Trooper Station, Friday

[firstofitskind]

Even with most of the island gone, Liam figured he ought to go in to the station and... catch up on paperwork, if nothing else.

There was always paperwork.

And unlike the last few days, Liam was actually feeling like he could focus on something like work. Even if the Troopers took one look at him, and then all started mumbling awkward excuses about needing to go out on patrols. (They never liked going out on patrols)

He'd also never say it to her face, because she'd probably just give him that smirk of hers and proceed to then never let him forget it, but he was kind of missing Rosa right now, sarcastic commentary and all.

[ooc: open!]

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[okteiviakom]

"Where is everyone?"

Octavia had been walking her own patrols kind of a lot, this week. Just trying to get her head back on straight after last weekend. And in doing that, it had not escaped her notice how much quieter than usual the place seemed.

Liam seemed like the guy to ask. Or maybe she'd just ended up here at random. Who could tell?

[ooc: Soooo slow but I gotta.]

[firstofitskind]

Liam looked up from the latest stack of papers that absolutely needed his initials, glad for the reprieve.

"It's break week up at the school," he explained. "They usually arrange a trip of some sort. They went to Greece, this time." Because of course he'd checked in where they'd be. Though he was unware of the time-travel mishap, oops.

[okteiviakom]

It was probably for the best if Octavia never found out about that. Because she was going to be incredibly envious if she did.

In fact, even just this had her nose wrinkling up some. "Really? And it's just for, what, the people at the school?"

[firstofitskind]

"The students and teachers, yeah," Liam nodded. "Though the teachers are allowed to bring a guest." Which was how he'd ended up going to China this past spring, himself. "I really have no idea how the school manages to afford it," he added with a shrug.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia looked exasperated. "Great, so that's another group of people I don't belong to."

That was -- maybe not what she should've taken away from that. But it had been a long week, and some of her old hurts felt a little more raw as a consequence.

Probably still shouldn't have sounded that huffy about it.

[firstofitskind]

And Liam, at least, wasn't going to point out that getting an in with that particular group was not actually that difficult... so long as one didn't mind running a class for teenagers to take. (Or knowing someone who did).

"Yes, well, you're not alone in that," he pointed out instead.

[okteiviakom]

Hell, Octavia could've been a student, too. She was only barely older than some of the older kids.

(Also, Magnus was so getting an earful once she'd realize he could've saved her from this week's discomfort by taking her along to Greece.)

"I guess," she said, a little sullenly. Showing her age, for just a second. "It's fine." It was not fine. She didn't like this new surge of not belonging, no matter how stupid and petty the cause.

[firstofitskind]

"Uh huh," Liam said, in a tone that probably conveyed just how much he didn't believe her.

"It doesn't have to be fine," he pointed out. It was... ironic, maybe, that her sense of not-belonging had Liam feeling an odd sort of kinship with her. "I just meant- I understand where you're coming from."

[okteiviakom]

"You do?"

She sounded like she doubted it. But not like a challenge - more like she was just feeling far too wary right now to feel any kind of hope about being understood.

[firstofitskind]

"Well," Liam began. "I'm here, aren't I?" And not in Greece.

But more importantly...

"The people who- raised me-" not quite the right word, but close enough. "They weren't my family," he reminded her. Then, because that particular conversation had been months ago, and she'd mentioned her dreams to him the other day on the beach, he continued. "I met my mother, this past weekend." Also not quite accurate, but it had been the first time they'd been able to interact as mother and son. So again, close enough.

[okteiviakom]

"Yeah, I figured," Octavia said. A little softer, somehow. "I did, too."

Which was a part of why she was feeling what she was feeling, probably.

[firstofitskind]

"It was," finding the right words was difficult, even after nearly a week. "Good. In a way. But- hard." Saying goodbye. Dealing with how he felt after. All of that.

[okteiviakom]

"I know."

Well. She knew her own feelings on her mother's visit, so. She figured she knew it well enough.

"Guess that's about the only way it can go when one of you is dead."