okteiviakom | The Grey Gull, Haven, Monday Evening-ish

Wade & Duke

While they'd been out saving the town, Wade had apparently been partying it up back at the Gull. Duke wasn't sure why he was surprised. "You're celebrating Founder's Day?"

"Founder's, yeah." Wade said, sipping straight from a bottle of what looked like maybe vodka. "Found her nailing my contractor!" He shouted it out over the crowd. Duke winced.

"Well, that's good," he said with a sigh. "You've started the healing process."

"Listen," Wade said, leaning heavily — drunkenly — on the bar top as though he was about to tell Duke a secret. "I am really glad that I'm here."

Duke gave him an empty smirk. "Is that right?"

"No, I mean," Wade started, gesturing sloppily with his free hand. "I used to come visit you when we were kids, you know, but we never really got to know each other, all right?" He shook his head sadly. "Dad always made it a competition. But you won. Okay? I was always my mom's kid. But Dad loved you. You. . . ." He trailed off, almost seeming to forget what he'd just been saying. "You were his."

Duke stared at him, then looked sideways at the pair of young women who were clearly listening to this rant avidly. "You all caught up?" he asked them. They shot him dirty looks and cleared up. Duke refocussed on his inebriated brother. "Wade, trust me, you won."

"No, no, no," Wade insisted. "We're gonna show people what's what, okay? You and me. The Crocker brothers ride again!"

Duke bit back a wince. "You are very drunk."

"No, I am serious, okay?" Wade said. "The lawyer called. Filing for the divorce is gonna take a while, so I'm gonna take you up on your offer and I'm gonna stay in Haven."

Duke's whole body went cold. "No, Wade, that wasn't really an offer —"

"To my little brother," Wade crowed, not listening. He lifted his bottle high over his head. "Duke Crocker!"

The crowd cheered.

"He's taken me in," Wade continued, "given me a home right here. Next round's on me!"

That got much louder cheers. Duke could really feel the love. He shook his head and straightened from his slouch — and came face to face with Vince Teagues.

"Looks like your brother's still enjoying his time here in Haven," Vince said meaningfully. He stared at Duke a moment longer, then turned to go.

Fuck. They were all going to get fucking killed here.

