Chapter Text
When Avi first started working at the Bureau, things were much quieter.
In fact, he was one of the first people to sign up. At the time, it was one base (not on the moon) rented out of a tiny, ratty tenement building, with only a handful of rooms for members to stay in.
Avi’s job, back then, was to be a messenger. He carried letters and documents and went wherever The Director asked him to, brought information to other Bureau members, told others where to go and what to do so The Director wouldn't have to.
It started two months after he joined up.
He had been sitting in Lucretia's office, more or less twiddling his thumbs. It was a slow day- that happened sometimes, The Director simply had no information to dispatch, no orders to be delivered, no letters to be sent. And so Avi's job, in this situation, was to wait.
"I'm sorry I don't have anything for you to do, Avi." Lucretia said, not looking up from whatever lengthy article she was writing. Avi, of course, was perfectly content to sit in Lucretia's big, comfy chairs and do absolutely nothing.
"No need to apologise, Madame Director."
"Still," she said, "I keep trying to conceive of something else needing to be done. I'm sure I could think of another job for you."
Avi watched as her face began to contort, her eyes scrunched up as she considered her options. Suddenly, Lucretia's eyes darted to look at him, and her expression became one of extreme scrutiny. Avi felt as though she were looking straight into his soul, her piercing gaze looking him up and down, analysing every bit of him.
Finally, she softened.
"Avi, come with me." She said, rising from her seat. Avi followed her out of her office, and down a back hall that was normally off limits. He had been down it once before- it had been very late, past midnight, but an important ally had finally contacted them, and he'd been forced to find her and wake her up. This hall had contained two and only two doors, and the first one was Madame Lucretia's bedroom. The second one, he didn't know.
Now, Lucretia stopped in front of the second door, and procured a bronze key from seemingly nowhere. Avi waited tensely as she clicked the door open.
The room was small and modest. Inside, there was a bed on the far wall, with a small stuffed mouse sitting atop it, and a little wooden table right next to it. There was also a bookshelf in the corner, and a dresser on the close wall, and to the far left a desk that seemed mostly to contain personal effects.
Sitting in the bed, tucked in but not asleep, there was a man. A small, gnomish man, with unkempt red hair and large, droopy ears.
"Avi, this is Davenport." Lucretia said, guiding Avi closer to the bed. Davenport's eyes, Avi could now see, were half-lidded and unfocused. "He's a very dear friend..." Lucretia said, moving her hand to run it through Davenport's hair. Davenport looked up at this- his eyes following her arm, up her chest, finally landing on her face. "But he can't speak, or take care of himself." She looked back to Avi with the same piercing gaze as before. "Avi, do you think you can handle taking care of him for a few hours?"
Avi felt terrible. He could see Lucretia was overflowing with love, and also with fear, for this man who she had hidden away from the rest of the world.
"Yeah, I think I can manage."
From then on, Avi clothed, fed, bathed Davenport, and, when not fulfilling a more pressing duty, simply sat and watched him. It was sometimes difficult- Davenport proved somewhat resistant to being touched- but mostly it was just work. Avi tried making it more pleasurable by talking to Davenport- asking him questions, or simply narrating whatever it was he was doing, but aside from the occasional muttering of his own name (which Avi found profoundly disturbing), Davenport was largely unresponsive.
Avi was not satisfied with this.
First he tried toys- there were a few scattered across Davenport's room. He assumed Lucretia had had the same idea, but simply didn't have the time to execute it. They were just what he was looking for, too- spinners and slinkys and even a Jacob's Ladder.
For almost an hour he sat next to Davenport's bed, taking the time to demonstrate each toy to him, then sit it on his lap and patiently wait for him to pick it up.
He never did.
Next, he tried reading. He knew it was a long shot- Davenport didn't seem to understand anything anyone said, but Avi couldn't know for sure. So he picked one of his favourite books off the shelf, and decided to read until Davenport showed some sign of interest.
Avi read until he fell asleep at Davenport's side.
Finally, he had an idea.
He got it one night trying to put Davenport to bed- usually it was as simple as tucking him in and turning the lights off, but for whatever reason Davenport couldn't sleep that night, and was being very vocal about it.
