The Cape Rouge, Somewhere, Veeeery Early Wednesday Morning

[okteiviakom]

The nightmares were back.

They always came back, so Octavia probably shouldn't have felt as disappointed about it as she did. Suppose she should've even been grateful that at least she hadn't woken up in a full panic, this time. Just uncomfortable. And uncomfortable hadn't been enough to immediately wake up the other people in bed.

She'd slipped away quietly, doing her best not to disturb them.

And now she was out on the deck, standing by the gunwale, wrapped up in a blanket. Watching the full moon reflect off the water, trying to find some steady ground - well, metaphorically speaking, anyway. The ship swayed slowly under her untied boots, and that was a welcome thing.

The dreams were still echoing around her skull. The pit, as always. Ilian. Bellamy. Blodreina.

Butterflies, burning.

Octavia drew in a slow breath, and tipped her head back on the exhale, looking up at the sky.

[ooc: NFB due to distance, but open if her fellow boat-dwellers want.]

Comments

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer's hand settled more firmly on her shoulder. (It was the closest he could get without depriving one of them of the protection of that blanket.)

"We have found a few good uses for it this week, haven't we?" he mused, smirking. "Suppose we can't pick which scholarly pursuits we're good at, but exercise certainly helps."

[okteiviakom]

"I already had a good use for it," Octavia rasped. Wasn't her best work, didn't really land all that well, but she was contributing. Participating.

With her eyes closed, still trying to grasp at some kind of a stable feeling.

[betterthanaplan]

"I try to be generous with my talents," Duke said. He bent his head to kiss her hair. "You trying to say I need to practice harder with my clothes?" he asked Lucifer. "I could probably lean into the whole beach-bum vibe a little more. . . ."

[my_own_advocate]

"No, I think you should cut your losses and just embrace nudism," Lucifer told him, amused. "Because I remember what use Octavia has for your mouth and I think you need to spend more of your energy on that. But also because seeing you put clothes on is like watching someone draw a moustache on the Mona Lisa."

[okteiviakom]

"No it's not."

Very good, Tavi.

(Was she entirely sure what the Mona Lisa was? No. Did that make any difference? Also no.)

[betterthanaplan]

Duke couldn't even protest that one. He was just laughing.

Finally he took a sip of his coffee again.

"I don't know, man, I'm kind of enjoying wearing your pants right now."

[my_own_advocate]

"Of course you are," Lucifer said, smirking. "Those are actually nice."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia could feel Duke's laugh as much as she could hear it. Under the blankets, her own shoulders relaxed, just a fraction.

She said nothing, and kept her eyes closed.