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betterthanaplanOctavia wasn’t in Fandom. She hadn’t fallen off a cliff or been abducted by a rabid teal deer or had any of the other things Duke had imagined happen to her that would keep her from answering her phone while on the island. And if she wasn’t there, then she was. . . .
He couldn’t deal with the end of that sentence, so he went with what Liam had suggested, and headed for the mainland. The aquarium first, which was full of tourists and school groups, and then the zoo, which was more of the same. None of the staff had seen her at either of those places. He walked around Druid Hill Park for ages, trying not to think about the last time they’d been here or who else he was risking running into, and asked everyone he came across who would talk to him if they recognized Octavia’s picture, if they’d seen her anywhere. He didn’t have a photo of Bellamy, but he included him in the description. Octavia would be pissed if he found her but let her brother stay missing.
He had no luck, and he’d developed a tail; a couple uniformed park police were giving him the stink eye. He was going to have to move on. Admit Octavia wasn’t here. That the only place she could be was back on the Groun—
“Yeah, I’ve seen her.”
Duke blinked. The guy he was talking to was scruffy looking in that hipstery way, disheveled but well-groomed, his clothes worn but clean and neatly mended. “Wait,” Duke said. “You have?”
“Yeah. Young girl, right? Around 20? Tough?”
Duke nodded. “Where is she?”
The guy smiled, cold-readings him like a pro. “Church down in Jonestown. My buddy runs a couple outreach programs there.” Duke frowned and the man raised his hands. “I know, I know. But it’s not part of the church. They just let him use their community rooms, you know?”
“Was she okay?” Duke asked. “Was she hurt? Why was she —?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t talk to her. Here, come on, let’s head over. Jim’s got a meeting there now, you can ask him.”
“Yeah. Yes. Thank you,” Duke let out a slightly shaky laugh. “Holy shit man, thank you.”
“No problem. It’s a hard world, we gotta watch out for each other, right? I’m Mike, by the way.”
“Duke. And — yeah. I, uh. I guess we do.”
*
Duke expected an AA meeting, or maybe grief counseling or something, but it turned out Mike’s friend Jim was leading his little group in meditation of all things. The room was warm and cozily lit, for all that it was still clearly an all-purpose room in a church basement. They’d set up rugs and cushions that wouldn’t have looked too out of place in Duke’s own collection, and incense burning and a soft, chiming bell added to the calming mood.
Duke couldn’t see Octavia just showing up somewhere like this. Not without him talking her into it. Unless . . . she'd been looking for him for some reason?
Something wasn't right. “Hey,” he said softly, backing up. “You know, I don’t think this is — I don’t want to interrupt.”
“Easy, man,” Mike said, patting Duke on the back. “They’re almost done. I can tell Jim to find you outside if you want?”
Duke shook his head, feeling a little ridiculous. He was too on edge. Danny was right, he wasn’t any good to anyone on the amount of sleep he’d been getting. “Nah." He forced a little humor into his tone. "I can wait." The incense and chimes were worming their way into his head. "Kinda . . . curious about his technique, actually.”
“Yeah?” Mike said. “I could never get into this incense and crystals stuff." He patted Duke again, this time giving him a gentle push towards one of the cushions. "But hey, to each their own.”
“Right. Yeah.” Duke slouched, his muscles slowly unknotting as the tension of the last several days leaked out of him. He had a lead. Octavia had been here, on the mainland, which meant she wasn’t back in the nuclear wasteland she called the Ground. He’d find her, and they could go home, and they would curl up in bed and not come out again for a whole week, except to let the others know she was okay. “You think it’s be cool if I joined the meditation while I wait?”
Mike shrugged. “The more the merrier.”
He smiled when Duke swayed faintly before sitting on the cushion. He’d seen the guy before around town before, running around with some rich douchebag who drove a fancy-ass car. This one looked like a scrubby sailor, but he definitely had money. And with that story about the missing chick, he was practically begging to be taken advantage of.
*
Duke was feeling so much better by the time he went home. Jim didn’t know where Octavia was, or how she’d ended up in Baltimore in a church basement, but he said she’d looked okay, if a little lost and confused. And he was sure she’d be back tomorrow afternoon for tai chi. Oh yeah, she’d been very interested in the parts with the swords….
In the meantime, Duke had gotten some great meditation in that had really cleared his head. Jim had even given him some of the incense to use at home when he started to get stressed out again.
He practically—okay, literally—fell into his bed when he got home, all that missed sleep finally catching up on him. He could relax now. Everything was fine. He’d find Octavia tomorrow and everything would be a-okay.
Jim had promised. He was such a nice guy; what reason would he have to lie?
