The beach, Sunday afternoon

[betterthanaplan]

So. Dwight was in town. Not Duke's Dwight -- probably -- but a Dwight. One who was just getting started with the full thrust of the troubles, and didn't know about Duke's connection to them.

One who had never been hurled 30 feet off the edge of a boat after slamming a metal trunk into Duke's head. Or seen how much Duke hated his trouble and offered to help him track down the truth about the Colorado Kid and the Hunter for Audrey.

Again, probably. Somewhere in Duke's Haven was a notebook full of all of Claire's notes, including everything Duke had told her in confidence before she was murdered (and he still didn't know just when that had even happened). Dwight could just be pretending to be from another Haven to get Duke's guard down. Duke wouldn't put that past Vince; the guy was a sneaky fucker under that doofy old man mask.

It'd make sense in a Haven kind of way if Dwight was here to fuck Duke over. But it made just as much sense in Fandom kind of way if Dwight were just kind of here, and fucking with Duke's head was just a fun bonus. Duke's paranoia was on a roller coaster trying to decide which was more likely. Whether he could trust anything Dwight had said.

And to top all that off, Octavia was still a raccoon. It all came together into a perfect "make Duke stare moodily at the sea" cocktail.

So he was. Staring moodily. At the sea. Bare feet positioned just where the water could wash over them, pants rolled high enough not to get wet in the small waves.

Maybe a swim would help.

[moody Duke is moody but the post is definitely open!]

Comments

[okteiviakom]

He really needed to take a leaf out of his snogon's book right now, because Octavia was not brooding.

Because Octavia was puttering around, gathering seashells to put into a little pile. It was very important work.

[betterthanaplan]

If only he could have such lack of concern.

Duke watched her for along moment.

“Good job, gona. Get those shells.”

[okteiviakom]

She was for sure getting those shells!

Although she also stopped to chitter up at him, still grasping one in her tiny paws. Mostly because he'd talked at her, and that just required a response.

[betterthanaplan]

“What do you think,” Duke asked her. “Can we trust him?”

Huh. Hey, at least he had a ‘we’ this time. Whatever Dwight was up to, he wouldn’t be in it alone.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia considered this for a moment.

Then she held the shell out towards him, chittering.

[betterthanaplan]

“That one’s for me?” Duke reached for it. “Thanks, babe.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia let him take it.

He was only getting it because he gave her food, to be clear. Or possibly because she was trying to ensure future food.

Either way, she turned and went a little further down the beach again in search of more treasure.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke looked down at the shell in his hand.

“It is deeply pathetic how happy that just made me.”

[okteiviakom]

Human-shaped Octavia would have told him it really wasn't.

But Raccoontavia was just scampering after a potential promising seashell, just barely in the water! ... Only to find out it was just a boring rock.

[betterthanaplan]

“Hey, can you swim like this?” Duke asked. “Careful around the water!”

[okteiviakom]

She was only just sort of leaning over the water! Like perhaps there'd be an actual seashell a little further off.

Instead of more rocks she had no use for.

[betterthanaplan]

“Tavi.” Duke snapped and waved his shell. “Come on back, babe.”

[okteiviakom]

He was making noise again!

Octavia turned, curious.

[betterthanaplan]

Well. He had her attention anyway. Duke made vague chittering noises and waved the shell again.

[okteiviakom]

Had he found a new shell? Octavia scurried over to investigate.

It involved making noise back at him.

[betterthanaplan]

Okay! See, they had a bond here! Things were looking up.

“Good gona. Away from the water.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia just wanted to examine the shell in his hand, okay. But no, it was still the same one.

There was more chittering.

[betterthanaplan]

“Right,” Duke said. “Stay here. Where you don’t drown. Good girl.”

[okteiviakom]

Well, he didn't have any new seashells for her, but - maybe he could still be of use for finding some?

... Octavia was now trying to scale his arm, to climb up onto his shoulder.

[betterthanaplan]

“Oh,” Duke said, holding very still. “Um. Okay. This is happening.”

[okteiviakom]

Look, even sitting down, he was the tallest thing in Octavia's immediate vicinity. So just enjoy an animal trying to perch on your shoulder now, Duke.

It was actually not going super well.

[betterthanaplan]

Yeah, she wasn’t exactly cat sized. Or parrot sized.

“Okay — okay — watch the claws sweetie —“

[okteiviakom]

Annnd there she went, losing her precarious balance, then trying to use the aforementioned claws to grab on.

Only to tumble down onto the sand anyway.

[betterthanaplan]

“Ow ow ow are you okay? Holy shit I think you drew blood.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia shook off both the sand as well as the indignity of her fall and then - bless her - tried to put her front paws back on his arm.

Maybe if she tried it a second time...?

[betterthanaplan]

“Okay,” Duke said, holding his arm above his head. “Okay that is very cute but maybe not a good idea.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia made what sounded like very offended noises up at him, but relented.

So she was going to just go back to her pile and make sure it was still nice (and most importantly, still all there), instead.