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?]

Comments

[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."