The Devil's Nest, Tuesday Night

[my_own_advocate]

The pillow forts had been... a challenge. They weren't exactly nightclubby, after all.

But Lucifer had had them dressed up with fairy lights - the expensive, fancy kind - and that, at least, lent them some kind of... panache.

Look, shut up. He was trying. In fact, he wasn't even at the piano today: the gremlin big band set the ambiance much better tonight. All it had taken was some bribes and a red-eyed glare about the whole 'biting humans' thing, and they were good to go, playing an assortment of classic tunes and pop covers.

The Devil's Nest was open.

[[ discussion of drug use in the comments ]]

Comments

[okteiviakom]

"Not really, no," Octavia replied. "Why is that, anyway?"

He was freeto interpret that question whichever way he liked. She was taking another hit.

[my_own_advocate]

"I hardly see the point of pretending otherwise," Lucifer said. "I've told you, I don't like to lie."

Prevaricate, sure. Lie, no.

[okteiviakom]

Exhale.

"Not telling people you like them isn't lying." Semantics, sometimes she couldn't help herself. "But there's not much point to it, either. Not here, at least."

[my_own_advocate]

"And no one wants to be the broody bother swallowing even the faintest bit of appreciation at every turn," Lucifer said sagely, taking a sip of his drink.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia snorted, sort of like she did that instead of saying something.

She reached for the chips.

"Nice to be liked, too."

[my_own_advocate]

"You're welcome," Lucifer said, amused. "Tiny? I think we'll need more crisps."

[okteiviakom]

It was a good call, considering the way Octavia reached for more, and chewed on them thoughtfully.

"I'm still not used to that, you know," she said after a moment.

[my_own_advocate]

"People liking you?" Lucifer said, lifting an eyebrow. "I hardly believe that's true. Or is the whole stoic warrior woman thing something some fools find intimidating?"

[okteiviakom]

"Some, probably." Though here on the island, she could probably blame herself and how she'd held herself back for a long time. "And I didn't exactly fit in where I came from."

[my_own_advocate]

"Because of your charmingly tragic backstory?" Lucifer asked, tilting his head curiously. Oh, he was beginning to feel the first slow onset of something quite nice.

[okteiviakom]

"Don't call it that."

There was no sharpness to her tone.

"I was too much or not enough for both clans, so, yeah. Guess that's it."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer received a full glass of scotch from Tiny, and turned his head to consider her. "Well, there's clearly something wrong with them, then."

[okteiviakom]

"I'm not really Trikru and I'm not really Skaikru, so I'm not really anything."

It might not have seemed like she was very affected - apart from how thoroughly she'd managed to melt onto the pillows - but God (sorry, Lucifer), there was so much that wanted to bubble up as soon as she was even a little bit relaxed.

"Except here."

[my_own_advocate]

"Not a lot of tribes on this island," Lucifer said. A beat. "Well, unless we're talking adults versus nagging children, obviously."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave a huff, after a beat.

"I didn't fit either of those when I showed up, either."

[my_own_advocate]

"You are young for an adult human, I suppose," Lucifer said. "Must've been a bit of a shock, the scenery change."

[okteiviakom]

"It's two years later and it's still a shock sometimes."

[my_own_advocate]

"I've noticed," he chuckled, grinning at her. "Largely for the better, I hope."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia lifted her hand and gave a wobbly so-so gesture that was somehow all Duke.

"Mostly, I guess," she rasped. "It's shocking how many people here actually want to see me smiling."

That was one of those things she might not have generally admitted to having noticed.

[my_own_advocate]

"You have a nice smile," Lucifer pointed out, popping a crisp in his mouth. "Why wouldn't we?"

[okteiviakom]

"Because it doesn't matter?"

Her hand tried for another bout of Duke Lite in a brief gesture of 'what can you do?' before it dropped back down against her chest.

"It didn't use to matter."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sighed, and reached for that gesturing hand.

When had he become a touchy person? He blamed bloody LA.

"Of course it matters," he said lightly. "You're a good person, you deserve to have a smile on your face at least thrice a day. And at least one from orgasms."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was an extremely touchy person hiding right under a stoic surface. Which was to say she let him take her hand without a second thought.

She snorted, softly. "Never gonna hit those numbers," she murmured. "Is it enough if it averages out to that across like a week or something?"

Some days were much better than others.

[my_own_advocate]

"No, absolutely not," Lucifer said firmly, giving her hand a squeeze. "You need triage. And treatment. Strive to be ambitious."

[okteiviakom]

"Give me a break, I went years without smiling or laughing almost ever," Octavia pointed out. "My face isn't used to it!"

The complain-y tone was slightly exaggerated, there.

"I'm going to strain something."