For his part, Archie is pretty fascinated by the ridiculous display. He's been reading bright, colorful superhero comics since he can remember, and sure he's gone to see a decent percentage of the comic book movies now coming out in droves, but it's something else entirely to see it in person. Even if it is new made-up superheroes and not any that he knows. (Apparently those are running around too. Oh my god.)

So he, too, almost misses the mugger running away, at least until his victim starts yelling. To no apparent avail.

Archie spends a second staring between them (the five bird-like heroes, the man going red in the face shouting at them, and the rapidly retreating back of the mugger), but he barely entertains a single thought the entire time and he certainly doesn't plan or consider too deeply about what on earth he's doing when he takes off after the robber in a dead sprint and football-tackles him into the pavement. The criminal lays there, dazed and groaning after getting his face bounced off the street, and Archie scrambles to grab the knife he'd been using to menace civilians. Once he has it firmly in hand, his brain finally stumbles and catches up with him.

"Okay," he hovers awkwardly completely unsure of what he's gonna do when the guy gets back up, looking around. Everyone's used to this being a comic book world, right? So maybe someone will know (since the costumed heroes haven't quite finished their fancy introduction yet)... "uh, what am I supposed to do now?"

So, things are weird. Everything's really weird. Pop culture is real and somebody gave him superpowers—him!—but Archie isn't one to turn down a loud, colorful distraction when it lands in his lap.

So here he is, at the balloon festival, decidedly not thinking too deeply about any of it—about where his dad is or where his friends are or any of the problems that had seemed so suffocating just the day before. And a hot air balloon ride sounds like fun, doesn't it? It's certainly not an experience he ever got in Riverdale. He signs up to go in a pair because it's a touch cheaper, leaning over the edge with both elbows balanced on the side of the basket so he can catch the first glimpse of whatever stranger they lead up to join him on a little trip around the sky.

Being in a big city after growing up in a small town is exciting, and while all the attention and questions are a little uncomfortable at first, the embarrassment of it vanishes the second he realizes they'll usher him into a nightclub without checking his ID.

He spends most of the night getting free drinks from generous, excitable Natives (who also don't ask his age), and then dancing like the ridiculous drunk he is when he's too soused to to be properly embarrassed by his terrible technique and even worse habit of accidentally trodding on toes. So things are bizarre and unreal and alright a little scary, but who cares? Right now, certainly not Archie.

"I love this song!" He shouts helpfully at whoever is dancing next to him. Like, he's never heard this song before in his life, but by god does he love it.

Hit me with a prompt if those don't work for you!