okteiviakom | NYC on an Alt Mainland, then the Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Friday Noon

Well, Octavia had finally managed to use yesterday's quiet to actually complete the homework Dr. Baker had given her last Tuesday. A paper filled with thoughts on her relationship history, from Lincoln to Duke to Niylah and finally, Lucifer. How she'd met them, how they'd become her lovers, what issues there'd been and how they'd solved them (if they'd solved them). How things had ended.

They had not made it past Lincoln, within an hour. Probably wouldn't have even if they hadn't used up the first twenty minutes or so on debriefing the past week. (Parts of it, anyway. Hope seemed like... something Octavia wanted to keep to herself, right now.) In fact, they pretty much got stuck right at the beginning. Guess there was just too much to be discussed about something littered with literal life-or-death situations.

It had not gone smoothly.

"So what you're saying is... He kept you captive. In a cave."

"Well -- yeah, but. It was for my own good. He was protecting me."

"But he didn't tell you so?"

"He didn't know he could trust me yet."

"M-hm. And did it feel like protecting at the time?"

There had been a lot of glaring.

She'd gone swimming, afterwards. It was getting to become a habit. Another ritual, like it was an attempt to wash herself clean of everything therapy dredged up. Or like a balm over a burn. Something just for her.

And when she got back on the island, there was no hesitation, this time: she went right to the Rouge. She knew Duke and Lucifer had had a date night last night, so she wasn't surprised to find the ship deserted. Had expected it, even. Counted on it? Either way, it meant she could kick off her shoes and shrug off her jacket and head right into the bedroom where she could crawl in bed and curl up on top of the covers.

She figured she'd just soak something up here for a moment. Rest her eyes for five minutes, then maybe decide on something else to do.

... She was out like a light mere moments later.

[ooc: Under the cut NFB for off-the-islandness, natch. Open for fellow boat-dwellers, or I guess if you really want to take this moment to break in...]

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Duke was sporting the beginnings of a black eye when he got back to the boat, after a very frustrating morning with Lucifer.

Seriously. Did the island think it was funny? It was so mean!

Anyway, not expecting anyone to be around, he was not at all quiet as he fussed around the galley, making himself a cup of coffee (not spiked, alcohol had attacked him earlier) and finding an apple to snack on.

Octavia startled awake at the noise, groggy and disoriented. Took her a moment to land on where she was, then another to figure out what had woken her up.

... Woken her up. Right, so much for just resting her eyes.

She sat up slowly, rubbing her hand over her eyes.

Duke was humming while the coffee brewed, occasionally singing softly as well.

"I didn't come to play it safe
I came to win or lose with you
I only live alone awake
'Cause every night, yeah
You pass through
Yeah, you pass through. . . ."

Octavia had already guessed it was him, because Lucifer sounded different when he moved about the ship, but that sealed it.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd heard him sing anything. (That didn't even necessarily mean it had been long, she just... couldn't remember a lot of details, lately.) She was quiet about getting up, wanting to hang on to this moment of hearing him as long as she could.

Even while she made her way to the bedroom door.

And then through it.

"I know that love is never free
It bows your head and bends your knees
But there's no sword without an edge
And I sleep uneasily when you're not in my bed."

Duke hadn't noticed her yet. He was pondering whether or not he felt like cooking anything.

Now that seemed like an awfully relevant song choice you had there, Crocker.

Octavia wished she could've held off on making her presence known, but she was already in the room. So she cleared her throat.

It was going to be pretty obvious from just about everything about her that she'd just woken up. But especially the messy bedhead.

It'd been playing in the diner yesterday and got stuck in his head. For reasons.

He startled, looking up. "Ha yun, gona."

"Ha yun, jaka," Octavia said, now taking several steps further into the galley, rubbing her hand over one eye. "Sorry for the surprise."

"Better surprise than I've gotten in a bit," Duke said. He pushed his hair off his forehead, revealing the beginnings of a shiner. "The island apparently decided to take a hard left and turn 'sex pollen' into 'no sex at all'."

That was one way to get Octavia looking a little more alert and awake. Also to get her to come to him for a closer look, looking concerned.

"What happened?"

"Believe it or not, I fell out of bed. And then Lucifer's scotch landed on my face."

Not entirely what Octavia had been expecting. Even if she wouldn't have been able to say what she had been expecting.

"... Right."

"Was the cap on a very frustrating night. And morning." Duke sighed. "How you doing?"

"I, uh, was gonna rest my eyes," Octavia said, brushing her messy hair behind her ear, still eyeing his future black eye a little warily. "Guess I fell asleep."

And how.

Duke nodded. "Was it good sleep?"

Octavia shrugged, letting her hand fall again.

"It was sleep."

Nothing extraordinary, but no nightmares.

"Sleep is good," Duke decided. He tilted his head towards the counter. "Want some lunch? I was thinking maybe . . . apples and brie."

"Sure," Octavia said, trying for a lighter tone. "Sounds nice."

And maybe that would help her shake off the feeling that she was intruding, somehow. The last few weeks... had clearly left a lot of damage in their wake.

NYC on an Alt Mainland, then the Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Friday Noon

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