A Nice and Secluded Bit of the Preserve, Saturday

[okteiviakom]

The preserve was a fair bit more popular these days than it had been when Octavia had first began roaming around in it years and years ago, but she and Duke had still managed to find a nice spot for their little camping trip that people were unlikely to randomly stumble upon. There was a clearing, along a sort of a little cove.

Between the water and the trees, it was perfect.

Octavia had taken on the task of getting the tent set up, while she'd entrusted the hammock to Duke. (Would they even need both? Remained to be seen, but it was nice to have them.) And right now? She straightened up from hammering the last tent peg into the ground.

"Just needs the twinkly lights, I think."

[ooc: For that guyyy.]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

Duke ducked his head with a shy little grin.

Then said "Yes. Yes, I am."

Because therapy!

[okteiviakom]

Was it working that fast?

Octavia gave a soft huff, and planted another little peck against his cheek for good measure before pulling away again. "These are going to be great," she said (again, pretty much, yeah) as she stepped up to the tent with a tilted head, deciding how she wanted to go about this.

[betterthanaplan]

Of course not! But he could learn to fake it that fast.

He watched her work for a long moment, just . . . taking in the lines of her, the power in her frame and the easy way she carried herself out here.

“Meizen.”

He wished he knew how to help her be that easy all the time.

[okteiviakom]

Funnily enough, Octavia had been having a lot of thoughts in a similar vein about him, lately. About how to help him.

"It is," she agreed, once she stepped back again, to check if she liked what she'd done. The lights outlined the front of the tent, now, which she hoped would both help both illmuminate the entrance and look fun.

[betterthanaplan]

“Meant you,” Duke said, grinning. “But they’re nice, too.”

He . . . mostly needed to get better at working on himself, right now.

[okteiviakom]

And most of Octavia's ease these days came from therapy and medication, so, yes.

She shot him an amused glance. "I'm not surprised." He and Lucifer both said that often enough. "How's the hammock?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke looked at the job he’d stopped halfway through doing.

“Coming along. Just need to hook up the other end.”

He’d been distracted watching her do her thing, okay?

[okteiviakom]

That was fine, because now Octavia had an opportunity to watch him.

"Well, don't let me keep you from it."

[betterthanaplan]

“Nah,” Duke said. “I’m just . . . taking my time.”

And he did, making sure that the straps wouldn’t damage the trees, but were firm enough to hold the two of them even if they decided to get a bit . . . active in the hammock later.

[okteiviakom]

Considering their past with camping... that was smart. But Octavia also appreciated the care towards the trees.

She just watched quietly, for a moment. Taking in one of her favorite sights: him, here.

[betterthanaplan]

The tree consideration was largely thanks to her. Not that he wouldn’t think about it. But he likely wouldn’t try as hard, before he got to know her.

The hammock itself was easily wide enough for both of them, and came with a built in mosquito net they could zip over themselves as night fell to keep the bugs off, without blocking out the night sky. Duke finished stringing it up and stepped back.

“What do you think?”

[okteiviakom]

"I think it looks great," Octavia said, taking a few steps towards it for a closer look. "Is that a net to keep bugs out? Convenient."

[betterthanaplan]

“Yep,” Duke confirmed. “It’s specifically a hammock for camping. Has a tarp that can be strung over it too if it rains, but I figure that’s what our tent is for.”

[okteiviakom]

"Briyon jaka." What, it was very smart to her! And totally worth sidling up to him, and giving his arm a little bump. "I think we've thought of everything."

[betterthanaplan]

"Probably not everything," Duke said with a snort. "But whatever we haven't thought of, I'm sure we can handle in the moment."

[okteiviakom]

"Everything that was reasonable to think of," Octavia retorted, with a tiny eyeroll, "you knew what I meant."

[betterthanaplan]

"Uh huh. Might have forgotten one or two of those, too," Duke said with a shrug. "And yet. We'd still handle any of it."

Forgetting was just something people did. He was working on letting himself accept that. 'Cause, you know. Therapy.

(Not that he'd discussed it with Dr. Solares or anything, they'd only had one session so far. He was just . . . getting a head start? Overthinking it all? One of those.)

[okteiviakom]

'Overthinking' was Octavia's guess.

She slid both arms around his waist, and drew him in. "Uh huh," she said. "And did we come out here to have a nice time, or wonder about how prepared we are to be out here?"

[betterthanaplan]

". . . We can't do both?" Duke asked. He gave her a rueful chuckle. "Am I being too much?"

[okteiviakom]

"You're being you."

There was no judgment in that. Octavia had also been Octavia in some spectacular ways, lately.

Her lips curved into something a little more wry. "How was therapy, snogon? If I can ask."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke sighed. "I don't know. It was -- fine. The doc was fine. Didn't run screaming or anything. So that's a start."

[okteiviakom]

"It's a good start," Octavia told him. "Lucifer took me too see like five different shrinks, and I'm pretty sure I was ready to punch people by the time we finally got to Dr. Baker."

[betterthanaplan]

"That sounds -- absolutely exhausting," Duke said. "I don't think I would have made it that far."

[okteiviakom]

"It wasn't fun," Octavia rasped, making it sound like an understatement. "But it was worth it."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded, pulling away from her just far enough that he could make sure she saw his small smile.

"I'm really proud of you, you know."