The Deck of the Cape Rouge, Wednesday Afternoon

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was starting to feel like she was on a slightly more even keel, post-Haven. Things with Duke were still... maybe a little off, but, they were working on that, bit by bit. And while she hadn't really managed to unpack everything with her therapist yet, she'd at least opened up about some of it.

Things were moving forward.

And this afternoon, Octavia herself was moving. Specifically, on her yoga mat rolled out on the deck of the Rouge. It wasn't super warm out, but that was fine.

It felt like she could breathe.

[ooc: Open! ETA: NFB on all the sex talk, pls and thank you!]

Comments

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer half-turned as he heard her leave. "Are you planning to go hit anything?" he called after her. "Because you might need someone to watch you with that arm of yours!"

[okteiviakom]

"I'm not."

Bold words from someone who had no idea what she planned to do. Sje was just heading...

Further into the ship.

[betterthanaplan]

And Duke was heading . . . further into himself.

Ginny had managed in a very short time to undo so much work for both of them.

"I'm going to go check the engine."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer had been on this ride long enough to have some semblance of an idea of which battles he could win and which he couldn't.

He pointed at Duke. "I know what you're doing, and no. Stop it right now."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke stopped, rolling his eyes like a teenager. Like Lucifer actually got to order him around.

(Subbiest sub)

"Fine. What am I doing?"

[my_own_advocate]

"Going by the various faces you've made, you're brooding on at least one to possibly four things that have been said to or in front of you in the past half hour, most of which you don't think you should be overthinking but you're overthinking regardless," Lucifer said, "and that you absolutely should not be overthinking alone by yourself in the engine room, because unlike Octavia, you don't get better with solitude."

He half-turned again and jauntily pulled the bourbon out of the liquor cabinet. "Please. Drink with me instead."

[betterthanaplan]

(Subbiest subbiest sub sub sub sub sub)

Duke just looked at him in silence for a long moment.

Then finally went and slumped back into his seat at the table again.

[my_own_advocate]

"Thank you," Lucifer said firmly, and walked to the table, where he immediately poured two drinks and held one out for Duke.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke took it, but didn’t drink.

“Is it bad that I think . . . she might be right? About me.”

[my_own_advocate]

"Which she, about what?" Lucifer asked, frowning.

[betterthanaplan]

"The fucking --" Duke ran his hand down his face and shook his head. "When she said that I'm your --" subbiest sub "-- faithful servant or whatever."

He finally looked up at Lucifer. "Fuck, man, you all are always telling me I let Audrey push me around, am I just doing that here, too?"

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer's eyes went on a rather comical journey - confused at Duke, confused at the ceiling, WTFing at the wall, and then-- frowning-- back at Duke. "You realize she was talking about sex, right?" he said. "That woman's brains have literally been cooked into a sad, weird paste by sex juices."

[betterthanaplan]

"I'm not an idiot, Luce. She still knew things about us. About you two. She could have seen something she decided was about sex that was . . . just . . . me. Being --"

Useless. The subbiest sub.

A tool.

[my_own_advocate]

"An incredibly stubborn ass with a big heart and self-esteem issues?" Lucifer suggested.

[betterthanaplan]

"I'm being serious, here."

Yes, Duke. So was he.

[my_own_advocate]

"No, I'm being serious," Lucifer said helpfully. "You're taking a complete random stranger's cartoonish judgment of your character as somehow relevant, barely half an hour after she, in all her wisdom, decided it would be a good idea to shout at us about Octavia's complicated relationship with shame, punishment and power across the water from the docks. Whatever issues making sacrifices for others you have, we've already discussed ad nauseum, so I really don't know why you're freaking out now."

[betterthanaplan]

Because he just did what you told him to do multiple times in the last, like, twenty minutes!

Duke groaned and dropped his head onto the table with a hollow little thunk.

[my_own_advocate]

Because there had been an emergency! Responding quickly in an emergency instead of asking questions was good!

"Trust me, if you were such a pushover, we'd have much fewer arguments," Lucifer told him.

[betterthanaplan]

Okay, but Duke's life was like. 90% emergencies!

"I argue with Audrey all the time, too," he pointed out, more to himself than to Lucifer. "And then still usually do what she wants me to."

[my_own_advocate]

"Yes, because she's manipulative and takes advantage of your good nature," Lucifer said helpfully, "You know, that thing we've given up on arguing with you about because you insist it's all right because she means well?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Or because I'm the -- subbiest sub, and should just spend all day on a -- a leash or whatever."

[my_own_advocate]

"That is really not your kink," Lucifer told him. "Take it from me, I've been sleeping with you for quite a while. Or I suppose I could try to mojo you, if you want to hear it from your own mouth."

[betterthanaplan]

"No," Duke said. Then paused. Then said "no" again, even more firmly.

"I think . . . I want to take a nap."

Since going and tinkering with the engine had been ixnayed.

[my_own_advocate]

"And look at you, saying no," Lucifer sighed, and took a sip of his drink.

[betterthanaplan]

"Thanks," Duke grumbled, pushing to his feet again without looking at Lucifer. "That's not at all patronizing."