betterthanaplan | The Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Christmas Eve

As a rule, he didn't tend to do much for the winter holidays -- unless you counted "go somewhere it's not winter" -- but some combination of Fandom's festivities and the cold weather had actually put him into something of a Christmas-y mood this year, so the Rouge's deck was -- well. Decked. There were string lights and garlands all over the open deck area, especially around the table holding the big thermos of hot, buttered rum. He'd set up a little fire pit on the metal cargo-bay doors, and the door to the galley and lounge below-decks was propped open with a now-dormant loaf of yesterday's fruitcake, in case people preferred to go in where it was warmer.

As discussed, Duke had only mentioned the party to a few people since planning it with Rey. It was Christmas, though, so if people decided to wander up and say hi, he wouldn't turn them away.

[up early and ready for all the slowplay. A few people in the know expected, but as it says in the narrative, it's open for wandering in if you want, too!]

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"Oh, I can deal with that," Rey said. "We hadn't really talked about it since the idea first came up."

Octavia hummed a vague sound of agreement. "I think I'm done with bigger parties for this year."

"No New Year's for you?" Rey at least knew that one, and got the point.

Octavia shrugged.

"Don't know yet. That's in like a week, right?"

"A week from today. Not that I know if anything's going on, but I don't hate the idea of marking the start of the year."

Since she probably shouldn't have survived it.

"Any particular reason?" Octavia wondered, her voice a little raspy.

Her own year was a complicated, confusing thing to think about. She'd rather ask about Rey's.

"I'm still here," Rey shrugged. "I started the year nowhere, and now my life is drastically different. I don't know. I like noting that."

Octavia's smile was tiny and a little crooked, but it was also there.

"Okay, I get that." Maybe not the 'still here' part, on a personal level, but still. "It makes sense."

"I've never really had that before," Rey said. "I could get used to it."

"Well, one year's a good start."

Octavia's own thoughts were -- yeah. Never mind about those.

"So if there's a New Year's party, are you thinking of going?"

"Probably for a while. I never tend to stay that long." She'd make an exception tonight, because Duke had wanted to make sure she didn't feel like she had to do that. "Why, are you reconsidering?"

"Does New Year's even count towards this year? You know, as a party that happens this year."

That wasn't really a yes or a no.

"I think it can count however you want it to count," Rey smiled. "But if you do go, we could at least stand in a corner together."

"Assuming there are some to stand in wherever that one's held," Octavia quipped, as if there wasn't another flicker of a half-smile on her face, while she glanced around. "The Rouge isn't doing so great on that front."

But they didn't really need on, here.

"That's what below decks are for," Rey reasoned. "Though I can't see anyone having an issue with this group."

"Probably not," Octavia agreed. She could of course have an issue with just about any group, but at least she wasn't forseeing having one tonight. "But it's good to have an escape plan, right?"

This was what Rey had thought! See, past!Duke?

"True. Though here it would probably end in everyone going and drinking down there."

Because it would, there were four people.

"Fair," Octavia snorted.

Though the jury was still out on Larceny, a bit.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see how the night progresses, huh?"

"We will," Rey agreed. "So what do you normally do over this holiday?"

Octavia shrugged. "Not much," she said, perhaps unsurprisingly. "We didn't really have this holiday in my time, so... For the past couple of years, me and Bel, we've mostly just hung out and done nothing special."

A beat.

"We've seen way too many bad movies about this holiday."

"Bad movies how?"

She hadn't seen any outside of her time in the dorms.

Octavia paused to look for an apt description, because there just wasn't a question she couldn't take too seriously if the mood happened to strike her.

"Most of them are exactly the same," she decided on. "Like, it's the same story over and over. But that's -- I don't think that's what really annoys me."

She just couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"So it's not the predictability, then?" Rey asked.

"No." She shrugged. "I don't know, they just bug me. Something about what they're saying this time of year should be about."

"I mostly thought it was about togetherness, things like that," Rey said.

Re: On deck

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