Avi had tried everything- warm milk, extra blankets, nothing worked and by now it was a decent enough chunk into the night that Avi himself was starting to have trouble keeping his eyes open. At the end of his rope and desperate enough to try anything, Avi sat down on Davenport's bed and began to sing. A simple tune he knew from a childhood toy. After a few minutes, Davenport's whining ceased. Soon after that, he was snoozing peacefully in Avis arms.
So he went home- Lucretia had finally given him some time off- and collected an old music... thing. It wasn't quite a box. Instead of a little box with a small wind up key, it was an unopenable case with a handle to hold it by, and a small crank that needed to be continually turned for the music to play.
"Hey little buddy," Avi said as he sat down at his chair next to Davenport's bed. "I got something for you."
He held the case out to the small gnome, who did not look his way. Then, he slowly began turning the crank.
It was a relatively simple tune, and Avi had always felt it was somehow both joyful and melancholy in nature. It didn't take long for Davenport's eyes to wander toward the music case.
Avi's favourite thing about the case was that the top of it was glass, so that one could see the mechanical inner workings that made the music play. Davenport himself seemed transfixed, his beady black eyes widening, his constantly droopy ears perking up (Avi hadn't even realised they could do that.)
Suddenly, Davenport reached out and grabbed the case.
"Davenport.." he muttered, holding the case closer to his face and clumsily turning the crank. Avi was beaming. He couldn't have possibly predicted how well this would go. Davenport himself was even starting to smile.
Avi continued playing different kinds of music for Davenport every day, and slowly, the mousy gnome became more and more responsive, more attentive, and as a side effect, more joyful. He still didn't seem to understand individual words, but could respond based off tone and action. It became easier for Avi to tell what Davenport liked and didn't like- on one memorable occasion, Avi gave him a small slice of cheddar, and instead of more or less just swallowing whatever Avi fed him like he used to, Davenport seemed to be in complete bliss as he chewed on the cube of cheese.
"You like that, little buddy?" Avi asked.
"Davenport!" He responded. Avi was surprised- it almost sounded like a yes. After a moment's pause, he laughed.
"I'm so glad."
“Director, what should I do with this?”
Shortly after becoming Davenports caretaker, Avi noticed that the stuffed mouse that called his room home was… old. He couldn’t be sure exactly how old, but the damage that had somehow been done to it said enough. The fabric was matted in a peculiar way, most of the stitching was loose or broken, and where its eyes should have been, there were only loose threads which maybe once held buttons in place.
Now, Avi held it in front of Lucretia to show that the stomach of it had ripped clean open.
“Oh no…” She took the once-stuffed animal in her hands. “Poppy…”
“He wasn’t very happy to see it was busted.” Avi informed her. “Normally I’d just sew it back together, but…”
“Yes, I see what you mean.” Lucretia agreed. “I suppose it’s about time, she is almost fifty years old.”
For a moment, Avi is confused, before remembering that gnomes have very long lifespans. Then, Lucretia handed the toy back to him and said, “Just toss her and, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, would you run out and find a new one?”
She gave him fifty gold pieces, and off he went to the nearby market. He came back with the only stuffed mouse he could find- a small plush with light brown fur and glass eyes stapled in. When he presented it to Lucretia (and returned to her the remaining coins), she smiled and told him it was perfect.
Davenport thought it was perfect too. Avi barely held it out to him for a second before Davenport snatched it up and hugged it tight.
“It is customary to name it.” Lucretia said. “I suppose that’s up to you, now.”
Avi remembers, vaguely, a story he’d been reading to Davenport a few days ago.
By the time the moon base was installed, Davenport was allowed to follow Avi wherever he went (Whilst he was on Davenport-watching duty, of course.) Once unable to walk two steps without falling to his knees, Davenport was now trotting by Avi with ease, often with Reepicheep the stuffed mouse in tow. Avi always held his hand when they traversed together, if only for fear he might get distracted and subsequently, lost.
But today, Avi was doing something much bigger.
It was his last chance to do this before the three of them moved to the moon base, and perfect timing, too. He waited for night to fall. The sky needed to be almost pitch black for this. As the town lights went out and even the Bureaus outer lights were lowered, Avi dressed Davenport in his night wear, and took his hand.
