first one who touches the ground loses

Octavia was asleep. Octavia had been asleep a lot, this week, largely unaware of the chaos around town since her own (visceral) taste of it - or how that had progressed. She continued to be unaware even now, a little while after people had gathered in town to solve it.

Only, now --

Octavia was no longer asleep.

She woke up with a start, eyes flying wide open.

[ooc: For the two, and SP.]

The boat people had returned to the island after midnight, betting on the pollen fading as Friday turned into Saturday. And apparently they'd been right to do so.

But Octavia was waking up to the feeling of something being... off, all the same. It was a weird sensation, niggling at her brain, as if she was laying in bed wrong, somehow. She opened her eyes, groggily.

And then she blinked a couple of times, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

[ooc: For thems that are here. ETA: And somewhat NSFW.]

Summer's voicemail about the painting had come in yesterday. It was the first message from Fandom since they'd taken off before the holidays. And it felt a little like they were being called back. Like it was time to re-join real life again.

But not yet. Not just yet.

For now, Octavia had a picked a stretch of beach - not a particular one, just a nice one - to wade out into the water from. She was feeling the sun on her skin, some very gentle waves against her legs.

And just breathed.

[ooc: NFB for distance, obvs, but open.]

Later, Octavia expected she would do her usual things, visiting Turtle & Canary, then going to work to see what fresh hell Tiny had concocted this week. Maybe she'd even drop by Dite's, in between.

But right now, there was this: slow, leisurely yoga out on the deck of the Rouge. Just a simple flow to get started with the day.

[ooc: For Duke!

Spoiler alert: she will not be doing her usual things.]

So Octavia and Duke had actually made some date plans for today. And those had pretty solidly been at the back of Octavia's mind today so far. Not during therapy, of course, but... definitely during her swim at another random, remote public pool.

And during the trek back into town.

And now, as she finally boarded the Rouge again.

[ooc: For the guy!]

Octavia was starting to feel like she was on a slightly more even keel, post-Haven. Things with Duke were still... maybe a little off, but, they were working on that, bit by bit. And while she hadn't really managed to unpack everything with her therapist yet, she'd at least opened up about some of it.

Things were moving forward.

And this afternoon, Octavia herself was moving. Specifically, on her yoga mat rolled out on the deck of the Rouge. It wasn't super warm out, but that was fine.

It felt like she could breathe.

[ooc: Open! ETA: NFB on all the sex talk, pls and thank you!]

Octavia really felt like doing yoga.

But, Octavia also still had her right arm all bandaged up and in a sling, so... The best she could really do was to stand out on the deck, looking over the water. Just trying to find a center, a balance, something.

It wasn't easy, with the little sleep she'd managed to get over the past two nights.

But at least it was quiet out here. Right this moment, anyway.

[ooc: Open to both boat dwellers and passers-by alike!]

Octavia had her date nights with Lucifer, and Lucifer had a similar (thought still vastly different) routine going with Duke, but all three of them together hadn't really taken the time to do anything special for an evening in a while. So that was what tonight was for.

Duke had handled sailing the Rouge to a more secluded spot near the preserve. Lucifer was handling the food.

Octavia had... hung up some extra twinkly lights on the deck. That was important too, right? And she'd picked some stuff for the playlist too. Was still picking stuff on her phone, actually.

[ooc: For those two I just gently modded!]

Octavia knew there was a Parents Weekend thing happening in town right now. She was still undecided on whether she wanted to put in an appearance, because on one hand, last year's had led to some bad times for her. On the other... There was some small part of her that hoped, no matter how foolishly, that maybe Gloria would somehow show up.

(There was just so much she wanted to tell her. And so much fear that she would never get to.)

So far, for her trek through town after her usual Friday routine of therapy and swimming out in New York, she had steered clear of the park. She had a big bag from a shoe store to get home, anyway. See, there'd been some talk of those early days on the Ground in her session today, and then she'd taken a slightly different route from her usual in getting to the portal place, and she'd seen the boots in a store window, and, well. She'd never been able to resist a good symbol. Especially one as personal as this, appearing at just the right time for it to feel a little like something else than just pure coincidence.

(Even with how mired in complications that thought was for her, these days. For reasons she had still not discussed with Dr. Baker at all.)

And even as she stepped aboard the Rouge, she was still wondering whether she should've just taken her purchase on the Samsara instead, and buried them in her closet. The urge to share and the urge to keep it to herself felt equal.

Maybe she'd shove them in a closet here, instead.

[ooc: Open, though slow.]