[NFB, NFI, OOC okay! tl;dr, Duke gets targeted by a cult for a mini-plot. . . .]
He couldn’t deal with the end of that sentence, so he went with what Liam had suggested, and headed for the mainland. The aquarium first, which was full of tourists and school groups, and then the zoo, which was more of the same. None of the staff had seen her at either of those places. He walked around Druid Hill Park for ages, trying not to think about the last time they’d been here or who else he was risking running into, and asked everyone he came across who would talk to him if they recognized Octavia’s picture, if they’d seen her anywhere. He didn’t have a photo of Bellamy, but he included him in the description. Octavia would be pissed if he found her but let her brother stay missing.
He had no luck, and he’d developed a tail; a couple uniformed park police were giving him the stink eye. He was going to have to move on. Admit Octavia wasn’t here. That the only place she could be was back on the Groun—
“Yeah, I’ve seen her.”
Duke blinked. The guy he was talking to was scruffy looking in that hipstery way, disheveled but well-groomed, his clothes worn but clean and neatly mended. “Wait,” Duke said. “You have?”
“Yeah. Young girl, right? Around 20? Tough?”
Duke nodded. “Where is she?”
The guy smiled, cold-readings him like a pro. “Church down in Jonestown. My buddy runs a couple outreach programs there.” Duke frowned and the man raised his hands. “I know, I know. But it’s not part of the church. They just let him use their community rooms, you know?”
“Was she okay?” Duke asked. “Was she hurt? Why was she —?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t talk to her. Here, come on, let’s head over. Jim’s got a meeting there now, you can ask him.”
“Yeah. Yes. Thank you,” Duke let out a slightly shaky laugh. “Holy shit man, thank you.”
“No problem. It’s a hard world, we gotta watch out for each other, right? I’m Mike, by the way.”
“Duke. And — yeah. I, uh. I guess we do.”
Duke expected an AA meeting, or maybe grief counseling or something, but it turned out Mike’s friend Jim was leading his little group in meditation of all things. The room was warm and cozily lit, for all that it was still clearly an all-purpose room in a church basement. They’d set up rugs and cushions that wouldn’t have looked too out of place in Duke’s own collection, and incense burning and a soft, chiming bell added to the calming mood.
Duke couldn’t see Octavia just showing up somewhere like this. Not without him talking her into it. Unless . . . she'd been looking for him for some reason?
Something wasn't right. “Hey,” he said softly, backing up. “You know, I don’t think this is — I don’t want to interrupt.”
“Easy, man,” Mike said, patting Duke on the back. “They’re almost done. I can tell Jim to find you outside if you want?”
Duke shook his head, feeling a little ridiculous. He was too on edge. Danny was right, he wasn’t any good to anyone on the amount of sleep he’d been getting. “Nah." He forced a little humor into his tone. "I can wait." The incense and chimes were worming their way into his head. "Kinda . . . curious about his technique, actually.”
“Yeah?” Mike said. “I could never get into this incense and crystals stuff." He patted Duke again, this time giving him a gentle push towards one of the cushions. "But hey, to each their own.”
“Right. Yeah.” Duke slouched, his muscles slowly unknotting as the tension of the last several days leaked out of him. He had a lead. Octavia had been here, on the mainland, which meant she wasn’t back in the nuclear wasteland she called the Ground. He’d find her, and they could go home, and they would curl up in bed and not come out again for a whole week, except to let the others know she was okay. “You think it’s be cool if I joined the meditation while I wait?”
Mike shrugged. “The more the merrier.”
He smiled when Duke swayed faintly before sitting on the cushion. He’d seen the guy before around town before, running around with some rich douchebag who drove a fancy-ass car. This one looked like a scrubby sailor, but he definitely had money. And with that story about the missing chick, he was practically begging to be taken advantage of.
Duke was feeling so much better by the time he went home. Jim didn’t know where Octavia was, or how she’d ended up in Baltimore in a church basement, but he said she’d looked okay, if a little lost and confused. And he was sure she’d be back tomorrow afternoon for tai chi. Oh yeah, she’d been very interested in the parts with the swords….
In the meantime, Duke had gotten some great meditation in that had really cleared his head. Jim had even given him some of the incense to use at home when he started to get stressed out again.
He practically—okay, literally—fell into his bed when he got home, all that missed sleep finally catching up on him. He could relax now. Everything was fine. He’d find Octavia tomorrow and everything would be a-okay.
Jim had promised. He was such a nice guy; what reason would he have to lie?
[NFB, NFI, OOC okay! tl;dr, Duke gets targeted by a cult for a mini-plot. . . .]