okteiviakom | NYC, An Alternate Mainland, Late Friday Morning

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NYC, An Alternate Mainland, Late Friday Morning

Octavia and Duke hadn't exactly been taking much time for just the two of them, lately. And since Octavia had to head out of town for a while today anyway, she'd finally taken Duke to New York with her. For lunch, and whatever else they ended up feeling like doing.

After she had her first in-person therapy session in like two months, first, anyway. Duke was going to go figure out food while Octavia was doing that, but she'd wanted to show him the place since he was here. Which was why they were now in a tall building, stepping into a cozy-ish office space where Dr. Baker's receptionist sat behind her desk.

Or at least Octavia assumed that was who this was, because she'd never seen this woman before.

The woman looked up and gave them a big smile. "Ah," she said brightly, then faltered just a little as she had to consult something on her computer screen. A few clicks, and her face brightened again. "Ms. Morningstar, right?"

"Yeah," Octavia said slowly.

It was one thing knowing that was what they had her on file as. It was another to hear someone actually call her that.

[ooc: NFB because of the distance, and for the dude!]

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Duke coughed into his hand to cover his reaction to finding that out. (It was adorable. And definitely didn't do anything odd to the state of his head that she'd taken Lucifer's name for something official like this, and not his.)

He reached for her hand to give it a quick squeeze and flicked the receptionist a bright smile. "I'm just along for the ride."

If he'd been the one here that first time, telling the original receptionist 'look, I'm happy to tell you to write down 'Octavia Crocker' or whatever pleases your bureaucratic little mind' instead, it would've been his name. It was that simple.

The woman kept on smiling, and chirped something about how it was her first week, sorry, and that Dr. Baker would be ready in a moment. Octavia nodded, then turned a little more towards Duke.

"Name thing's just... something Lucifer told them," she muttered, because okay, she worried about how that had sounded.

"It's sweet," Duke assured her. He was glad she had something that worked with modern America that wouldn't set off any of her various issues with family or kru. "You want me to wait with you?"

Octavia nodded. "Sha, beja," she murmured. "It's not gonna be long, anyway."

Duke nodded. "No problem." He gave her hand another squeeze, opened his mouth to make small talk, then changed his mind. She was going to spend an hour talking here, most likely. She didn't need him badgering her to talk, too.

Octavia caught that, and gave him a soft snort and an even softer lopsided little smile. And squeezed his hand, and said nothing.

It didn't take long at all before the door by the desk opened, and a middle-aged brunette dressed smartly in business casual stepped into the doorway. She was about to talk to the receptionist when her eyes landed on Octavia instead, and her lips quirked into a small smile.

"Ah, Octavia, good. Hello." She looked to Duke. Inquisitive, curious, but not overly so. "And this is... Duke, I assume?"

The cast was kind of a giveaway, after what little Octavia had said about recent events in Tuesday's session.

Duke waved said cast (it didn't work quite as well for handholding, what with the bulk).

"That's me. Hiya, Doc."

"Hello," Dr. Baker replied, with... maybe something amused about her expression? Then her eyes flicked back to Octavia. "Were you planning to have him join us, or...?"

"No," Octavia said. Please, she knew better than that. "He's just here to get lunch with me. After."

"And keep her company on the way in," Duke agreed. He gave Octavia's hand one more squeeze and let go. "Text me when you're ready?"

Octavia looked up at him and nodded.

"Yeah," she said, and gave his arm a light pat, already stepping away. "Have fun, jaka."

Duke nodded, gave Dr. Baker one last wave, and headed out, casted hand jammed awkwardly into his pocket.

And Octavia went into Dr. Baker's office.

It was somehow deeply weird to be back there after how long she'd been in LA, only seeing her therapist on a screen. Add to that that there was a lot of recent stuff she didn't really know how to talk about, and it made for something of a bumpy session.

But more or less an hour later, Octavia texted Duke as she was riding the elevator down from the office.

Done. Where are you?

On my way back Duke texted. Found something that looks good in Brooklyn

Probably would have helped if Octavia had actually bothered to learn the names of any of the boroughs.

Where do you want to meet up?

I can come find you Duke said. Almost back at the doc's building

He'd maybe done a lot of googling before their trip, and had had a place in mind to check out even before her appointment.

She should've expected nothing less, really.

Almost to the lobby, Octavia sent back. See you out front

Duke sent back a thumbs up.

And was out there, leaning against a lamp post, when she stepped onto the sidewalk.

"Remind me. Have I made you try Ethiopian food yet?"

He made a very pretty picture like that.

And despite the way her brain was still half stuck processing the session that had just ended, Octavia's lips quirked a little as she stepped up to him.

"I... don't think you have, no."

"I think you'll like it," Duke said, standing upright and offering her his arm. "Everyone shares one plate, and you eat with your hands."

"Okay," Octavia said, with a hint of something sceptical about her tone. (It was the 'everyone'.) But she took his arm, and didn't say anything about it. "Sounds like you got it figured out. Lead the way."

"Everyone", fortunately, meant those you were going to dinner with, not everyone in the whole restaurant.

Duke led the way to a little cafe in Brooklyn, all warm brick and wood and smelling like cinnamon and ginger and tumeric. The menu was, of course, entirely plant-based, and included a little how-to guide explaining how the food was all to be arranged on one piece of flatbread, and eaten using strips of another to pick it up.

"We could eat here," Duke said, "or maybe get it to go and find a park or some spot by the river?"

"This place smells amazing," Octavia murmured, like her very obvious inhale after they'd come in hadn't already made that clear.

But.

"But yeah, let's get it to go."

One of these days she was going to actually try and brave the restaurant thing of eating with a bunch of strangers around. But guess today was another failure on that front.

The ability to get it to go had been a big part of him picking this restaurant for just that reason. No need to add to her stress when she was already usually a little extra prickly after her therapy.

"Should we try some of everything, then? It all sounds really good to me."

"I wouldn't even know how to pick anything," Octavia replied, and had she mentioned how good this place smelled, yet? "Yeah, let's get everything."

"I'll be right back, then," Duke promised, and headed to the counter to place their order. And get a pitcher of their combination juice to go with it.

Octavia stayed back, letting him do his thing.

And was swiftly reminded, after a few furtive glances around the restaurant, that she also wasn't great with seeing strangers eating, either. She kept her eyes on the menus and things, after that.

Fortunately, if there was one thing New Yorkers were good at, it was keeping things moving. Duke was back in no time at all, carrying a pizza-style box in one hand and a big bottle of juice in the other.

"Let's go find us a park."

"You want me to take one of those?" Octavia asked, already turning to hold the door open for him.

Since she was the one with two good arms, here.

"Sure." Duke held out the juice for her, which was in the casted hand (the jug being easier to not drop when there was a cast to contend with). "Mochof."

"De nada," Octavia replied as she took it from him, and they stepped outside. "Shouldn't have to carry everything by yourself, I'm pretty sure therapy's trying to teach me that."

Sometimes she was hilarious.

"Oh is that what the doc's trying to get you to do," Duke teased gently. "I don't know, that sounds fake to me."

Octavia snorted. "You would say that."

She looked around. Wasn't exactly familiar with this part of town. "You got an idea which way we should go?"

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NYC, An Alternate Mainland, Late Friday Morning

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