The Marina, Cat Island, Friday Afternoon

[okteiviakom]

As most days this week (and the one before that, and the one before that...) Octavia had spent most of the early parts of her day working around the marina. There was always maintenance work to be done, things to fix, areas to tidy. She knew how to do most of the usual things by now, too, and had less of a need for the local workers to show her the ropes, whether literal or figurative. She could just be helpful. Just that, and not a burden or a hindrance.

It settled something in her. At least a little.

But by now, her tasks for the day were done. She'd cleaned all of the maintenance grime off of herself, and was now sitting near where the Fin & Tonic was docked. Watching the water, listening to whatever noise was coming from elsewhere in the marina.

Thinking about home.

[ooc: NFB, open for all the usual with likely SP.]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

And that was definitely a reason she’d accept from them.

Duke nodded. “Makes sense to me.”

[okteiviakom]

Hypocrisy never went out of style.

"Anyway," Octavia said, on a little sigh, looking out over the water, then back at him. "You wanna go somewhere else right now?"

Wait, context.

"I don't mean on a boat."

[betterthanaplan]

“With you?” Duke doubled checked. “Absolutely. Where should we go?”

[okteiviakom]

"I don't know, what's a nice secluded place?"

Way to return the question, Tavi.

[betterthanaplan]

“There’s the place we went swimming when I got here?”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia paused to think about it. (Which involved ignoring some of the awkward in her memories around it. She was doing that a lot, lately.)

Then she nodded. "If we didn't get caught skinny-dipping, it should be pretty good."

[betterthanaplan]

“Great.” Duke offered her his hand. “Let’s go.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia took it, and gave it a squeeze.

Then moved to get up.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke squeezed back and stood, and with the market bag of grapes and cheese in his free hand, led the way toward the little cove where they’d swum.

[okteiviakom]

And Octavia followed along, quietly for the most part, content to gently swing their joined hands as they walked.

They were nearly there when she spoke again. "You know, I really didn't mean to make you feel like you weren't... using the right words, earlier," she said, her voice mild but more in a thoughtful way than anything else. "I was just thinking out loud about... choices."

She paused, just for a little bit.

"There's things about being here that make me do that."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke smiled. “Good to know. I was trying not to think you were; you just kind of lost me for a minute.” A tiny pause from him as well. “Do you want to tell me more about it?”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave one of her tiny nods.

She looked ahead.

"I was stuck in a box for sixteen years," she said. Old news, she knew, but relevant. "And then I got thrown in prison. And then I got dropped on a planet where no one actually knew whether it or us would survive."

Her tone was growing a little more dry.

"And then when I started finding my place there, I got yanked to Fandom. And when I started making a life for myself there..." He saw the pattern, right? She gave a little sigh, and looked over at him again. "I don't know if you remember, but when we were here last, early last year, I... had a really tough time with it. Enjoying any of this. Because of something Lucifer had told me, the time before that."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke hung onto her hand, letting her talk. Watching her face and listening intently.

“I think so? I was in a less great place, myself. But I think I remember you were a little . . . extra reserved.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia nodded again.

"He hadn't meant it like that, but he'd made me feel like all of these other islands were... like we were just sampling them for a place to move to," she said, just a little quieter. "As if one day you two were just going to decide to not go back to Fandom again."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke grimaced sympathetically.

“Must have felt like you were going to lose your home all over again.”

[okteiviakom]

"Felt like the choice was going to be taken away from me again," Octavia agreed. "By something bigger and stronger than me."

[betterthanaplan]

“I’m sorry,” Duke said. “Lucifer and I, we always try to take what you need into consideration. We’re not always great at it, but — we don’t want to take away your choices.”

[okteiviakom]

"I know," Octavia promised. "Lucifer and I talked about it, and it helped. I don't feel so... powerless." Not surprising she would have a problem with feeling that way, probably. "But even though it's not forever, I'm still choosing to call Fandom home, so..."

She shrugged one shoulder.

[betterthanaplan]

"So," Duke said, by way of agreement. "I had a pool put into the mansion, to make it feel more like a good home for me, too."

[okteiviakom]

"I think that's... kind of why Lucifer invited you to, too," Octavia murmured, glancing back the way they came, on instinct. "I think he wants it to feel more ours."

[betterthanaplan]

"Oh, he definitely does. That was one of the things he asked me for directly." Duke let out a soft, self-effacing chuckle. "It hadn't even occurred to me to treat the mansion like it was also mine until he got really explicit about inviting me to."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave his hand a squeeze.

"For what it's worth," she murmured, "some ways it also feels more mine, too, now that you have a good claim on it."

[betterthanaplan]

"Good," Duke said firmly. "I just wish I'd known it would be good for you two sooner." He sighed. "But, you know. We're all works in progress."

[okteiviakom]

"It's the best we can ask for," Octavia agreed, looking ahead again. Now they really were at the cove. "We just take it at whatever pace it comes. And get... pleasantly surprised when things work out."

[betterthanaplan]

"And try not to be too disappointed when they don't," Duke agreed. He slowed, now they were where they were going. "Should we find a spot to sit?"