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]

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.

[okteiviakom]

Time and circumstance had also burned that type of recklessness out of her, anyway.

"Also all I know about sailing before right now is from the Odyssey," she supplied freely. "I don't think that helps."

[betterthanaplan]

"Not with running a post-industrial boat, anyway," Duke said. "You're probably set for getting around sirens though, at least."

And on this island, that might come in handy.

[okteiviakom]

"Sirens are easy, it's just wax or rope or both," Octavia said, the quippy tone mild but still there. "The cyclops, that's the tricky part."

She'd loved that part of the story as a kid.

[betterthanaplan]

"I don't know. The Cyclops was just pissed about trespassing. Was eating people an overreaction? Maybe. But a person has a right to defend their home."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia snorted. "By holding the trespassers captive and eating them?"

Just wait until you're Blodreina, Octavia.

"Is this a justification for what's going to happen to me if I try to steal the ship?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Well you know. There are no laws at sea."

That wasn't entirely true.

"But as a rule I try to avoid eating people, so you're safe on that front."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia shrugged one shoulder. "Shame," she said lightly, immediately burying the (dirty) implications of that with a glance around the deck. "Should I check for porgs?"

Maybe they didn't need to come out to sea, if they were still around, though maybe they wanted to.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke snorted at the innuendo, but let her change the subject.

"You can try. I've been trying to shoo them off the Rouge since last night. They just keep coming back."

[okteiviakom]

Remembering how to flirt was hard when you'd suppressed the urge for years. That was why she did it in fits and starts.

"At least they have good taste," she said, spotting one waddling away from them with a great deal of porgish purpose. She went after it, in an effort to corral it the other way and back off to shore.

[betterthanaplan]

"Hopefully not literally." Duke went to weigh anchor while she attended to the porgs. "Keeping them out of the hold's been worse than herding cats."

[okteiviakom]

"Maybe this is the newest invasion," Octavia mused, managing to catch one porg in her arms only for another to appear at her feet.

But at least that one seemed to take well enough to her shooing it with her foot and directing it the right way while she carried the other one, squirmy though it was.

"Come on, now," she told it, half muttering the words. "Gon we."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke took a moment to just lean against the gunwale and watch her. It was sweet, the way she handled the little creatures. He'd seen enough hints now to be sure there was someone caring and passionate under her stony demeanor.

It was too bad she was so damn young. Still, friendly flirting wasn't hurting anyone, right?

"Anchors aweigh," he called, straightening up. "Once you're all done playing sheepdog we can head out."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was young in some respects, felt ancient in others, and was probably kind of a disaster in all of them.

But in this moment, she was just focusing on herding some birds off a boat. The one at her feet went surprisingly easily, just chittering up at her when she nudged it the right way. The one she carried, however, was a wriggly little thing, and also tried to take a few experimental bites at one of her braids. But, she got them both safely onto the dock - and far enough away that maybe they wouldn't immediately manage to get back on as soon as her back was turned.

"All done," she called as she made her way back aboard.

[betterthanaplan]

"Thanks for that. To the wheelhouse!" He pointed grandly and started up the ladder. "I figured we'd circle the island a little, then head out into open water. Looks like there's some nice cliffs on the Preserve side that should make for great views."

And he'd just go around the cove where he'd seen the sleeping sea monster. No big deal.

[okteiviakom]

But that was the most Odyssey-ish place around!

Still, probably not worth it.

"Sounds like a plan," Octavia agreed, quick on her feet to follow him. And, well, hands. Because ladder. She might not have had any sailing experience, but at least she seemed well-suited to moving about aboard a ship. "Been a while since I was even that far off the island."

Which was exactly why it counted as being off it.

[betterthanaplan]

"Don't take a lot of trips to the mainland, huh?" Duke asked. "Is it still 2019 across the causeway for you, or do you end up in . . . I guess it'd be the 22nd century, when you're from?"