Lucifer's Mansion, Tuesday Evening

[okteiviakom]

Lucifer had been back for a little over a week. And a lot, or even most of that time had gone towards Octavia and Duke making sure he dealt with his exhaustion, and rested enough. Typically with his partners at his side - or piling on top of him.

Tonight, however, was a little break from that norm. Because Octavia and Duke had also not spent much real time together by themselves since Lucifer's return, and considering how some of it had gone in the last stretch of the time he'd been away...

Maybe they needed some time like that.

Like a date night.

Like this night, at the house. Octavia had ordered dinner in, but had then also insisted on attempting to make it prettier for serving, like a very lowkey special occasion. Which meant that she was now bringing a big fancy platter out of the kitchen into the living room, with a whole bunch of nachos and various salsas and other toppings on it.

"Well, it looks nicer than it did in the delivery containers."

She guessed. She was not the leading expert on aesthetics in the family, but she'd tried, at least.

[ooc: For the guy, and lots and lots of SP!]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

“It looks delicious,” Duke said, sitting up on the couch and watching her bring the tray over. “Well done, gona.”

[okteiviakom]

"You would've said that even if it looked shit," Octavia couldn't help telling him, with a fraint wry drawl. Still didn't stop her lips from curving up on one side as she carefully set the platter down onto the coffee table in front of the couch. "Ba, mochof, jaka."

[betterthanaplan]

"What?" Duke gave her a look of faux offense. "I am honest to a fault."

He grinned.

"I would have honestly thought it looked delicious even if it looked like shit."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia snorted. "Tripi hef." And snatched up a nacho with a scoop of guacamole before she sat down next to him.

"Dinner's served, snogon."

[betterthanaplan]

"Mochof," Duke answered. He leaned forward to steal a (guacamole flavored) kiss. "Mmm, delicious."

He'd go for a chip in a moment.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave a soft huff right into it. (Not a complaint.) "Lucifer's rubbing off on you."

No, he'd been like this from the start.

[betterthanaplan]

"Lucifer and I rub off on each other," Duke said. "And you keep us at least little under control."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia had no good reason for why she licked his lip before she finally pulled back properly. Except perhaps to help her swallow whatever crack about 'control' she didn't feel comfortable making.

"Sounds like I'm outnumbered, more than anything."

[betterthanaplan]

"You definitely have your work cut out for you." He frowned, looking up briefly while he thought over that idiom. "Or is it an uphill battle? We have weird sayings in my time period."

He shook his head.

"Anyway. We don't make it easy. And I appreciate how well you put up with us."

[okteiviakom]

"With the jokes?" Octavia replied, with a wry look. "It's not that hard."

[betterthanaplan]

"Glad to hear it." Duke snatched another kiss, then reached for the chips. "So. What should we get up to tonight, do you think?"

[okteiviakom]

"Besides eating?" Octavia replied, as she also reached for some nachos. "I don't know. I didn't really plan ahead past the fancy plate."

She made a tiny gesture to indicate the platter the chips were on.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke got a heap of salsa on his chip and managed somehow not to spill before getting it in his mouth.

“The fancy plate is excellent,” he said. “Eating and talking sound good. And maybe some hot tub time after?”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia looked faintly amused at his nacho overloading, but asked, "Upstairs or downstairs?"

Since ridiculously enough, there was a hot tub by the pool and another up on the bedroom balcony.

[betterthanaplan]

"Hmmm. Well, do we want the view, or the ability to take a cold plunge?"

[okteiviakom]

"Would we want a cold plunge?"

[betterthanaplan]

"It's invigorating!" Duke said. "But not for everyone."

[okteiviakom]

"I haven't tried," Octavia admitted, although it was unlikely to be any surprise to him.

Also she was eyeing him now like she was considering something. Like a thought was... perkolating.

"Would you recommend it?"

[betterthanaplan]

"I'd definitely say it's worth trying once," Duke said. "I like it -- most of the time. But only when there's a sauna or hot tub to then hob back into afterwards and warm back up."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave it another beat's worth of thought. Then she said, "I think I'd like to try it."

And then, casually (as much as that word ever applied to her), while she was grabbing a couple of chips, "Think I feel like really feeling something."

[betterthanaplan]

"You will definitely really feel a cold plunge," Duke said. He tilted his head, watching her as he loaded up another chip. "I get the feeling you're maybe not just talking about that, though?"

[okteiviakom]

"I sort of am?" Octavia offered, getting more salsa on a chip. Watching her hands. "Just... something really physical, right?"

She was still kind of searching for the right words. Tip-toeing around a related topic.

"I don't know. Sometimes I feel something like that kind of... resets something."

[betterthanaplan]

“I think I get that. It can be cathartic. Give you something big to focus on that isn’t all the little things that build up in your head, maybe?”

He was adding more “I think”s and “maybe”s to his vocabulary, especially where Octavia trying to express herself was involved. He didn’t want them to end up talking at odds again, and hoped this gave her more room to correct him without either of them feeling like she was contradicting him.

[okteiviakom]

And it was appreciated.

Octavia put the chip in her mouth. The crunch was satisfying, and it gave her a second to mull over her own words some more.

"Cathartic is a good word for it," she decided, once she'd swallowed. "Sometimes I just want to... be in my body. Let go of everything else."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded, eating another chip of his own.

“Makes sense. I hope the cold plunge gives you some of that. And if not . . . at least you’ll know. And hopefully never have to do it again.”