fandomtownies | Covent Garden Flowers, Thursday

Entry tags:

Covent Garden Flowers, Thursday

Octavia was uncharacteristically wearing a baggy hoodie to work, and her hair - braids and all - was pulled back into a ponytail. Apart from these two things, though, the day at the flower shop was much like any other.

Except for the orange carnations, which kept randomly disappearing every time Octavia let them out of her sight, forcing her to go on repeated hunts around the store to see where they'd decided to hide this time while she was trying to put together a few orders featuring them.

Also, today's snack of choice were carrot cake Oreos. No reason.

(There was definitely a reason.)

[ooc: Open!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I told you like three days ago."

In context, kind of? But the context was now three days old, and he hadn't known what half her sentence meant. So no, she hadn't actually told him in a way that actually mattered.

Even now, she took a moment to shove another forkful of fish into her mouth and thoughtfully chew and swallow before saying, "Shunsui, obviously."

And she was just going to have to deal with his 'bitch, please' look the entire time she chewed that forkful.

"Alright then. Way to go." He sat back, spreading his hands. "Was that so hard?"

What even was the point of making friends if you couldn't be an ass at them here and there, anyway?

"Yes, clearly, because it took me two languages and three days to say it," Octavia retorted. "Also, while we're clearing things up, when I said ai nou don ses em op, I was talking about just him there, too."

Duke nodded. "Noted. Glad to hear you two weren't having sex in the onsen, by the way. That seems like kind of a faux pas."

"I am not risking banishment from another place I like," Octavia scoffed, before her face went a little milder again, while she prodded at what little was left of her lunch in the container. "We went to his apartment afterwards, though."

But, nou don.

"Did you now," Duke said, that teasing smile back in force. "And just what is Shunsui's apartment like?"

He was imagining something absolutely decadent.

Octavia shrugged. "Cozy? I didn't spend a lot of time looking at it. He showed me his swords."

She looked at him like she was daring him to take that as a euphemism.

Yeah, Duke was just going to let his grin slowly broaden into a laugh at that. And pop another cookie into his mouth.

"Don't," Octavia said, as if that hadn't been exactly what she'd expected.

Also maybe the corners of her mouth twitched a little, too. But maybe that was just a trick of the light.

Duke opened his hands innocently, mouth full of cookie.

Who, him?

Octavia's sigh was exaggerated in its exasperation.

"When I first saw you coming towards me at the Devil's Nest," she informed him with a drawl, "I should've just turned and left."

She did not mean a single word.

"But then who would you roll your eyes at seven times a day?" Duke asked.

Octavia raised her eyebrows. "Seven seems like a low estimate."

Duke shrugged. "Call it an average then. Gotta make sure I get more in to make up for the days we don't hang out."

Octavia had to visibly stop herself from going through with an eyeroll, because it would've just been too on the nose. So, it became just a ceilingward glance, and then her head tipping forward with a quiet laugh.

"Nice of you to care."

"I'm a caring guy."

He said that with way too much irony for how true it was.

Indeed. But Octavia was playing nice by not calling him out on it.

"Mmhmm." That didn't count as calling him out! No matter how quietly amused it was. "So, anyway, that's all the titillating news I have to report. Makeouts and swords, not a big deal."

It was, though.

Oh yeah, Duke was pretty sure this was a great big deal.

“Planning to smuch em op again?”

"Didn't exactly plan to do it the first time," Octavia replied.

But that wasn't a no.

"You know that actually has no bearing on whether or not you're planning something now, right?" Duke asked. "Just because you do something one way once doesn't mean you have to keep doing it that way."

Octavia sighed quietly and leaned back a little.

"Touching people is hard," she said, after a little pause. "So..." So, shrug. That totally said everything, right?

Duke frowned, but nodded slowly. "Alright." He tilted his head. "What makes it hard?"

"I don't know," Octavia said, fork scraping the bottom of the container. "Just another way I'm stuck, I guess."

The past couple of years of self-imposed stoicism probably had something to do with it.

"So." Duke set his hand down on the counter near her, much the way he had at the tattoo shop. "Maybe you just need practice."

"Maybe."

After a short moment, Octavia did the same she had at the tattoo shop: just very slightly nudged his fingers with hers, to begin with.

More like she'd just moved her hand than like she'd done it on purpose.

"All of this was easier on the ground."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject