The Devil's Nest, Monday Night

[texted3times]

Eric was at the bar watching Tiny making structures out of cranberries and toothpicks.

"So we're back on this again?" he asked.

Tiny rumbled a reply.

"Ahh. Tino asked you to bring the tablescape for Thanksgiving."

And now Eric had to live with the knowledge of Tino being aware of the idea of "tablescapes." His drink was probably not strong enough. The Devil's Nest was open!

Comments

[okteiviakom]

"Well, it's not Hooters anymore and it hasn't burned down. Good."

Yes, this passed for a greeting now, Eric, you were welcome.

Octavia was also looking more tanned now than when she'd left.

[texted3times]

"And Tiny has stopped wearing the damn shorts, too," Eric said. "Things are looking up."

[okteiviakom]

"Clearly we came home at the right time," Octavia drawled, with barely a glance at whatever that was that the man in question was building now. "How's the rest of the island? Seemed like there were kids around."

[ooc: And then we lost power because life is just too interesting sometimes.]

[texted3times]

[OOC: Super rude, real life.]

"There were," Eric said. "I wasn't one of them and I also didn't eat any of them, so I consider the weekend a success."

Eric had different markers for success than most.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia would take it. "Good for you." Well, she would take it dryly, but that was to be expected. "I figured it might be that kid thing, since..."

She trailed off. The words that were coming to her didn't quite... feel right.

[texted3times]

Eric tilted his head at her. "Since--?" he prompted.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia hesitated for a second, but: "None of our kids had shown up."

That was the best phrasing.

[texted3times]

"Ah," Eric said, nodding. "That tends to happen more in the Spring, doesn't it?"

[okteiviakom]

"I guess?" Yeah, Lucifer had said that too. Apparently Octavia didn't pay that much attention to when these things repeated. "It's still the first thing my brain went to."

[texted3times]

"Were you happy or not when no one showed?" Eric asked.

[okteiviakom]

"We don't really need to talk about that." ... You brought it up, Octavia. (Though maybe that was an answer in itself?) "I'm gonna get something to drink."

Yes, by moving to the other side of the bar herself, instead of asking Tiny to get her something. He was clearly too busy for it, anyway.

[texted3times]

That non-answer was an answer, too. Eric sipped his vodka, looking appraising. "So," he said with a tiny smile, "you forbade me from burning down my own bar and then left town. They burned down the Walmart. In daylight."

Eric was very sad.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was putting actual booze (in a very limited quantity, but still) into what would have usually been a mocktail. No reason.

"Rude," she deadpanned. "But there's other things to burn."

[texted3times]

"Like Tiny's ugly shorts," Eric said. "And sometimes Lucifer's piano."

[okteiviakom]

"Not Lucifer's piano."

Weird that she would have more feelings on that than Tiny's pants. Sorry, Tiny.

[texted3times]

"Sometimes he picks ugly pianos," Eric said.

[okteiviakom]

"You know he doesn't."

[texted3times]

"Some of us remember 2021 very differently," Eric said dryly.

[okteiviakom]

"Whatever you're thinking of was probably fine," Octavia retorted. "Anyway, again: there are other things to burn."

Please notice Octavia wasn't actually categorically opposed to burning things, no.

[texted3times]

"It was shaped like a boat and took up half the club," Eric said. "It deserved its fate."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia half-rolled her eyes (or rolled them half-heartedly), and picked up her newly finished drink.

"Fine, whatever you say."

[texted3times]

"That's just you agreeing with me," Eric decided, toasting her with his vodka.

[okteiviakom]

Now, this was a full-assed eye roll.

Yes, yes, very mature.

[texted3times]

Eric smirked in reply. "Welcome back."

[okteiviakom]

"Thrilled to be here." That was very deadpan. (And yet it was pretty accurate. Shut up.) "Just like I was thrilled that there was a bunch of candy and plastic toys on the ship."

[texted3times]

"The bar turned into milkshakes and rubber axes," Eric said.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave the tiniest scoff. "Well, I like one of those things."

Take a guess.

[texted3times]

"The axes?" Eric guessed, smiling.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's head shake was brief.

"My snogon makes the best milkshakes in this town."

[texted3times]

"Snogon?" Eric repeated.

[okteiviakom]

"You might say 'boyfriend'."

Octavia absolutely would not, however, judging by her dry tone.

[texted3times]

"Probably wouldn't call them a boyfriend either," Eric admitted. "I just go with their name."

[okteiviakom]

"Well, the name's Duke, in this case," Octavia offered, with a tiny nod of appreciation at not having to fight semantics for once. "I think Lucifer might make them too, but he's more likely to make them... complicated."

[texted3times]

"I'm shocked to hear that Lucifer makes things complicated," Eric said dryly.

[okteiviakom]

"He just likes things more over the top." A beat. "An impulse you wouldn't know anything about, I'm sure."

Apart from having wanted to burn the Nest down.

[texted3times]

And their semi-annual interior decorating wars.

"I'm the very soul of discretion," he said.

[okteiviakom]

Yeah, Octavia snorted. "I would buy that more if I didn't work here."

[texted3times]

"That makes sense," Eric said with a grin.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia rolled her eyes again, but it had... something of a softer, lighter quality? If you really paid attention to that sort of thing.

She took a sip from her glass, and fixed him with an appraising look. "Why do you go over the top, anyway?" she rasped. "Lived too long and now you get bored?"

[texted3times]

"Basically," Eric agreed. "And it's fun to wind Lucifer up."