Isla San Pedro, Chile, Wednesday Afternoon

[okteiviakom]

Summer's voicemail about the painting had come in yesterday. It was the first message from Fandom since they'd taken off before the holidays. And it felt a little like they were being called back. Like it was time to re-join real life again.

But not yet. Not just yet.

For now, Octavia had a picked a stretch of beach - not a particular one, just a nice one - to wade out into the water from. She was feeling the sun on her skin, some very gentle waves against her legs.

And just breathed.

[ooc: NFB for distance, obvs, but open.]

Comments

[okteiviakom]

"Nothing," Octavia replied softly. "You just -- looked touchable. That's all."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke smiled broadly at her. "By you? Always."

If only that were true. It felt true right now, at least.

[okteiviakom]

Sometimes that was enough, it being true in the moment. Octavia smiled back, much smaller.

And touched him again, just not quite so briefly, this time.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke drifted closer, pressing into her touch.

"Whatcha thinking about?" he asked softly.

[okteiviakom]

"You've been having a good time," Octavia murmured. "Right? This place suits you."

[betterthanaplan]

"I have," Duke said. "This place . . . doesn't ask anything of me."

And he wasn't going to look any closer at that statement than that, right now.

[okteiviakom]

And Octavia wasn't going to push him to, either.

"Really doesn't," she agreed. "It's... just us."

[betterthanaplan]

"You and me, and Luce," Duke agreed. "The sun, the sky, and the land."

He wasn't trying to give them any particular roles or labels, she was more the one who thought in those sorts of terms. He just liked the symmetry of listing three things with only one syllable each.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was making connections anyway because it was what she did, yes.

(She just wasn't going to say so.)

"Yeah," she murmured. "Now with more woods and less people than the Bahamas."

[betterthanaplan]

"I'm enjoying those woods," Duke said. "And the less people."

And not just because it meant he got to run around naked a lot more.

[okteiviakom]

"And less clothes."

Don't think she hadn't noticed that part. (Which she was pointing out to distract herself a little.)

[betterthanaplan]

Duke grinned. "I like to be au naturale," he said. "Don't see either of you complaining."

Especially since he was very careful about how long any of his various parts were exposed to sun without protection.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia would definitely have given him hell for inadequate sun protection, yes. She'd gotten pretty good at it, herself.

"Seeing you go around like --" What was a good word? " -- an otter, all wild and free and in your element? Yeah, we're not complaining."

[betterthanaplan]

“Like an otter,” Duke said. He took her hand, holding it up. “I like that.”

[okteiviakom]

"You're slim and playful and happy in the water," Octavia replied, her eyes drawn to their hands. She gave his a squeeze. "It fits."

[betterthanaplan]

"And I'm going to hold your hand while we float so we don't drift apart," Duke said, squeezing hers in return. ". . . And maybe bring you a pretty rock sometime. Is than an otter thing?"

[okteiviakom]

"I don't know," Octavia replied, with a lopsided smile. "But I would take a pretty rock."

[betterthanaplan]

"Yeah?" Duke gave her a smile, smaller but softer, less lazily manic than the last few had been. "I'll keep an eye out, then."

[okteiviakom]

"Good," Octavia decided, softer still, "because if you find one, I might put in on the Samsara."

And that was the rarest of honors.

[betterthanaplan]

“Oooo. With the butterfly statue and everything?”

[okteiviakom]

"And Hope's drawings, and everything else, yeah."

Including the reproduction poster of a painting, currently waiting for her at Turtle & Canary, which she was having trouble bringing up to either of them.

But that was no big deal.

"Still room on the shelves."

[betterthanaplan]

“That’s because you’re curating carefully. The Samsara’s the most exclusive spot around.”

[okteiviakom]

"I guess that's true," Octavia replied, giving his hand a little tug. And a squeeze. "If something doesn't mean anything... What's the point?"

[betterthanaplan]

“That’s your whole philosophy in a nutshell.” Duke dropped his feet so he could tug her into his chest. “You imbue everything with so much meaning.”

[okteiviakom]

"Not everything," Octavia protested, although she definitely wasn't protesting against getting close to him. "That's how the shelves aren't full."