The Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Sunday morning

[betterthanaplan]

Duke had made it out to the diner this week, and then had been . . . let's call it "thoroughly exhausted" by Lucifer after. So he'd spent a couple days recovering, alternating between napping and puttering around his boat.

So he hadn't seen a certain piece of news until this morning.

There weren't many celebrity deaths that he felt much more than just sort of a vague sadness about, but this one hit a little close to home. So he was out on the deck this morning with a bottle of rum and his guitar, idly strumming along to a song on his phone.

[open for slow play. It may be tacky but bah. No small amount of my personal playlist for Duke is Buffett, m'kay?]

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[my_own_advocate]

"Would you like some strawberries?" Lucifer called from the galley.

Had he any idea about Jimmy Buffett? No. He had always preferred pretending the man didn't exist.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke paused his strumming and tilted his head, thinking.

". . . Sure. Thanks, babe."

[my_own_advocate]

All right. Well. Lucifer arose from the galley with two little bowls in hand - cut strawberries and cream in each one - and merrily held one out for him. "Morning."

[betterthanaplan]

"Morning." Duke accepted one of the bowls. "You're in a good mood."

It wasn't too surprising, he knew Lucifer wasn't a fan. It still felt . . . incongruous to him.

[my_own_advocate]

"It's Sunday and I had a lie-in and now there's sugar," Lucifer said, popping a strawberry into his mouth. "What's not to be in a good mood about?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke sighed and leaned across his guitar to pick up his phone. He opened the news app and handed the phone over to Lucifer.

The song had looped and started over.

As a dreamer of dreams and a travelin' man
I have chalked up many a mile
Read dozens of books about heroes and crooks
And I learned much from both of their styles

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer frowned at him as he took the phone. "What?" he said.

Only then did he look down at the app.

"Ah," he said. Cleared his throat. "Well. My condolences."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded. "Thanks." He set the guitar aside and picked the bowl of strawberries and cream back up. "I know it's stupid. Not like I knew him personally or anything. Still. Kinda hit me, you know?"

[my_own_advocate]

"Well, I can't say I understand the Buffett of it all," Lucifer said, "But I know his music meant a great deal to you. I suppose it makes sense to feel some loss."

[betterthanaplan]

“That’s how we know you haven’t gone full boat person. You don’t get Buffett.”

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer snorted. "I think that's more a 'you' thing than a boat person thing, darling."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke bobbed his head in acknowledgement.

“Tavi likes one of his songs at least.”

[my_own_advocate]

"She does," Lucifer agreed. "It's an interesting break in her steady diet of grunge."

[betterthanaplan]

“That’s our Tavi. Dark and gritty with the occasional Ray of sunshine.”

Duke smiled a little.

“At least my man’s works live on, huh.”

[my_own_advocate]

"Oh, I'm sure we'll hear them on this boat for many years to come," Lucifer said wrily. "In all sorts of ports."

[betterthanaplan]

“Babe, you just missed a chance for a very silly reference.”

He was assuming that Lucifer didn’t know Jimmy Buffett well enough to set him up for a ‘one particular harbor’ joke.

[my_own_advocate]

"Did I?"

[okteiviakom]

When there was music, it could only take so long before Octavia was drawn out towards it.

She showed up with a mug of coffee in hand, and a curious look on her face.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke looked up and gave her a sad smile. "Hayun, gona."

[okteiviakom]

"Ha yun, jaka," Octavia murmured as she was coming closer, but there was already a question in her eyes.

Her heart sank whenever there was an obvious sadness on his face.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke tipped his head towards the phone. "I always really liked this song, you know? I mean, I like most of his stuff, but this is one of my favorites."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia fell quiet for a moment, just to really listen, to get a handle on the song.

"Oh," she murmured, "I know this one."

(She knew many of them, let's be real. Had heard enough of them over their time together.)

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded, then sang along with the next verse:

Where it all ends I can't fathom my friends
If I knew I might toss out my anchor
So I cruise along, always searchin' for songs
Not a lawyer, a thief, or a banker

[okteiviakom]

Octavia sank down to sit next to him as she listened.

Quiet, herself.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke sang the rest of the song:

The sea's in my veins,
My tradition remains,
I'm just glad I don't live in a trailer.

It started again, set to repeat, but he fell silent for a long moment.

"He died yesterday."

[okteiviakom]

"Oh."

A soft noise, barely a word. Octavia should probably do better than that.

"I'm sorry."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded. "He was pretty old. Lived a long, good life." He shrugged. "Still. It's sad, you know?"

[okteiviakom]

"I know," Octavia said.

But then something about that didn't sit right.

"... I don't know if I do."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke frowned at her for a moment, then nodded.

“You don’t, uh. Get attached to media people, huh. The media, sure, but not the people.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia shook her head. Looked down and frowned at herself a little.

It wasn't that.

"It's just hard to -- imagine a, a long, good life."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke swallowed.

“Ah. Yeah.”

He always had. Even without expecting to get one.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave a helpless shrug.

"I'm glad he got one," she said, voice just faintly tighter.

[betterthanaplan]

The smile he flicked her was faint but real.

“Yeah. Me too.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia didn't look up, but she leaned against his side.

Just a little.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke leaned back, a little harder.

“Luce cut some strawberries, did you see?”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia shook her head again.

"No." A pause. "Were they nice?"

Inane, but okay.

[betterthanaplan]

“They were. Pretty fresh, too. Bet there’s some set aside for you.”

[okteiviakom]

"Probably," Octavia murmured softly. Because Lucifer. "I'll look later."