'…You know how hard it is being your friend?'
Dan's voice rings out around them, too loud, too angry, full of the same pent up frustration that lead to Rorschach's snide comments. They're here in the dark and dank below the river, Dan feels lost and Rorschach feels trapped. Mereida's been pacing the owlship for the last hour as if it was a cage.
Dimendia shifts from foot to foot as Dan's anger dissolves into embarrassment and shame. Shouting at Rorschach feels uncomfortably like kicking someone who's already bleeding to death. She flies to Dan's shoulder and leans forward to brush her head comfortingly against his cheek as he stumbles through the beginning of an apology.
'Daniel…you are a good friend.' Rorschach's voice is hesitant and rusty, the only language that comes naturally to him now is that of violence. 'I know that. I am sorry…it is sometimes difficult.'
Dan turns and he's standing there, hand outstretched. Mereida has come over to stand against his legs, her yellow eyes show all the hopeful pleading Rorschach won't. Dan takes his hand gingerly, tells him it's okay. He doesn't know how to deal with this, he's waited for so long hoping Rorschach would reach out. Now that he has Dan finds he has nothing to offer him.
Mereida lifts herself onto her back paws, places her front ones onto their linked hands. Dan can feel them through his gauntlet, two tiny warm points of pressure. It's not skin to skin but its the closest he's ever come to touching another person's daemon. Mereida, who he always tried to take care of because she was the only part of Rorschach who would let him, is standing there and looking at him with wide hopeful eyes.
Dimendia flies down to Dan's free hand, flutters awkwardly as she plucks at his gauntlet with her beak. It comes free and falls to the ground leaving Dan's hand bare. He's embarrassed, half wants to turn away, say something to diffuse the situation. Rorschach's hand and Mereida's paws are both warm on his. He reaches out, leaves his bare hand inches from Mereida's head, trying to invite and not intrude. She tilts into it, rough and unkempt fur tickles his palm. Rorschach's hand loosens its grip and then tightens hard, latex sucks in over his mouth. Dan strokes, gently scratching behind Mereida's ears. Trying to give her and Rorschach all the gentleness and comfort they never had.
She purrs, a rusty broken sound, and pushes into Dan's hand. Dimendia lands on Rorschach's shoulder and presses her head against his cheek. The latex is a barrier between them and maybe it's just as well because Rorschach makes a sound like a frightened animal and for a moment Merieda's ears go flat. Dan lifts his hand away from her, worried he's gone too far.
'It's okay, man,' he says. Mereida pulls away abruptly, turns her back and starts licking herself. Dimendia sighs, gives Rorschach one last affectionate nudge before flying back to perch on Dan. Both men and daemons look away from each other, not sure how to deal with intimacy after so long estranged.
'Well, anyway,' says Dan, making more production than necessary of putting his glove back on. 'There's, uh, there's no point in waiting down here any longer.'