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Davenport sighs, leaning back on a deck chair and gazing up at a big, fluffy cloud in the pure blue sky. The seas have been rough lately, but they finally seem to be calming down, and the Wavehumper is perfectly on course, a rare occurrence. His moment of peace is just as blissful as it is brief, as his Stone of Farspeech begins to ring from his pocket. He curses quietly before answering.
A familiar voice says, “Dav, hey, would this be a bad time for a visit?”
“Taako? If you can get out to the middle of the Fantasy Atlantic, be my guest, but... How?”
“I’m with Barold– Shut up, it’s totally still funny– And he’s got that whole... Teleporty... Reaper, thing. I should probably know what that’s called by now. So, now that you’re aware that I can absolutely just show up there, you still up for a visit?”
Davenport sighs deeply. On the one hand, he’s finally getting a moment of peace after almost a week of rough sailing. On the other hand, he hasn’t caught up with Barry in a while, or Taako, for that matter. And if the waters get rough again, he could make them steer the boat... “Yeah, okay, have at it! Need me to tell you where I am?”
“Oh, no, we have tracking spells, be there in a jiff, ‘kay?”
“Of course you have tracking spells. I’ll see you in a minute.”
Davenport closes his eyes, taking a deep breath to prepare himself for the company. Within moments, there’s a quiet sound almost like a zipper as Barry tears through reality, holding open the slit in space and time for Taako to step through in front of him before slipping through himself.
While Taako walks over to greet Davenport with a firm handshake, Barry looks around. “Did you change something about the ship?”
“Yeah, fixed it up with actual decent materials.” Davenport grins crookedly, jumping up to pat Barry’s... Well, elbow, since he can’t reach Barry’s shoulder.
“So... What’ve you been up to?” Taako asks, leaning against the railing. Judging by the way his finger’s tapping, he has an ulterior motive, but Davenport decides to humor his caginess.
“Oh, you know. Sailing. Writing. Thinking.”
“Alone?” Barry almost looks concerned, and Davenport tries to push down the rush of... Not anger, but something that he feels at the thought.
“Well, yeah. Why, who am I supposed to be with?” Davenport jokes. Taako sets his jaw and looks at the ground. Barry scratches his head.
“It just seems like... Maybe you’d want some company, sometimes.” Barry chuckles awkwardly. “I mean, it can’t be that... Entertaining. Being alone all the time.”
Davenport sighs. “Yeah, I guess company can be nice. Haven’t really wanted to... Look, though.”
“That’s fair.” Taako walks over to perch on the side of one of the deck chairs as he speaks. “I get why you’d want to be out here... Without anyone who...”
“...Yeah.” Davenport sighs, then sits next to Taako. “Why did you boys really come out here?”
Barry clears his throat awkwardly when Taako doesn’t respond, saying, “Lup is busy with Lucretia, and we figured, you know, if folks are catching up...”
“Oh, really?” Davenport tries and fails to not feel guilty. “What, uh... What’re they up to?”
“Why should we care?” Taako blurts.
“Taako...” Barry puts a hand on Taako’s shoulder, but Taako shrugs it off.
“No, really. Lup has her own life, and Lucretia... Who the fuck cares!”
“I figured we were going to be having this conversation soon,” Davenport muttered. “I get it, though. She didn’t do me any kindnesses, either.”
“I– I want to be happy that she’s doing so well, I really do, but. The other night, I. I forgot to get something at the store, and I ended up having a panic attack, and...”
“Last month, Lup was late to a mission, and Kravitz had to keep me from putting together a search party.”
“I went to sea because I couldn’t stand thinking I was seeing her in every crowd.”
The three men are still for a moment, all looking down at the deck. Barry sits next to Davenport, sighing deeply.
Taako worries at the hem of his shirt. “Sorry, I– I brought the mood down, I shouldn’t have said anything, I...”
“No, Taako, it’s... I’m glad I’m not the only one.” Davenport swallows a lump in his throat. “I’ve been thinking about it constantly lately... I liked being alone before... Everything, but now it’s so suffocating, being lost in your thoughts with nobody to talk to.”
“Yeah, It’s– It’s nice, knowing that other people feel like this.” As he speaks, Barry reaches over Davenport to put a hand on Taako’s shoulder again, one that Taako doesn’t shrug off as he slumps down.
“Thank you guys, for... Being good friends.”
“Of course.” Davenport smiles distractedly. “Thanks for the company... I needed this.”
Barry pulls his hand from Taako’s shoulder to pat Davenport’s back. “Hey, cap... What would you think about having a crew for a bit?”
Davenport’s smile grows as he looks back up at the clouds in the sky. “That’d be nice.”