[sweetest damn parrot you ever did see. slightly rough around the edges.]

[brotimaeus]

damn, this place really hasnt changed.
i remember the whores bein much friendlier though, what happened there.
maybe the getup aint doing it for them.
guess i could use a bath or somethin.
lieutenant-commander strider here, reportin in if they didnt already strip my rank and brand me a deserter.
who am i kiddin they probably had that done within a week lets be honest here.
cant get hauled out by filthy fuckin pirates for a decade and come back expecting to be in anyones good graces anymore am i right.
and shit, i almost forgot what land feels like.

Comments

[callbacks]

[He finally looks up for real, prompted by the weight of the hand on his shoulder. Instead of his disbelief in the reality of this moment, what shines through that flash of his eyes is his longing for it to be real. Then he nods, tries to clear his throat.]

I looked for you.

[brotimaeus]

[Ow. Fucking ow.]

I--..

[He glances away, out towards the ocean, just for a moment before he looks back. A tiny smile pulls at one corner of his mouth.]

Sorry, kiddo. Wasn't in any position to be found. [Tilting his head, he lets out a short sound almost like a laugh, but not quite.]

And it's Dirk. My name's Dirk Strider.

[callbacks]

[Dave huffs a quiet laugh through his nose, breaking his tense stillness to shift his weight in the sand. The sound isn't unlike the one his father just made.]

I know that. Sir.

[He finally stops twisting his hands behind his back and shoves them safely into his pockets.]

I joined the Navy, too.

[brotimaeus]

You did, huh...

[Though he doesn't express it otherwise, there's a soft, warm pride in those three words as he lightly ruffles Dave's hair.]

... And your brother?

[callbacks]

[He makes a face as his hair is mussed, but doesn't pull away quite as much as he would from anyone else who tried to touch him.]

Like he'd let me do anything before he got a chance to. 'Course he signed up.

[He finally ducks away from the ruffling hand and pushes his hair back into place.]

Doubt either of us has been active for a while, though. The law's been quiet around here since the Norman Conquest went to the bottom.

[brotimaeus]

Heh. Some things ain't ever gonna change, huh. [Though, somehow, he thinks Dirk will be far less forgiving of his absence than Dave has been. There was always such a difference between the boys, even as children...

He frowns, giving a brief shake of his head.]

Heard about that. You were here?

[callbacks]

[Hairstyle secured, Dave lets his hands fall empty at his sides.]

I was on it.

[brotimaeus]

What.

[Just for a moment, it appears very much as if he's checking the kid over for injuries despite how long it's been. His eyes narrow.]

Tell me everything.

[callbacks]

[Dave misses the once-over. His gaze is trained very much not on Bro, off to the side where his parrot's picking at a piece of driftwood.]

Not much to tell, sir. We were out-manned and outgunned and then we were just out-everything'd.

[He shrugs.]

But I'm a good swimmer.

[brotimaeus]

[He sighs. He pushes a hand across his face and pinches the bridge of his nose hard. No wonder, then, that the small amount of times he was able to get a message out in the past year, no one answered. Hell, the birds were probably shot en-route.

There's a pause, then he gently presses the spyglass back into Dave's hand.]

You should keep this, kid. It's yours.

[callbacks]

[He looks down abruptly, holding the spyglass in both hands. His fingers tighten, and he looks up again quickly.]

No, I--

[He tries to shove it back into Bro's hands.]

...It's fine. I don't need it anymore.

Or if I do, I'll just. Borrow it. Yeah?

[Please stay. Please stay and be there.]

[brotimaeus]

[He takes it, but he takes Dave's hands as well and frowns down at him as he keeps them clasped around the spyglass. He knows what this means. That spyglass was a promise to come back that he never kept, but Dave's still waited for him and held onto it all this time.

A soft exhale leaves him in a rush, and he nods, finally taking the thing from his kid's hands.]

Yeah. Alright.