The Deck of the Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Friday Morning

[okteiviakom]

Octavia hadn't set foot on the Rouge since Monday. Hadn't talked to Lucifer since that same day, or to Duke since Tuesday. She wondered if all of that should've made her feel terrible.

But the truth was that the past couple of days had been good for her. Quiet, solitary. She'd been on the preserve, on her own boat, out on the mainland for a swim. (She was getting closer to being able to call it that, too. Not just floating.) She was still very tired, all the time, but that was easier to bear when no one she met needed anything from her.

She was just another stranger.

But this morning, she finally felt like she had the energy to return. At least for a while. And so here she was, right back where she'd originally begun this week: yoga on the deck of the Rouge, a little before anyone below decks was likely to start thinking of breakfast.

Some of her forms were a little better, this time around, and she hummed softly to herself as she moved through them.

[ooc: Open, duh.]

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[betterthanaplan]

Spending time away from them was what Octavia needed right now, and Duke wouldn't take that away from her for the world. Certainly not just because her spending time away from them wasn't proving to be all that great for him.

Or, at least, that was what he was blaming the rough sleep he'd been getting this week on. Never mind that he'd been semi-triggered before the week even started.

He couldn't quite place exactly what had woken him up this time. His dreams had been stressful, but they generally were, these days. Some extra noise from the boardwalk, maybe, or an extra large wave. He lay there away for a bit, listening -- the porgs were excited about something, maybe that was it? -- and wondering if he was going to fall back asleep.

When the answer turned out to be "no", he gently extracted himself from Lucifer's arms, tugged on a pair of shorts and a sweater, and headed up to the deck to see what the porgs were on about.

Oh.

He froze in the doorway to the deck, not at all sure if he should interrupt her at all this time. It hadn't exactly ended well last time.

[okteiviakom]

Right now, it seemed what the porgs were particularly excited about was Octavia's downward facing dog. One of them had hopped up onto her back and was trying to climb up it towards the highest vantage point.

Another was trying to get at the hair that had come loose from her ponytail. The rest were bumbling around, making noise.

Octavia herself was just focusing on her breath, her eyes closed. She didn't have room to do this on the Samsara, and even with the 'help' of the porgs, it felt good.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke cleared his throat softly, still not coming any closer.

"You, uh. Your form's getting better."

[okteiviakom]

If Octavia had had doubts about showing up this morning, the little flutter of warmth that came with hearing Duke's voice wiped away at least some of them.

But she exhaled, and slowly transitioned into a plank - causing indignant squeaks from the bird on her back - before she spoke. "Maybe that's why they're so happy today," she rasped, her eyes still closed.

A little pause.

"Wanna join in?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke thought it was more likely that the porgs missed her. But maybe he was projecting.

He rolled his shoulders and nodded. "Sure." He shucked the sweater, dropped it to the deck, and went to go take his place a few feet from her, dropping into a plank of his own.

The porgs immediately started climbing on him, too.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia opened her eyes, though she only stole a quick little glance at him for now.

"Yo don hon noda maun op, strikon?"

Yeah, like that look had been at the porgs.

[betterthanaplan]

"They hunted another man?" Duke guessed.

He was pretty sure that wasn't what she'd said.

[okteiviakom]

"Found another mountain," Octavia replied, as she began to move into cobra pose. Which caused the porg on her back to sound extra indignant. "Chil au, strik klama."

[betterthanaplan]

"Little clam," Duke decided.

She definitely didn't call the porg a clam.

He glanced over to see what had the thing yelling, and started shifting his own pose to follow her.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's snort was very soft.

And very quiet.

"Little climber."

[betterthanaplan]

"That was my next guess," Duke said, enjoying the easier rhythm they'd found.

His next guess was "little loud one", actually, but that was fine.

[okteiviakom]

"Thought 'clam' seemed more likely?"

Yes, she was going to call you on your bullshit, Duke! With that faintly wry tone, while she was rolling her shoulder back.

[betterthanaplan]

"What can I say?" Duke asked, pressing up into his cobra pose with a small smile. "Ai ste tripi hef."

[okteiviakom]

Breakfast had been nice. Uneventful, in the best way possible. Easy, even - at least in comparison to how the rest of this week had gone between all three of them.

But Octavia had been largely focused on Duke, so far. And now that he'd stepped away for the moment, she finally drifted over to Lucifer. Right up against his side as he was doing the dishes, in fact.

"Hey."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer tossed her a quick, almost distracted glance as he worked on the plates. "And hello to you too, miss Octavia," he said.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia slid her arm around his back, but her touch was light. Unintrusive, as much as it could actually be that.

Her voice was a murmur. "Sorry I missed dinner."

Or four.

[my_own_advocate]

"I'm sure you had other things on your mind," Lucifer said, softer.

He put the plate down.

Then he snuck an arm around her waist.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's hold on him grew firmer. Her head tilted against his shoulder.

"Yeah," she said. "Still."

[my_own_advocate]

"I missed you," Lucifer murmured.

He had.

(She seemed unstable or unpredictable to Duke, he could grasp as much. She was anything but to him.)

[okteiviakom]

"I know," Octavia said quietly.

She wasn't sure she'd missed them. She hadn't not missed them, entirely, either, but... Maybe a few days on her own had been what she'd really, really needed right now.

She wasn't going to outright say that to either of them.

"Anything newsworthy I missed?"

[my_own_advocate]

'Missing' was a complicated concept, anyway. It didn't necessarily involve wanting someone to be there with you right that minute.

"Not really," he said. "We drank, we talk, we watched Netflix, and we did it all over again. And then the weird texts happened, but that just seemed to be a quirk of the island."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's snort was faint. "Turned my phone off after the first one."

[my_own_advocate]

"Yes, well, we both know you're a cave woman," Lucifer said. "And probably wise, in this case."

He'd missed her. He hadn't worried.

(He'd been glad to feel like he could actually be there for someone, this past week. He wouldn't admit it.)

[okteiviakom]

"Didn't feel like letting the island annoy me," Octavia rasped.

Her hand rubbed slowly against his side.

[my_own_advocate]

"When do you ever?"

He leaned into her a bit. Perhaps more than a bit.