betterthanaplan | Haven, Maine, over the weekend

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Haven, Maine, over the weekend

The last time Octavia had been to Haven, she'd gotten arrested and Gloria had had to go yell at the Chief of police.

The last time Duke had been to Haven, he'd gotten arrested and Gloria had had to go yell at the Chief of police.

They could both be forgiven for being a little nervous pulling into the harbor now, even without the "let's go meet our mutual therapist in person" part of the deal.

[for one! NFB due to distance]

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Claire nodded. "We'll get into your paranoia later," she said. "For now . . . what do you think we can do to help with that issue when you're back in Fandom? I can't imagine you want to travel all the way up here once a week just to talk to me. And I'm definitely not traveling down to meet you all the time."

Octavia shrugged again, this time a little more obviously. "Is this still too far back in the timeline for video calls to be a thing?"

Her relationship with tech was wonky, even without getting into her knowing when anything became widespread.

"Seems like an obvious solution."

"That's what I was thinking," Claire agreed. "You won't be too worried about someone out of view of the camera?"

Octavia gave her a dry look. "Like I said," she rasped, "I'm not that paranoid."

Actually having met her now probably helped, too.

"I barely know you," Claire pointed out. "I'm still trying to gauge that for myself. Video calls it is. At least then I can read your microexpressions when you go silent on me."

"Microexpressions?" Octavia repeated, with the slightest raise of her eyebrows. "Don't think I have those."

She definitely did, though.

". . . Is that a joke? Because it's hard to tell."

There was a tiny uptick of one corner of Octavia's lips.

"Better get used to it."

Didn't really reach her eyes, though.

Claire pointed at her with her pen. "Microexpression."

Octavia shrugged.

"I'd call it just an expression."

Claire shrugged. "Alright. It's still something I'll be able to read easier on a video call than over the phone."

"Careful," Octavia rasped dryly, after a brief moment of quiet and a small, slow tilt of her head, "or I'll feel you're putting me under a microscope."

Letting anyone poke around her thoughts was bad enough.

"Well, we can't have that." Claire tilted her head. "You don't find it easier to maintain communication when you can see the other person's . . . expressions?"

"Obviously."

Hence the need for this meeting and the possibility of video calls in the future.

"But I don't tell them I'm watching them for that."

". . . But you are watching them for it," Claire said. "Most people do, especially the paranoid ones. Only difference is, I'm upfront about it."

"And it's weird."

"Would you rather I pretend? That's not really my style, but I suppose I could try."

Octavia rolled her eyes, the 'whatever' left unsaid but implied.

"So. Video calls."

"Video calls," Claire confirmed. "And -- this is a marathon, Octavia. You're not going to be able to just dump it all out there and immediately feel better. An appointment or two sitting silently isn't a bad way to start."

Octavia let that sit there for a short moment.

Then she said, "Okay." It was mild, utterly neutral - and still a good thing. She followed it up with a nod that was oddly stern. (Calling up shades of Blodreina.) "This was useful."

"I'm glad." Claire smiled. "Anything else you want to cover? Anything you want to ask?"

"Nope."

That was both a very casual and a very definite way of saying Octavia was about to hit her limit on this kind of interaction.

Then she rose from her seat.

"I'll tell Duke to come in."

Claire nodded and let her go.

Duke looked up when the door opened. "All set?"

Octavia stopped in the doorway. Glanced back at Claire, then shrugged.

"Dison nou bilaik branwoda."

Glowing praise.

Duke smiled. "Sha. Em bilaik stanop." He nodded through the door to Claire. "Thanks."

Claire shrugged. "It's what I do."

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Haven, Maine, over the weekend

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