Deck of the Cape Rouge, Saturday Morning

[okteiviakom]

Octavia had been dreaming of many things, this week. Mostly Haven, mostly horror, but many other messy things, too. Sheep and tilling fields and glowing butterflies and a week on a farm (sheepskin blankets and bonedeep exhaustion and a warm voice in her ear talking about what use was fighting at the end of the world?) had featured in jumbled everything of it all, but that was not out of the ordinary enough for Octavia to have really paid it much mind.

(And, well, she always felt drawn to the woods. And particularly when traumatic shit had been going down.)

So this was just any old Saturday morning.

She had a coffee cup in hand when she emerged onto the deck, with faint plans of at least finding some nice stretches to do in a bit that wouldn't irritate her wounds too much. But of course, all that was forgotten when she looked up and saw a young man standing at the edge of the deck, just barely over the gangplank.

The cup fell from her grasp as she stared at him.

[ooc: Opennn.]

Comments

[mystupidsheep]

Ilian could have shown up earlier, but, well. There had been things to see in the woods, air to breathe, eventually a sunrise to watch. And not disturbing whatever sleep he hoped Octavia was getting, in the process.

But it was morning, and he was here.

"Ha yun," he said, "Okteivia kom Skaikru."

[okteiviakom]

There had been a chance it wasn't him, somehow, even with how he was dressed, even with how Octavia could see the line of dots tattooed down his forehead from all the way where she was frozen in place.

But then he said that.

And some kind of wounded wail of a noise escaped her, at least halfway, before she managed to clamp a hand over her mouth.

Ilian.

[mystupidsheep]

... He'd kind of thought she'd be happy to see him.

Ilian crossed the distance -- well, half of it, coming to a stop still several feet away, because he was unsure how she would react if he got any closer. (This was Octavia, after all. It wasn't like it'd be the first time she stabbed him.)

"Octavia?"

[okteiviakom]

Sorry, no, Octavia was still struggling to breathe.

Still staring at him, gone all pale in the face.

And then Duke was there.

[my_own_advocate]

It was a bit later that Lucifer stuck his head out through the hatch-- "Octavia, would you like some more coffee?" --and yelled before looking.

[okteiviakom]

Well, at least Octavia was no longer crying hystericaly (though it would be pretty obvious from her face that she had been). And she and Ilian had also made it over to sit on one of the benches on the deck.

"Chon em bilaik?" he asked her.

"Lucifer," Octavia breathed, as she turned to call out, "Lucifer, I'm -- I'm not alone."

She didn't have better words for it.

(Her cup lay by the hatch, broken.)

[my_own_advocate]

Not alone--?

Lucifer blinked as he finished his trek up the hatch, staring at the man sitting at her side for a good five seconds.

"...Would he like coffee?"

[mystupidsheep]

Octavia looked to Ilian because... she didn't really know what else to do. (Something about all of this making her feel deeply helpless.

"He would," Ilian said, with a tiny tick of a smile. Mostly just glad this one wasn't trying to shove him around.

[my_own_advocate]

"I'll be back with more cups," Lucifer told him.

And disappeared into the galley to get some.

[mystupidsheep]

"He's like that," Octavia murmured, after he'd gone again.

"Focused on coffee?" Ilian asked, mostly to tease just a little.

It had enough of the intended effect, making Octavia give a helpless little huff, the faintest uptick of one side of her lips. "Fussy."

[my_own_advocate]

"So, mind introducing your guest?" Lucifer asked, once he got back on deck holding - somehow - three cups in one hand and a thermos in the other.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave a tiny nod. "This is Ilian kom Trishanakru."

In case the tattoos and the few braids in his hair and the general way he was dressed hadn't yet tipped off where he was from, that surely would, even if Lucifer remembered none of the stories Octavia had told about him.

Ilian raised his hand in a little 'yup, that's me' sort of gesture.

[my_own_advocate]

"Right, well, do you take sugar or milk?" Lucifer asked, thrusting a cup out towards him.

He vaguely remembered.

[mystupidsheep]

"Both?" Ilian said, faintly amused, as he reached for the cup.

He had neither a concept of what the combination was going to taste like, nor any reason not to overindulge in things.

(Octavia was watching him again, helplessly.)

[my_own_advocate]

"Right, I'll be back in a moment," Lucifer said as he poured Ilian's cup. "Octavia, take your cup, please?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke had been up early, for once, finding it hard to sleep and with his meds, finding he actually had energy to burn. So he'd been out and about already, gone for a swim (the cut on his arm was healed enough that it didn't burn in saltwater), and even caught a few fish, which he had in tucked into a cooler to use for dinner later.

He paused on the end of the dock when he saw someone standing by the gangplank, then approached slowly, guard firmly in place.

"Good morning," he said, neutral -- until he saw Octavia, clearly in distress. Then he dropped the cooler and went to shove himself between them. "Get away from her!"

[mystupidsheep]

Octavia had been just about to say something, but all she managed was a shaky gasp, and then Duke was already moving.

And then so was Ilian, backing up immediately, both hands held up to show he was not trying to be a threat. "I don't mean her any harm."

[betterthanaplan]

He clearly wasn’t a threat anymore, so Duke ignored him, turning to Octavia. “Are you okay? What did he do?”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was still close to hyperventilating. Faintly shaking, also still staring past Duke at Ilian.

"He's -- that's --"

Well, she'd tried.

[betterthanaplan]

“Hey, hey,” Duke said, tugging her in close. “It’s alright. Breathe.” He flicked a glare back at Ilian. The guy wasn’t a physical threat, he was sure — this was Octavia, few people were — but he’d clearly freaked her out. “Just breathe, gona.”

[mystupidsheep]

Ilian couldn't really fault him for the glare. He wasn't even supposed to be here, really, and it wasn't like he enjoyed the reaction he was causing.

"Ai laik Ilion kom Trishanakru," he said, "en ai don ste em lukot." He raised his eyebrows at Octavia a little bit. 'Friend' was good, right? Close enough?

She gave a shaky nod against Duke's arm.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke couldn’t really claim surprise that this guy spoke Trig — he had a look to him that was clearly reminiscent of Octavia’s when she leaned into her Ground side. But he’d never heard anyone but Octavia speak it before, so surprise was still very much on his face.

“Duke,” he said. “Her snogon.” He rubbed Octavia’s back absently. “How’d you get here?”

[mystupidsheep]

"I don't really know," Ilian admitted. "I was... called. So I came."

[betterthanaplan]

“Called by who?”

[mystupidsheep]

"I don't know," Ilian said with a shrug.

"The island," Octavia said, though her voice cracked a little.