestly, he doesn't want to force her to be okay. she has to feel what she needs to. he reaches for her hand across her lap, squeezing gently because otherwise he's going to drag her into another hug. ) But I'm here now. You're not alone.

And I am sorry about Bellamy and Emma. I know they were both important to you. I don't have words for that. I just want you to know that you can come find me or you can call me, and you can be sad or you can yell. You don't have to pretend that you're fine with me.

[ the breath she lets out when he takes her hand and gives her support is shaky. she closes her eyes for a moment to try and center herself as he speaks. but she knows it's better to look at him, to show him that she will be okay even if right now she's not. ]

I don't think I could pretend with you anymore. [ not after all they've been through, all that's happened. she smiles softly, sadly at him, scooting a little closer.]

Thank you. I mean it. I don't know what I'd do without you.

You would meet some six-foot-something handsome, mysterious giant and I wouldn't be there to hound him. ( she's betty cooper, she can do it all. he means that. it's his attempt at levity, slightly pushing her out of the turmoil and into something laughable. )

Come here. ( whether she obliges him or not, he's dragging her into his arms in some manner. it could be an embrace or she could roll with it, lean into him. he's not worried about personal space with betty, although for him, this isn't a line they've crossed intentionally and talked about. she's miserable and he hates to see it. ) Neither one of us has to find out.

And why would you hound him? [ as she laughs she lets herself be dragged into arms, moving to settle against him and into his embrace. it just feels nice and familiar. archie will always be home to her. always.

of course, his words aren't true. there have been months she's been here without him. there was almost a year. she knows what life is like without him. and now if he gets sent home, she won't have bellamy or emma to lean on.]

To make sure he's a good guy? ( after he says it, he realizes how dumb it sounds. ) I know that's up to you and you wouldn't talk to someone who didn't have the right intentions.

( he shrugs against her. with jughead he never had to give the hurt her and i'll break your kneecaps speech. he loves betty and he cares about what she feels and who she feels that way about. there's still a part of him that thought they would end up married somewhere down the road. if things had gone differently, who knows? )

This city makes everything, even simple dating, complicated.

[ she laughs a little, finding his need to defend her charming. she knows he means well, that he wants to look after her, look out for her.

she leans against him a little more.] It's kind of why I don't do it here... dating.

So you're just doing what everyone else does? ( maybe this is too candid of a conversation to have when she's pressed up against him in any capacity. ) Hooking up?

( he scrunches his nose after he says it but it sounds better than meeting quota. too technical and oppressive. he'd rather not remind himself that they have to sleep around. )

[ she swallows thickly for a moment, feeling nerves bubble up a little at the answer she has to give here.] Kind of. [ there's a pause.] I don't always meet my quota.

Don't they punish you for that? ( he may not be as successful as he wants to be at keeping the accusatory tone out of his voice. say he manages to control his verbal reaction, she can feel him tense up anyway. )

[ she knew he'd be upset but lying didn't feel like the right move either.] Only once or twice. [ which was true, they didn't always punish her.]

Betty— ( what? what, actually? he huffs out a sigh and squirms, trying to get a look at her while she's leaning into him. what can he do? knowing how she feels or might have felt and everything that comes along with that if jughead or veronica ever show up. not to mention how much trouble they would get into. ) Are you saying they're not keeping track?

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idk if you want a crusty tag but i want barchie things in my inbox

i will always accept them. /brushes off the crust and dust

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