The Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom (and Beyond!), Wednesday afternoon

[betterthanaplan]

Duke had plans with Octavia today to show her the ocean -- or the parts of it that could be easily reached from Fandom in an afternoon, anyway. So while he waited for her to arrive, he puttered around his boat, checking over the engine and bilge pump, plotting a couple possible routes on his charts, and checking the weather reports and tides for anything that might give them trouble.

Everything looked good for a lovely day at sea. He put together some beer and snacks, and sat back on his favorite bench with his ukelele while he waited.

A pair of porgs hopped up on the crate by his feet. He did his best to ignore them.

[for one!]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

It’d probably help her start getting used to the bob and sway before they hit open water, too.

“Sure.” Duke looked around and spread his arms. “So this is the deck. As you can see, I use it as kind of a lounging area most of the time. And some general storage. That up there,” he pointed towards the stern at the glassed-in room a story above them, “is the wheelhouse. We’ll head up there when it’s time to get moving. All the ship’s steering and radio equipment is up there.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia nodded as she looked around, following his gesturing with her gaze.

Though she found something only slightly related to be curious about. "Does the saying about something being in your wheelhouse have anything to do with that?"

The saying had survived the apocalypse up on the Ark. The etymology had not.

[betterthanaplan]

"Pretty sure, yeah," Duke said. "Never really thought about it before, but it makes sense." He led her over to one of the hatches leading below decks. "Down here's the actual living space." He couldn't help but smile as he stepped aside so she could see the galley. He never going to stop being proud of what he'd made out of his place. "Only a handful of rooms are actually finished, the rest are storage."

It was a large ship. He had a lot of storage.

[okteiviakom]

"... Oh."

That was an 'oh, wow' in Octavia Speak. A tiny sound, but accompanied by a more open look on her face.

So she probably agreed that he had reason to be proud.

[betterthanaplan]

From her, that was downright expressive.

"Rough on the outside, comfortable on the inside," he said. "Just the way a pirate ship should be."

[okteiviakom]

Every shell needed a few cracks, every once in a while.

She turned to him. "Did you do all this yourself?"

[betterthanaplan]

"I did," Duke said. "Took a few years. When I won her she was just a busted up fishing trawler."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave him a wry look. There was some kind of a spark in it, though. "From the outside, she rasped, "she looks like half the buildings in Tondisi."

'Ton dee cee'.

"And all that metal went through an actual nuclear disaster."

But her implication here was two-fold.

[betterthanaplan]

"So . . . you're saying my ship looks sturdy enough to survive a nuclear war," Duke decided, grinning. "Thank you."

[okteiviakom]

That had been the more hidden implication. Which left Octavia with the more obvious one to say out loud!

"And that it looks like something that's been left rotting for a hundred years," she said, almost looking like she was suppressing a smirk. "But, that too."

[betterthanaplan]

"I'll take that as a compliment too," Duke said cheerfully. "People don't really expect you to do much when your boat looks like it might sink at any moment. Which means they're way less likely to stop you from doing it."

[okteiviakom]

"Like a disguise," Octavia agreed, because yes, she could see how that worked.

She pushed one of her braids back over her shoulder. Glanced around, though something she didn't say, then asked, "What would they be stopping you from doing, anyway?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Exactly like a disguise." Duke liked those. Though he was not always as good at them as he thought he was. "And, uh. Let's just say I've been known to carry cargo with somewhat . . . less than legal status. You know. From time to time."

He'd offered to get her a fake ID. Odds were good she'd already worked out that he had criminal tendencies.

[okteiviakom]

Yes.

Odds were also good she didn't care.

"So like a smuggler," Octavia said, nodding, like it was nothing. Because, it was nothing. Being considered a criminal since birth did not leave a person with a very high regard for the law. "And you said you won the ship?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Just like one, yes." Duke laughed. "I'm still not used to how people around here just take that in stride."

His best from home was a cop. He was very used to talking very deliberately around certain words.

"I did. In a poker game on my 21st birthday. Best damn birthday ever."

[okteiviakom]

"I've been in prison, if that makes it less weird," Octavia replied with a drawl, a little flippantly.

... And then just sort of glided on from that, because maybe she didn't want to let that tidbit just sit there for very long. So, she was already raising her eyebrows. "Also, it sounds like it's probably for the best if you don't teach me about poker in the next week or so."

[betterthanaplan]

Yeah, but that was probably a post-apocalyptic prison, where they locked people up just for, like, existing.

. . . So just like 21st century American prisons.

"Oh? You thinking you're going to win her back off me after I teach you?"

[okteiviakom]

"I haven't had very many good birthdays," Octavia replied, as if she was considering it. "And you said it was the best of yours. So I would try."

No, but it amused her to say so.

[betterthanaplan]

"I actually kind of want to see that," Duke said. "But sorry, I'm not betting my boat for anything."

[okteiviakom]

"I'll live."

Because that was such a harsh blow, you see, but she was made of some pretty sturdy stuff.

"Especially since we haven't even made it to the sailing part yet."

[betterthanaplan]

"And that's the best part," Duke said. He gestured to the ladder on one end of the galley. "I've got to untie her and pull the anchor up before we can head out. You can come with, or head up to the wheelhouse to wait, if you want."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia didn't have to think twice. "I wanna see everything."

Meant she was coming with. Because she was infinitely curious - when she allowed herself to be.

[betterthanaplan]

"So you can run her properly when you win her off me at poker?" Duke said with a laugh. "Alright, come on, then."

[okteiviakom]

"Or when I steal her."

Criminal, remember?

Anyway, she was already following him.

[betterthanaplan]

"You're welcome to try. Don't think you'd get too far with her, though." He led the way back onto the deck and along the starboard side as he set about getting the Rouge undocked. "She's a finicky thing."

And Octavia had never even been on the water before.