Luke's, Thursday

[betterthanaplan]

Duke was a little distracted today, keeping a close eye on his phone while getting his kitchen set up with the day's catch. Octavia's first therapy session was happening today. And while his own had gone well, he couldn't help but be a bit worried about how hers was going.

The kitchen staff, having spent the morning reminiscing about diner runners of old, were taking advantage of his distraction to tuck order tickets, toothpicks, and shrimp tails into his ponytail, to see if he noticed them before they fell out again.

He hadn't, yet.

Today's specials
CATCH OF THE DAY!
Shrimp-stuffed avocado
Mango curry shrimp

Luke's was open and OCD free.

Comments

[okteiviakom]

Octavia turned up around lunch time, as agreed. There was a noticeable stiffness to her posture, a tension visible even in the way she walked in through the door.

Maybe things had not gone super well.

[betterthanaplan]

. . . Yeah, that didn't look good.

"Milkshake," Duke hissed at the cook before heading over. "Stat."

[okteiviakom]

Had he missed Octavia acting like she was a caged animal, full of restless energy just waiting for an outlet?

Because she had not missed feeling it.

She sank down into a booth, let him come to her instead of going to him.

[betterthanaplan]

Since last time her search for that outlet had led to her setting him off?

No. Not so much.

He gave her time to get settled before coming over. Which also meant he had that milkshake in hand by the time he got there. He set it down on the table and slid into the booth across from her.

"You want some french fries, too?"

[okteiviakom]

"Sure," Octavia replied, her tone on the glum side of flat.

She didn't immediately reach for the milkshake.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke signaled one of his waitstaff, then turned back to her.

"So," he said. "You want to tell me about it?"

[okteiviakom]

... Now, Octavia did reach for the milkshake. It gave her hands something to do, her eyes somewhere to look that wasn't him.

"Nothing happened."

That was one way of putting it.

[betterthanaplan]

"Okay," Duke said. Reminding himself he couldn't fix her. "We can just sit and eat, then, if you want."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia said nothing. Which was, not that he knew it, pretty much what had happened with Claire, too. It'd been as if she'd hit a wall, early on, and hadn't made it past it, no matter how she'd tried.

And now she was angry at herself for that, too.

Her hand was a little too tight around the glass.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke watched her, eyes flicking down to her hand, then back up to her face.

"Okay." He leaned back in his seat, trying really hard not to start asking questions. Or just babbling to fill the silence. "You want some shrimp?"

[okteiviakom]

"Sure," Octavia replied.

It was the fourth word she'd said since getting here, and it was already a repeat.

Maybe she was about to be angry at herself for this, as well.

[betterthanaplan]

"Hot or cold?" Duke asked. Possibly to get a word out of her that wasn't a repeat, yes.

[okteiviakom]

"Doesn't matter."

She took a sip from her milkshake, but barely tasted it.

[betterthanaplan]

“Curry,” Duke decided. It’d go better with the fries, which were coming out now. “It has fruit in it.”

He’d noticed she was into fruit these days.

[okteiviakom]

She really was.

But even that didn't get much of a reaction. Didn't ease the tension in her jawline any, even though she nodded. "Okay. Sounds good."

She squeezed her eyes shut after that, willing herself to just snap out of it.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke would like it if she did, too. But again, trying not to just try to fix her.

Yeah, he wasn't good at the line between that and just trying to help, yet.

The waiter dropped off the fries and Duke gave him a somewhat wan smile.

"There's a shrimp tail in your hair, sir," the waiter said.

And now Duke was flailing at his head and cursing.

[okteiviakom]

And it wasn't enough to jostle Octavia back into the present.

Well.

Not entirely, anyway. With her eyes still closed, she rasped, "Odd place to store your food."

[betterthanaplan]

"I'll keep that in mind," Duke growled. He glared at the shrimp tail he found and then at the kitchen, where the staff was laughing in delight. "I really wish firing them would stick."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's deep breath was followed by an equally deep sigh. She opened her eyes.

Now, she mostly just looked tired.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke was watching her again, even as he shook the shrimp tail into a napkin.

"You look like you could use a nap."

[okteiviakom]

"I don't need one." Want one? Octavia wasn't doing great at telling those two apart, lately. "I just..."

She didn't actually know how to end that sentence, and so it just tapered off into another little sigh.

[betterthanaplan]

"Look exhausted," Duke said. "Don't get me wrong, you're still gorgeous. But, uh. I'm guessing your appointment didn't go well."

[okteiviakom]

"No," Octavia agreed.

She was looking at her fries, now. But not touching them, not even to uselessly pick at them without eating.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke desperately wanted to ask why not. If Claire had said something to upset her. If he should call Claire back and tell her off for it.

He bit his lip on the impulse and reached for Octavia's hand instead.

"I'm sorry."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia flinched when he reached for her hand, startled. Guess she'd been too focused on not-looking at the fries.

Maybe he would have been better off asking, instead.