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]

"Or shall we just sit here?" Lucifer asked.

[okteiviakom]

Where Octavia was at was that she was retreating - sinking, really - into herself. It was taking a lot of willpower not to draw her hands away from both of them.

She swallowed.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke could sense a little of that -- as much as he could ever sense anything going on with her -- and fell silent, rubbing gently at her hand.

Waiting for her to find her way back.

[my_own_advocate]

This time, it was Lucifer who took his cue from Duke. He fell silent, too.

Stayed where he was.

[okteiviakom]

It started feeling like an oppressive silence really fast.

With a start, Octavia yanked both her hands back, then tried to stand up.

[betterthanaplan]

. . . Oh good, Duke fucked that up again.

"Tavi?" he asked, voice soft. They had her blocked in, and he wasn't moving yet. He would if she told him she needed space, but he was really hoping they'd manage to keep her here this time.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer looked up at her, a question in his eyes.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia wasn't looking at either of them. She was staring down at the table in front of them again, at the empty glasses Duke had never gotten a chance to fill with anything.

But at least she wasn't fleeing?

"I don't feel safe." That was the thing, wasn't it? The open wound. Her voice sounded forced. "To be anywhere."

[betterthanaplan]

"Okay," Duke said, careful to keep his voice even. Judgement free. "What can we do to help?"

[my_own_advocate]

"I can go back and find that girl and throw her in the ocean for real this time," Lucifer offered. Helpfully.

[okteiviakom]

"I don't think there's anything you can do."

What were they supposed to be able to do about a damage that was already done?

[betterthanaplan]

Make her feel safe! Somehow.

Duke swallowed and just. Sat there. Feeling useless.

(Why would he know what to do? He was the subbiest sub, after all.)

[my_own_advocate]

"Right, well," Lucifer said, and sucked in a deep breath. "The door is locked, there's little in the way of a solution to make this immediately safe otherwise, so... drinks?"

[okteiviakom]

"You can drink if you want."

What a surprise that Octavia didn't sound like she had an interest in participating.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke gave her a helpless look, then looked around her at Lucifer.

Sitting here had been meant to help!

[my_own_advocate]

Yes, well, apparently nothing was going to help at this point. "Right, that's a bourbon for Duke, whiskey for me, and a fruit juice you're not going to touch for you," Lucifer muttered, walking over to the liquor cabinet to gather the correct bottles.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia slipped away from the booth almost immediately.

She didn't even know where she was going, just felt like -- she should move. Do something.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke folded his arms on the table and watched her go, one arm wrapped up around the back of his neck.

He hated not being able to help her.

(Subbiest sub)

[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.