He took Davenport outside. This was not at all usual. But Avi was confident that Davenport had progressed to the point that this was no longer an automatic danger.
"What do you think?" Avi asked as he lead Davenport forward onto the lawn of their current base. The grass was not tall, but sufficiently uncut to the point where it reached in between their toes, and dewey enough that it squished under their feet with every step.
Avi looked back over his shoulder to see Davenport, who had moved himself to stand fully behind Avis back. He looked tense- yet his eyes were looking around with the same wonder they had looked at the music case with all that time ago.
"It's okay, don't be afraid." Avi said. Once they were a good ways into the lawn, Avi stopped, indirectly causing Davenport to slam into him.
"Davenport!"
"Oh no! Sorry little buddy!" Avi laughed as he pulled Davenport to sit down.
"Okay," he said once he had the gnome firmly in a sitting position. "Now look up."
Davenport made no movement.
Avi mentally kicked himself, before moving his hand in front of Davenport's face and pointing upward. Davenport's eyes followed his finger up until he had to tilt his head backward.
Avi grinned as Davenport's eyes widened even further and his jaw dropped. The sky was lit up with a million shining stars.
“Here, let's lay down."
The pair of them laid against the grass and stared up at the sky- black, but filled up with milky colours and bright, diamond-like spots.
Avi spent the next hour or so pointing at the sky, naming constellations and describing their stories to what he figured was a mostly unlistening audience, but Davenport seemed content to simply marvel at the sky above. He would even occasionally emit a giddy "Davenport!", pointing to something he found particularly exciting.
Then, when Davenport's eyes started to fall closed, and his ears started to droop, and even his tail stopped swishing back and forth, Avi picked him up off the grass (even an adult gnome was only about as heavy as a human eight year old- not pleasant to carry, but not impossible) carried him inside, and put him to bed.
The next day, he described to Lucretia, in detail, how enraptured Davenport had been with the stars. As he recounted the tale, Lucretia seemed extremely pleased- and then, slowly, not pleased at all. When he finished, Lucretia sighed, and said, "That's nice, Avi, but from now on I would prefer Davenport stay inside."
“Pleeeeaaase-!” Avi moans into his stone of farspeech.
“No. ” Comes a deadpan response.
Avi purses his lips, and raises the stone closer to his mouth.
“But Johaaaaaaann,” He wines, “It would be really helpful.”
He hears silence. Then,
“Fine. But just this once.”
Avi grins, and congratulates himself on a fantastic performance.
“Shoooooould I just start playing, or….”
Johann is standing before Avi and Davenport, violin in hand, holding his bow just inches above the strings in caution.
Typically, Avi is the only person, other than Lucretia herself, who's allowed into Davenports room or, hell, even allowed to know where it is. But Johann has been with them for a while now- Avi is sure they can trust him. Avi has dressed Davenport in his nightwear, and the two of them are now snuggling on Davenports bed.
“Yeah! Go right on ahead.”
For a moment Johanns eyes dart questioningly toward Davenport. Avi doesn’t blame him- the gnome can be hard to read, sometimes it’s hard to tell when he’s paying attention- but Johann finally presses on, and begins to play.
Davenport immediately sits up- he practically jumps out of Avi’s arms, moving to the edge of the bed so as to be closer to the music.
“Huh, wha’dyou know?” Johann smiles softly.
“I told you.” Avi says.
After a few moments of playing his exquisite music, Johann looks up and says, “ How is this helpful?” Avi just laughs.
Johann plays long into the night, and Davenport slowly slumps his posture, then slowly inches closer and closer to Avi, until he’s once again wrapped in Avi’s arms. He falls asleep, but Johann keeps playing.
Johann doesn’t stop until Avi is asleep.
It's been quite a while- couple of years, in fact, since Avi joined the Bureau of Balance. Avi has begun to feel at home at the moon base, and finds himself spending most of his time in the hangar now, which he doesn't mind. Presently, he was in the kitchen- his absolute favourite place to be- doing nothing more than chewing on an apple he found lying around.
He grinned wide when he saw another enter the kitchen- it was Davenport, dressed in a clean white shirt and a dark blue vest, complete with a little black bow tie. In recent months, Davenport had taken on the role of butler and assistant to The Director. Lucretia was excited to be spending more time with her old friend, and Avi was content to see Davenport become an official member of the Bureau.
