Pick Your Poison, Monday

[joan_of_bark]

The days went past smoothly, didn't they? Pam could almost start to pretend her life had a regular rhythm of its own now, that she didn't wonder about how Harley-her-Harley was doing, how Gotham was moving on without her.

That she didn't hear whispers in the mycelial network, the lamia speaking to her of things she couldn't quite understand.

But that morning was a different beast. Something lured her out onto the steps of Pick Your Poison, a scent on the breeze, the announcement of a spring no longer so far out of reach. It was still cold, yes, but something underfoot was shifting.

And the lamia's call grew a little louder.

Eventually, she rubbed her arms and turned back towards the store. Went inside, set everything up, to begin another day. But something was changing. She wasn't sure how long she could resist it.

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Comments

[okteiviakom]

So it was definitely pollen time again. And while Octavia had more... coping strategies at her disposal this time than she had last year (or was allowing herself more of them), the old urge to disappear into the woods for a bit hadn't entirely gone away.

(Because when did it ever, really?)

She'd been economical with the salve, using as little as she could, and not half as often as she would've liked, but no small container would last forever, and she was almost out, so...

She showed up fairly early in the day. Quiet, as was her way.

[joan_of_bark]

Pam was seated on the sofa by now, a book in hand. She could tell, now, that there was something in the air.

But her system had adjusted. She made a faint noise of greeting, but didn't take her eyes off the page.

[okteiviakom]

Too bad Octavia had nothing that could adjust. Octavia saw Ivy, and thought --

About fungus and terror and talons. Look, you had your things, she had hers. Which she didn't necessarily want to look all that closely at.

"Hi," she said, with more of a rasp than she'd meant to.

[joan_of_bark]

"Hi," Pam said. She finally set her book aside, and lifted a single eyebrow. "It took you longer than I expected."

[okteiviakom]

"I told you I'm good with limited resources," Octavia replied, with the faintest shrug. "Just not... a magician, or something. Everything runs out eventually."

[joan_of_bark]

"I know," Pam said. She pushed herself to her feet. "You're lucky I come prepared."

[okteiviakom]

"I didn't say I showed up after I already ran out."

Just close to it. Details.

[joan_of_bark]

"You say that like the difference matters," Pam said.

She strode towards the back.

[okteiviakom]

"It does to me," Octavia replied, taking a few steps to follow her, but slow, at a distance.

[joan_of_bark]

Pam made a noise of dismissal, but she clearly didn't find it necessary to openly say anything to that point.

Instead she stepped into the back room, and rifled around for another little container. "I had pleny of time to make more. I guess you haven't had any luck finding a more permanent solution?"

[okteiviakom]

"No," Octavia replied, stopping by the doorway. "I don't know if I believe there is one."

Duke seemed to disagree, but... Octavia had been finding herself thinking about Nathan far more than she would have liked to.

[joan_of_bark]

"Well, you know my feelings about that," Pam said. She held out the container. "And I know how much those don't matter."

[okteiviakom]

It was Octavia's turn for a faint snort, with no explanation.

She reached out for the container, and was careful about taking it. (Obviously not just because of intrusive thoughts.)

[joan_of_bark]

The pollen purred faintly at the back of Pam's head, but again, her natural resistances pushed it aside. It'd pass in a day or so, she thought. That would be fine.

She let Octavia take it.

"I'm glad it's working."

[okteiviakom]

It wasn't particularly faint for Octavia, who briefly wondered if the salve could let her touch Ivy.

But it wasn't her first rodeo. She ignored the thought with a familiar sense of stubbornness. And nodded, turning her attention to the container, safely in her hand. "Better than I could've hoped for."

[joan_of_bark]

"Have you gotten some peace?"

Pam's voice was a little softer.

(What. It wasn't like this hadn't been about Octavia being an attractive woman at all.)

[okteiviakom]

"Peace is relative," Octavia replied, mild and a little quieter. "But... Yeah."

They'd met in the woods, with her hands in the undergrowth. She didn't think she needed to explain the weight and worth of it, no, because Ivy already knew.

"It's not perfect, and it's not like it... was," she added. "But it's more than I had without this."

[joan_of_bark]

"Sometimes that's all we can ask for," Pam said. "Unfortunately."

[okteiviakom]

"I'm pretty good at wringing whatever I can get out of whatever I get my hands on," Octavia replied, turning the container over in her hands. Her tone was dry, but in a mild way. Like maybe under other circumstances it might have leaned a little more wry instead. "I think they call that survival."

[joan_of_bark]

"They do," Pam said. "I think they also say we're not supposed to live like that forever."

(Hypocrite.)

[okteiviakom]

"No," Octavia agreed, glancing up, through her lashes, "but if the other option is not to live..."

[joan_of_bark]

She really was quite pretty.

"Then you do what you can to get through, yes," Pam said. But eventually, you should probably think about when through was. Or if you were still just... running.

She thought of Harley. Something in her winced.

"This should keep you running for a few more months," she said abruptly, and turned back towards the back.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia raised her eyebrows, just barely. Was briefly distracted by all the red hair, then shook that off before the thought went any further.

"Okay, thanks," she said, measured, mild. "I'll owe you."