Aboard the Samsara, Sunday Afternoon

[okteiviakom]

If her time around and aboard the Cape Rouge hadn't already taught Octavia that boats were a lot of work, this past year with one of her own definitely would have. There seemed to always be something to check, maybe something to fix or otherwise give some maintenance to - and especially when you'd been gone for a while. And after breakfast, Octavia had finally taken the time to go over everything. Just, methodically and thoroughly checking everything so she wouldn't run into any trouble the next time she took the Samsara out of the port.

(Which she also figured she should do sometime soon, probably. She may have been using the thing like a houseboat, but it was meant for cruising around in.)

In some ways, it had felt like a couple of hours of meditation.

And she'd finished the whole thing off by cleaning the back deck. Which meant that now that she was done, she... sank down in one of the seats with a big sigh, her head tipping back until she could look up at the sky.

Right, that was all done.

[ooc: Expecting one.]

Comments

[my_own_advocate]

One of them wore the underwear around the boat, and it wasn't Lucifer, all right?

"Agreed," he said, looking tickled. "I mean-- yes, excellent idea."

[okteiviakom]

One of them wore underwear because she found it more comfortable, and hadn't had qualms about nudity around him even well before they'd ended up together.

Octavia gave him another amused sideways glance, but didn't comment. Instead, she focused on steering, on the feel of the boat moving through the water, the town sliding further away behind them.

[my_own_advocate]

Yes, well, excuse Lucifer for not automatically assuming they were heading out here to skinny dip.

He sat back, took a sip from his flask, and watched her steer.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia did it with the same kind of serious air she did most things. Half out of respect, half just because she was out of practice and actually needed to focus on this.

Eventually, though, they were coming to a stop near a peaceful little cove on the northern edge of the island.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer remembered this cove, though he also knew better than to bring it up. "Now there's quiet."

[okteiviakom]

"Yeah," Octavia sighed, her eyes up on the trees. She loved the water, but -- Yeah. The woods would always be her first love.

The boat slowed to a stop, and Octavia got up to go drop anchor.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer slid out of his jacket as she went for the anchor, putting it down neatly over the back of his seat.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was careful, but still pretty quick about lowering the anchor and securing the rope. Then looked back.

"Now she won't float away."

[my_own_advocate]

"It would be rather awkward if we had to backstroke after her, in pursuit," Lucifer said, rising.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia snorted, softly.

And went to peel off her shirt.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer took a moment to admire that motion, even as his own fingers came up to undo his buttons. "Do you come out to the edge of the preserve often, when you're there?"

[okteiviakom]

"Sometimes," Octavia replied, setting the shirt on one of the seats in the back. "Not often. I have other places I go."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer draped his shirt over his jacket, and undid his belt. "Too breezy for you?" he teased.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia shrugged, as her hands went down to her own belt.

"I just like the woods."

Liked being surrounded by them.

[my_own_advocate]

"So what's your favorite place?"

Down went his trousers.

[okteiviakom]

"Along the stream."

Her voice had gone softer, subtly. Her pants slid down her legs, followed by her underwear. She stepped out of both, picked them up.

"There's weird fish there."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sat down to take off his shoes before he pulled his trousers off all the way. "'Weird fish'," he echoed.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's boots got set neatly under the seat.

"They have fur."

Definitely counted as 'weird'.

[my_own_advocate]

"You found the missing link?" Lucifer asked, standing back up, naked as the day he was created.

[okteiviakom]

"I think they're just mutated," Octavia replied, with the little faint snap of the clasp of her bra. "Like the deer."

[my_own_advocate]

"I'd say you have to show me them some day, but that would involve going into the woods, which is not my natural habitat," Lucifer said. He stepped towards her, settling his hands on her hips.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia took it as an invitation to run her hands slowly up his arms, as soon as the bra had been discarded with the rest of her clothes.

"It's okay," she said, softer now, "I wouldn't expect you to get as much of a kick out of them as Duke did, anyway."

[my_own_advocate]

"And like I said earlier," Lucifer murmured, "I'd like for you two to keep your own things."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia suddenly found herself very reluctant to get anywhere near that topic again. (Look, everything was more complicated than it seemed with her. Same old, same old.) One of her hands slid up to cup his cheek, just for a second.

And then pulled away.

"Enough talk," she said, as the rest of her followed her hand's lead, towards the back of the boat and the swimboard there.

[my_own_advocate]

"You'll hear no argument from me," Lucifer said, following her with more ease than he suddenly felt.