The Woods on Isla San Pedro, Chile, Late Tuesday Morning

[okteiviakom]

Walks remained an important part of Octavia's daily private island routine. But this morning it was a little... different.

Because Lucifer was with her. And he was not a woods person, so that made the moment a little more special. (Also meant there was unlikely to be any tree hugging. And that Octavia was more likely to keep to the actual paths.)

"You good so far?" she asked, once they'd made it out far enough that the woods had fully enveloped them.

[ooc: NFB due to distance, and for the other guy, this time.]

Comments

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer, for his part, was on his best behavior - which was to say he had not commented at all when a branch had snagged in his shirt, and he'd even, shockingly, left his suit jacket behind at the lodge. "So far, so good," he agreed. "The woods and I have a detente."

[okteiviakom]

"A detente?" Octavia asked, throwing an amused little look his way. (It only slightly concealed how pleased she was.) "Fancy."

[my_own_advocate]

"Well, I remain a fancy Devil, darling," Lucifer said fondly. "Is this your usual morning route?"

[okteiviakom]

"I don't have a usual morning route," Octavia replied easily, reaching out to touch a branch as she passed it. "I just go wherever."

Took advantage of the freedom to roam.

[my_own_advocate]

"Like a deer, wandering around in the woods?" Lucifer teased.

His hands were remaining firmly in the safety perimeter.

[okteiviakom]

"Like a fox," Octavia retorted.

For her own reasons, probably.

[my_own_advocate]

"A fox," Lucifer echoed. "Any particular reason?"

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave a small, light shrug.

"I think they're more curious than the deer."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer's mouth curved. "And what has the curious fox found so far?"

[okteiviakom]

"Bird's nests," Octavia replied with a little smile. "Some are already empty, some still have birds figuring out how to take flight." She thought, for a second. "Trees starting to get ready to sleep over the winter. Some fallen ones from whenever there was last a big storm..."

[my_own_advocate]

"The ebb and flow of the seasons, hm?" Lucifer said. He was trying to make himself really sit with it. It didn't come naturally, but still. "What do you feel when you're out there?"

[okteiviakom]

Octavia took a breath and looked up ahead again, thinking about it.

"Calm," she said, after a brief pause. "Almost like I belong. Like there's... nothing separating me from everything else."

[my_own_advocate]

"Almost like you belong," Lucifer echoed.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia lifted one shoulder with a wry smile. "There's an entire eco system here," she said. "And I'm not really a part of it. I'm just... a guest."

A respectful, appreciative guest, but a guest all the same.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer slid his hands in his pockets. "Is it an 'almost' everywhere?" he asked.

[okteiviakom]

"I guess?" Octavia replied, shrugging again, more obvious about it. "I don't mind it when it's nature."

[my_own_advocate]

"Suppose we're all guests here, in a way," Lucifer mused.

[okteiviakom]

"But if we don't fuck this up," Octavia said, with a vague hint of teasing, "at least we'll be welcome ones."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer let out a soft huff. "I wasn't planning to touch any of the woods on this island, darling."

[okteiviakom]

"I wasn't accusing you of planning to," Octavia replied, wry again, "but that's good to know."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer was silent for a few more steps.

"Do you feel like you belong with us?" he asked, at last.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's next stop faltered, as she looked over in... mild confusion.

"What?"

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer shrugged idly. "You said you don't necessarily feel like you belong anywhere," he said.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia came to a stop. "I didn't mean not with you," she said. Clearing that up seemed important enough for not moving during it. "That's different. That's not even a place."

[my_own_advocate]

"I wasn't being insecure," Lucifer clarified, looking at her. "I'm merely... curious. About how the world looks like through your eyes."