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betterthanaplanDuke was having a day. It'd started out okay, better than a lot of them had lately, with yoga and unicorns and pleasant, mild weather that made him think of finally getting in a good swim, though his new tattoo wasn't quite healed enough for that yet. But then he'd swung by his office after class, and found the surprise Octavia had left for him before she vanished. And done what was possibly the hardest thing he'd ever had to do, and went to talk to someone about it.
By the time he was willing to risk being out in public enough to walk back to his boat, he was exhausted, a raw, aching nerve. He didn't feel better, really, not the way everyone seemed to think he should after talking to someone, but he did maybe feel a little less . . . heavy. Certainly less like drinking himself into a stupor or playing with sharp objects again.
And that was when he found the present Nina had left him.
He was almost afraid to touch it. He'd already taken one major blow today. But finally, after some pacing and shooing away of curious porgs, he sat down on his bench and opened it up. And let out a soft laugh when he read her card.
"Thanks, kid," he whispered, smelling the booze and the ginger and the citrus and finding himself surprisingly hungry. He pulled out his phone and made a short call, then leaned back with one of the buns, humming happy birthday.
[I'M DONE WITH DEPRESSING SPAM TODAY I PROMISE. Mostly a link drop but definitely also OPEN!]
By the time he was willing to risk being out in public enough to walk back to his boat, he was exhausted, a raw, aching nerve. He didn't feel better, really, not the way everyone seemed to think he should after talking to someone, but he did maybe feel a little less . . . heavy. Certainly less like drinking himself into a stupor or playing with sharp objects again.
And that was when he found the present Nina had left him.
He was almost afraid to touch it. He'd already taken one major blow today. But finally, after some pacing and shooing away of curious porgs, he sat down on his bench and opened it up. And let out a soft laugh when he read her card.
"Thanks, kid," he whispered, smelling the booze and the ginger and the citrus and finding himself surprisingly hungry. He pulled out his phone and made a short call, then leaned back with one of the buns, humming happy birthday.
[I'M DONE WITH DEPRESSING SPAM TODAY I PROMISE. Mostly a link drop but definitely also OPEN!]