"Hey, little buddy." Avi offered, waving a little to Davenport.
"Davenport!" He waved back.
Avi continued munching happily on his apple, until he noticed Davenport seemed to be looking around the room in mild confusion.
"... you alright?" Avi asked tentatively.
"Davenport?" The little gnome sort of fidgeted for a bit, before deciding on clenching his hand into a fist and holding it perpendicular to his face.
"Uuuuhh... mug!" Avi shouted, accidentally startling Davenport. "Mugs are over there."
Davenport looked to where Avi pointed, then shook his head.
"No! Then- what you put in the mug! Coffee!" Avi pointed to a high-up cabinet. "Coffees in there."
Davenport's whiskers twitched as he looked up at the cabinet.
"I'll get it for you in a second." Avi said, looking around for a trash bin to throw the rest of his apple into. Once he located it, he walked over, back turned to Davenport, and tossed the apple core in.
By the time he turned around, Davenport was somehow dangling from the cabinet door.
It took Avis brain about ten seconds to process this new information.
"What the hell are you doing?!" He yelled once it was sufficiently processed.
"Davenport!" The gnome cried, nervously looking down at the tile floor.
Slowly, Davenport tried to lift himself up, presumably so he could crawl into the cabinet himself, but his claws were starting lose their grip on the cabinet door.
And then he fell.
Avi had never moved faster in his life. He dived. What must have been a fraction of a second felt like ten years.
Avi, now thoroughly on the ground and probably bruised to high hell, opened his tightly shut eyes to an unscathed yet shell-shocked Davenport sitting in his hands.
"...Davenport?" Avi asked, simultaneous to a tentative "Avi?" from the gnome.
They both erupted in laughter.
Avi got the coffee beans out of the cabinet, and he made the coffee as Davenport sat on the kitchen floor, trying to calm himself. Then, when it was done, Avi gave Davenport a full mug, told him to say hi to Lucretia, and sent him on his way.
Afterward, Avi would wonder just how the little gnome had gotten up there so fast, and whether it was a lack of understanding that made him do it, or an abundance of bravery.
On the Day of Story and Song, Avi's head is filled with a tale, of seven expeditionists, hopping from world to world in an attempt to stop the end of all things. Ragged with time and exhaustion and missing their home, yet fighting til the bitter end, seven people dying and living running.
And their fearless leader.
When the story ends- no, not ends, but has sufficiently wrapped itself around everyone's minds, Avi looks down, takes a deep breath, and says,
"Holy shit."
For a while, Avi just stands there. 'There' being outside the home of one Merle Highchurch. He knew that a few of his friends were staying with him while they sorted out their own business- he knew one of these people was Davenport.
This is strange, he thinks. It's going to be strange, and awkward, and I shouldn't be here. Maybe, he thinks, he should just leave the basket on the doorstep- he brought a gift basket, filled with nice cheeses and wine- maybe he should just leave it and go.
He remembers Lucretia. He'd asked her advice, only a few days ago, and she'd urged him to visit. He would be so happy to see you, she'd said.
Avi knocks on the door. He waits one, two, three, four seconds and then the door opens.
A mousy little gnome stands in the doorway, looking up at him.
"... Avi?" Davenport looks surprised- but different from the starry-eyed wonder Avi is used to. This surprise has a deeply nervous energy to it.
Avi doesn't know what to say for a second.
And then he knows exactly what to say.
"Hey, little buddy."
Davenport breaks into a wide smile, and every part of Avi relaxes.
"This is for you." He says, holding out the large basket for Davenport to take. The gnome does so, and looks a little silly in the process.
Davenport inspects the contents of the basket for a moment, and Avi can hear him hmming and huhing and occasionally chuckling to himself. Finally, Davenport looks up at Avi and says,
"Wh-wh-why don't you come in?"
Hearing Davenport speak throws Avi. He could swear his entire brain just caught on fire.
He pulls himself together just enough to say, "I thought you'd never ask."
It takes Davenport about ten seconds to get the joke, and then the pair of them are cackling like crows as Avi follows Davenport into the house.