The Cape Rouge, Late Friday Morning

[okteiviakom]

So Octavia couldn't touch living plants without sapping all life out of them. So she couldn't go out into the preserve for fear of some young branch grazing her cheek and killing the entire tree. So Octavia was troubled, poisoned by Haven.

Big deal.

Duke was breathing easier than he had for months. Octavia wasn't sure she trusted it, that she could expect it to last, but the difference was too obvious to ignore. And that? That felt more valuable than whatever quiet suffering she was going through. No good ever seemed to come without a sacrifice, anyway. And, well, Blodreina was used to sacrifice.

Especially when it was her.

So she gardened with thick gloves on, and she didn't go to the preserve, and she ignored how it felt like the first several weeks (months) down in the bunker, when all, absolutely everything she'd wanted had been to go out and breathe and feel a breeze on her face, or the warmth of the sun, or something that couldn't be confined in a concrete structure underground.

She'd learned to contain that feeling then. She'd learn to contain it again.

So Octavia and her thick gloves carefully and clumsily harvested some peppers from the little garden on the deck, and brought them inside into the galley for one of the guys to use in their cooking later. She took no chances: she only took the gloves off once the peppers were safely on the counter.

She checked her phone for the time, and caught the date instead. It was October 11th.

She was 33.

Another year gone.

[ooc: Oooopen, of course.]

Comments

[okteiviakom]

"I'd like that," Octavia said, as she went ahead and leaned her shoulder against him. "Best when they're fresh, anyway."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer smiled. "We can keep it light. Perhaps a touch of citrus, and some cheese or fish for the protein..."

He pressed a kiss into her hair.

[okteiviakom]

"Sounds good."

And she turned properly against him, to lean against his chest. It felt necessary.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer wrapped his arms around her. It was pure instinct and habit.

"How are you feeling, darling?"

[okteiviakom]

This wasn't going to answer the question.

"It's my birthday," Octavia muttered.

[my_own_advocate]

"Oh," Lucifer said, frowning. "I'm sorry. I lost sigh-- we should do something."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia just slid her own arms around his waist, finally.

"It's just another day."

[my_own_advocate]

"It's your birthday," Lucifer argued softly. "We should at least do something nice."

[okteiviakom]

"I forget Duke's birthday almost every year."

There always seemed to be something louder going on.

[my_own_advocate]

"I hardly see what that has anything to do with anything," Lucifer said, frowning. "You still deserve a good birthday. Especially after last week."

[okteiviakom]

"What it has to do with it is that it's not that big of a deal if you didn't remember," Octavia replied, on a half-suppressed sigh. (Which barely counted as suppressed at all, then.) "Last week doesn't play into it."

[my_own_advocate]

"Happy birthday, either way," Lucifer said, still frowning. "Perhaps we could... go see the sea otters again?"

[okteiviakom]

Octavia rested her head against his shoulder. "We don't have to do anything," she reiterated. It had nothing to do with the flash of what damage she could do to that island if they went there. "I'm not even sure if I even want to remind Duke."

[my_own_advocate]

"I could... prepare a special lunch?" Lucifer suggested. "Or perhaps we can do a little beach picnic."

He was eventually going to stop suggesting things, honest.

[okteiviakom]

"Did you hear what I said?" Octavia wondered.

It wasn't combative.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sighed.

"Sorry," he said, his hand coming up to rub at her back. "Considering everything, I just..."

Wanted to do something special for her. Especially considering how strange things were between him and Duke (even if Duke didn't seem to want to acknowledge it).

[okteiviakom]

"You're trying to throw something at a problem."

How many years, out of the thirty-three?

"Just less directly, this time."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer frowned. "... What do you mean?"

[okteiviakom]

"Things are off," Octavia replied, shruggy in tone but not physically. "You're trying to balance it by compensating in a different direction."

[my_own_advocate]

The frown deepened. "And this is... a bad thing...?"

Genuine question.

[okteiviakom]

"Not everything is good or bad," Octavia told him, dragging her head off his shoulder so that she could see him. "Although I don't know if I'm feeling up for being the target right now."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sighed. "All right, all right," he muttered. "I'll stop, then."

It pried a little at a deep feeling of uselessness. But it was Octavia. He could remind himself that she meant no more nor less than she said and believe it.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia watched him, just for a moment.

And said, "You don't have to do circus tricks for me."

[my_own_advocate]

"I know, darling," Lucifer said, quieter. "But sometimes it makes me feel better to do them."

[okteiviakom]

"I know," Octavia replied in turn. "I'm not trying to stop you from feeling better, either."