Jennifer	Jennifer leaned against one of the support poles for the balcony above the Gull, staring out over the misty water, weighing her bottle of pills in her hand. Trying to decide which was worse, to keep taking the pills even if she wasn't crazy, or to stop taking them and drive herself maybe even crazier. She didn't want to have to hear the Barn again. To hear Duke screaming Audrey's name over and over. It had been bad enough when he was just a voice in her head, but now that she knew him, knew how sweet he could be, how much she actually liked him. . . . He'd sounded so scared. Desperate. Like he was losing someone really important to him. Admittedly, he seemed to have a lot of really important people, but that wouldn't make losing one of them any easier would it? She wanted to help. She really did. But she didn't want to lose herself in the helping.
Octavia	Today had been a lot of Haven bullshit, and, look, sometimes you just needed some air. That was what Octavia was angling to get when she made her way up onto the balcony. She wasn't surprised she hadn't been the only one with that idea. "Hey."
Jennifer	Jennifer looked over without entirely turning her head, and offered Octavia a small smile. "Hey." She looked down at the bottle in her hand. "You know . . . the day I first started hearing voices, Duke's voice? It was the most frightened I've ever been in my life. I felt like a fish who'd just been yanked out of the water. Crazy, nuts, and powerless. I don't want to feel that way again." And yet she was overdue for her next dose. And she really wasn't sure she'd take another one.
Octavia	... Well. So much for air, then. Guess they were getting right into it, instead. Whatever 'it' was. Octavia's head tilted faintly. "But," she said, a little mild but a lot soft, "you're thinking of not taking them anymore."
Jennifer	Yep. Sorry, Octavia. Jennifer tended to think out loud. And usually at a babble. "I am," she said. "After today . . . I really understand how important Audrey is. And why Haven needs her so badly. If I can remember anything that will help bring her back. . . ."
Octavia	Oh not you, too, Jennifer. Octavia's expression turned just a tiny bit more dry. "There's enough people putting their own needs aside for Audrey as it is." Not that that was personal to her, or anything. Come on. "If you do it, it should be for you."
Jennifer	Jennifer frowned. "What do you mean? If she could have talked this guy down before all those people at the coffee shop died. . . ." She shuddered. She was going to have nightmares about that scene at the coffee shop for weeks.
Octavia	"I mean I'm already tired of seeing her collateral damage." Not ominous at all, Tavi. But Octavia shook her head and stepped a little closer. "But I don't think you're crazy, Jennifer," she said, back to that milder, softer tone. "So there's that."
Jennifer	"Do you think I'm . . . what Duke says? Troubled?" Jennifer asked. She wanted to ask about the collateral damage, but she was also a little afraid to. She liked how strong Octavia seemed, but it also made her extremely intimidating.
Octavia	"Maybe," Octavia said. "Or there's some other bullshit supernatural reason why you were hearing it." She knew the troubles worked by their own set of rules, but also she was from Fandom, so she was open to other possible causes. "Point is, your brain just making you hear Duke all on its own when you've never even met him before? Not an expert, but that doesn't seem like a likely condition."
Jennifer	"I guess not," Jennifer said. "And -- I mean, these things do screw with my memory. So maybe there's something important that I'm forgetting." She looked back out at the water again with a sigh. "But they did make it stop."
Octavia	"And they could again," Octavia pointed out. "Whatever you choose now doesn't have to be forever."
Jennifer	"True!" Jennifer was cheered up a bit by this, flashing Octavia a small smile, but it didn't last long. "What did you mean? About Audrey's . . . 'collateral damage'?"
Octavia	There was a decently lengthy silence as Octavia's expression settled into something grave and dry again. "Sometimes the people who help Audrey get hurt much worse than she does," she said, finally. Matter-of-fact, and flat. "They get blood on their hands, and hers stay clean."
Jennifer	Jennifer swallowed. “That’s. That’s awful. Why would she do that?”
Octavia	"Because it helps Haven." Sure, that was extremely dry and kind of bitter, but tell us how you really feel, Octavia.
Jennifer	“Like . . . with the troubles?” Jennifer asked. “Wait, how does hurting someone help with that? Was she like that Jordan lady? Is she really going to murder Nathan?!”
Octavia	God, what Octavia would have given to still be that clueless about how these things worked. That... innocent. "I can't tell you the specifics, that's someone else's story." Not to mention that Duke's take on it would differ considerably from hers. Ahem. "But she used someone like a weapon. Manipulated them into doing what she should have found a way to handle herself. And that changes you." No comment on anyone murdering Nathan. That didn't really concern Octavia much.
Jennifer	Jennifer bit her lip and stared out at the water, appalled, but also conflicted. “That’s . . . I don’t want to say that’s okay. It’s not. But Octavia, you didn’t see those people today. They were all fine one minute, just living their lives, and the next. . . .” She shuddered, hard. “Someone needs to stop that from happening. And — no offense, but I get the feeling you guys don’t want to have to stick around that long. I don’t know if I want to stick around that long. I think maybe Haven really needs Audrey.” She tipped her pill bottle spilling the contents in the water. “If I’m troubled, I’m troubled. And maybe if I can help find Audrey, then my trouble can be something good.”
Octavia	Octavia looked on, unimpressed. "Nice speech," she rasped, "but you know you could have just given those to me. Just in case." A beat. "Or so you wouldn't have just added to the chemical shit in the ocean that shouldn't be there."
Jennifer	Jennifer winced. “Right. Sorry.”
Octavia	Octavia suppressed a sigh. And crossed her arms. And just watched Jennifer, for a little moment. And then, as if relenting, said, "Look, you'll tell us if any of this gets to be too much, right?" This wasn't easy. What Jennifer was choosing to do wasn't easy. Octavia knew that.
Jennifer	“Oh totally,” Jennifer assured her. “I don’t really do suffering in silence.” Hence her shouting her displeasure during the tornado when they first arrived.
Octavia	"Good." That was... far too serious a response to that. But this was Octavia, and sometimes serious was all she had. (Because collateral damage was personal. Had been, might be again.)
Jennifer	"It's nice," Jennifer said, giving her a little smile. "That you're worried. I appreciate it. It's kind of been awhile since I've had anyone do that."
Octavia	A part of Octavia found itself wanting to wonder - out loud, no less - how that could be. But, no: "Well, we're here now." And that was that.
Jennifer	"Yeah." Jennifer ducked her head. "Guess I lucked out picking Dr. Martin, huh."
Octavia	Octavia watched her. Couldn't help it. "It was... a hell of a coincidence, anyway."
Jennifer	"Oh my god, right?" Jennifer said, relieved someone else had said it. "How crazy is it that Duke and I picked the same therapist? Maybe that's a trouble too."
Octavia	"Linda was Lucifer's therapist, first." Make of that what you will, Jennifer.
Jennifer	“Dr. Martin,” Jennifer said slowly. “She’s the Devil’s therapist.” She shook her head. “No wonder you guys don’t think I’m crazy. Your bar is super high!”
Octavia	"Also Lucifer's technically God, now." A beat. "Everyone's in denial about it." The deadpan probably didn't help at all here, did it?
Jennifer	“. . . Ha,” Jennifer said. “I already regret dumping my pills.”
Octavia	Octavia gave a tiny lopsided shrug. "Let that be a lesson for not dumping them in the ocean."

[ooc: NFB, NFI, preplayed with the ever-wonderful

betterthanaplan. Follows this, and also based on Haven S04E02 Survivors.]