Ryker's Guide (Mild)

Hunger and Sunscreen

Daryl

Daryl stretched out on his stomach, opening his book after Meriwa pulled Ryker off to go on more slides. Before getting lost in his textbook once more, he glanced over to look at Carbry, who was still seemingly staring in the direction the other two had gone. For a brief moment, Carbry had a tender and unguarded expression on his face and a half smile on his lips.

Then those blue eyes turned to regard Daryl. The smile remained, though the expression became more careful. "They're having fun."

Daryl nodded and turned back to his book. "Meriwa has wanted to come to a place like this for as long as I have known her."

"I'm surprised you two didn't wind up spending a day in one through all your travels together. There were times when we had trouble keeping up to you two. You crashed a fairgrounds." Carbry's voice was light and teasing, though Daryl picked up a little curiosity there as well.

Daryl could be an asshole at this moment. He could ignore the fact that Carbry wanted to share some part of Meriwa that he hadn't gotten to see personally. Daryl could hold onto that subtle, cautious change in Carbry's expression and use it as fuel to upset himself as he turned away and looked back in at book.

But he and Carbry had been trying, and even Daryl had to admit that he wasn't as angry at Carbry as he once had been. The man was far more tender and considerate than he'd always seemed to Daryl back when he was simply Meri's best friend and an outside observer of he odd relationship with her mate.

And he actually wanted to share something with the man. "You're a way better storyteller than I am."

Carbry chuckled in amusement. "Try me."

"We were only at that fair because they were running an underground child supernatural trafficking ring. Kids would run away or some lost their parents in the wars. And they'd then get scooped up by these creeps who promised them a safe spot." Daryl shrugged one shoulder, glancing over to Carbry. "So we went incognito."

"That wave of kids that came into the centres and shelters we had set up. That's where they came from? A lot of them never told us that it was you two who saved them." Carbry's voice had an odd tone to it, and Daryl was surprised to look over to see that the man had an expression close to wonder.

Still, Daryl frowned, feeling his stubbornness flare. "Meriwa was good at it. She was good at the private investigator thing. She could find kids in trouble, and she could relate to them. I was just the clueless side kick, but we did a lot of good. She...is strong and capable and...she could save the whole world. Even without a goddess in her."

"I know." Carbry gave him a loving smile, though his expression was distant. "I have been greedy in trying to protect her. I have been paranoid. I lost her once, Daryl."

Daryl frowned and shook his head. "She's not...something to lose. You can't hold her in a cage and protect her from the world. You can't do that to people, you can't...stop them from being what they're meant to be just because the world is full of assholes who might hurt them."

Carbry was silent for a long while, his eyes turning to watch the people walking by. Then he reached out to lay a hand on Daryl's bicep, squeezing gently before he looked back at him. "No. I know that. And...I am grateful to have you to remind me of that. Does...does she want to start doing that with you again?"

Daryl shook his head slowly. "Nah. She's...when she's gone off doing stuff nowadays, she's doing...stuff far above my species pay-grade, I guess. Goddess stuff. Probably making worlds and inventing weather patterns. I think that what we used to do together, the saving people and things, is a little below her...capabilities now. I'm sure she saves millions of peoples' lives, probably. Our old gig is small potatoes by comparison."