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

[okteiviakom]

Octavia knew there was a Parents Weekend thing happening in town right now. She was still undecided on whether she wanted to put in an appearance, because on one hand, last year's had led to some bad times for her. On the other... There was some small part of her that hoped, no matter how foolishly, that maybe Gloria would somehow show up.

(There was just so much she wanted to tell her. And so much fear that she would never get to.)

So far, for her trek through town after her usual Friday routine of therapy and swimming out in New York, she had steered clear of the park. She had a big bag from a shoe store to get home, anyway. See, there'd been some talk of those early days on the Ground in her session today, and then she'd taken a slightly different route from her usual in getting to the portal place, and she'd seen the boots in a store window, and, well. She'd never been able to resist a good symbol. Especially one as personal as this, appearing at just the right time for it to feel a little like something else than just pure coincidence.

(Even with how mired in complications that thought was for her, these days. For reasons she had still not discussed with Dr. Baker at all.)

And even as she stepped aboard the Rouge, she was still wondering whether she should've just taken her purchase on the Samsara instead, and buried them in her closet. The urge to share and the urge to keep it to herself felt equal.

Maybe she'd shove them in a closet here, instead.

[ooc: Open, though slow.]

Comments

[okteiviakom]

Octavia did him one better, and reached up to cradle his face between her hands.

"About how none of the shit that's happened to you is smaller," she said, still with some of that helplessness. "The scale is relative."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke fought the urge to look away. To detach himself from this moment. He opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out.

Why was that idea so hard for him to wrap his head around? Something to ask Linda, maybe, next time they talked.

[okteiviakom]

"Yeah," Octavia said on a sigh, more out of compassion now than anything else, "I know. It's not something you want to hear, and I don't know why."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shook his head slightly and shrugged, still not quite able to get any words out.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia nodded up at him, still cradling his face with her hands.

"It's okay, we don't have to talk about it."

[betterthanaplan]

"I want to," Duke managed. "I want to be able to talk about what you want to talk about."

[okteiviakom]

"I can't talk about everything you want to talk about, either."

Not yet, anyway.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke swallowed again. Nodded.

"I'm gonna ask Linda about it," he promised. "I'm going to try to get there."

[okteiviakom]

That would have been Octavia's next suggestion, too. But since he'd made it there on his own - and she was so proud of him for saying it - she just reached up to press a kiss on his cheek.

"That's a good first step," she murmured.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke wanted to ask if she'd ever spoken with Dr. Baker about Audrey. But they'd reached this fragile peace, and he didn't want to break it.

So he turned his head instead, trying to catch her lips with his.

[okteiviakom]

Only in passing. Dr. Baker was probably planning to dig it back up again, but there was just so much to wade through.

Octavia turned her head to meet his lips.

[betterthanaplan]

Well then. They could set that part of the conversation aside until then.

For now, Duke was content to just stand here with her against him, exploring her mouth with his own, as though he didn't already know every inch of it.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was content to do just that, too.

Apart from the little insistent thought at the back of her head, that eventually made her pull back, gently. And not very far at all. "Hold that thought," she murmured, a little breathless. "We're, it feels like we're making progress and so I -- I want to show you."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke looked back at her, eyes wide. Afraid to say the wrong thing again, he simply nodded.

[okteiviakom]

"Don't look so scared," Octavia teased, gently. She rubbed her thumb over his cheek, then pulled her hand away - and then the rest of herself, to return to the table and grab the bag.

"I just... I saw these in the store window."

She pulled out one of the boots.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke let out a laugh, soft and delighted.

"Those are amazing."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's until now slightly hesitant expression lit up a little at his reaction.

"You think so, too?" she asked. "I don't know if I'll ever actually wear them, but..." But, she'd had to have them.

[betterthanaplan]

"We'll have to find you the right occasion," Duke said. "Even if it's just a fun dress-up night at the mansion."

[okteiviakom]

"Lucifer thought they'd go with the butterfly dress," Octavia said, softly, looking at the boot in her hands. "I don't know about that, but... We'll find a time."

[betterthanaplan]

"We will," Duke agreed. "And now I'm thinking I need to find something appropriately butterfly themed to wear myself. . . ."

[okteiviakom]

"Well," Octavia said, eyes drawn down to his throat, "you still have your necklace."

Last she'd checked. Because she'd definitely remembered about it all this time.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke lifted said necklace out of the tangle on his chest. “Of course I do. But one necklace doesn’t exactly match a whole dress and boots.”

How had they ended up back on the scale conversation again?

[okteiviakom]

Because it was what he seemed to naturally gravitate towards.

"I don't think I'll be wearing the dress," Octavia replied with that little faint trace of wryness, again. "If that makes any difference."

[betterthanaplan]

"It probably would," Duke said, moving to rest his hands on her hips. "Especially if you're wearing very little else besides those glorious boots."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia set the boot back in the bag, and turned to face him more fully. And slid her hands up to his shoulders.

"So options are dress, and 'very little'?"