betterthanaplan | The Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Monday afternoon

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The Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Monday afternoon

As tempting as it was to just stay in their little vacation bubble at sea, Duke and Octavia did have things to do back in Fandom now that the school break was over, so the Cape Rouge chugged back into port in the late afternoon to dock at her usual slip.

It was immediately beset by porgs.

"Alright, alright," Duke said, a laugh underlining the exaggerated annoyed tone of his voice. "I know, I know, how dare I exile you from your homes. I'm a cruel, cruel man."

[open! With slowplay warnings in effect for

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Octavia's repeated shrug was a little more vague than the last one.

"It's really not that different from everything that happens here," she said. There'd been some creepy toys involved when Krampus had kidnapped a bunch of people earlier this year, even. "But you know, that was just... one thing."

She glanced around the deck of the Cape Rouge, her lips tilting into a tiny smile that was both faint as well as distinctly fond.

"It was mostly a really good week."

"You know I'm going to ask right? You know I am? One thing? What aren't you telling me, Octavia?"

Spit it out, please.

Octavia's shoulders slumped a tiny bit. She didn't want to tell him.

She couldn't not tell him. Not him, not when he asked directly.

"Duke's ex showed up," she said mildly, keeping her eyes on one of the crates that were a little further down the deck. "He's a cop, and he didn't like what we were doing."

Because he didn't like whatever Duke was doing, ever.

"Duke ex who's a cop showed up and didn't like that you were trying to fight toys?" Does he have that right? Because this is a weird story if so.

Every story in her life was a weird story.

Octavia wasn't looking at him as she shrugged a little. "He was giving Duke grief, practically like it was all his fault," she said, her voice utterly mild but also a little quieter now. "So I punched him."

A pause - and she really wasn't looking at him now.

"And he arrested me."

"What??" Bellamy gave her a look and then sighed, shaking his head. "He arrested you because you took a swing at him? Octavia, come on."

That could have ended really badly.

Octavia's panic when it had happened said it had already ended badly.

But she wasn't going to say that.

"He was being a dick to Duke," she replied, finally looking up at him. "That's why he arrested me. The punch was an excuse."

"I'm a dick to everyone, Octavia but I don't go around punching them no matter how much I want to because that's..."

He sighed.

"That could have ended really badly."

"You don't think I know that?"

She was the one who'd been in prison for a year. But there was no heat in her voice: if anything, she sounded resigned.

And then her voice dropped into a murmur. "Duke wouldn't have left me to rot."

"I didn't say he would but — " Bellamy trailed off and sighed. "What if he couldn't get you out?"

"He would've gotten me out," Octavia replied, a little more vehemently this time.

She said it like there hadn't been any other option.

Possibly because she couldn't consider the possibility that there had been.

"You can say that now because he did but you don't know that," Bellamy told her, shaking his head. "You're an adult, you can make your choices but that was a stupid one."

Said the king of stupid choices.

"Well, it already happened," Octavia said, with a little scowl that was still on the mild side. "And I already paid for it. We both did."

She'd seen how much it had freaked Duke out when Nathan had dragged her away.

He scowled and then sighed. There was nothing to be done about it now, was there?

"Are you okay? Is he?"

Octavia's expression smoothed back into something mild, but still soft. "We're both fine, Bel," she said. "We had a few days to just... calm down."

She was going to have so many jail cell themed nightmares, though. She already knew it.

"How long were you actually in jail?" Bellamy asked. "How long did it take him to get you out?"

So Bellamy could judge him.

"About an hour, I guess."

It had felt longer.

"What did Duke do to get you out? Pay bail?" Bellamy wondered.

Octavia sighed. "We met this woman, Gloria, the day before," she said. "She was with us when I got -- when it happened, and she knows the Chief. So she talked to him for us."

For her.

"Another ex?" Hey, just wondering.

He got a dry look in return.

"She's like what I assume grandmothers are like."

(And don't you dare say anything about her age difference with Duke, Bellamy Blake. It was only eleven years! ... Okay, twelve.)

Edited 2020-03-17 15:33 (UTC)

"Oh." He didn't say anything about the age difference but definitely noticed. "Still could be another ex. Never know these days."

"Well, she's not," Octavia rasped. "They barely knew each other."

From Duke having sold her pot, but Octavia wasn't going to mention that.

Instead, her tone went softer again. "She's nice." Understatement, considering she'd stuck up for Octavia - and for both of them, earlier in the week.

"Whatever," Bellamy said, sighing and shaking his head. "Just try and not let it happen again. Next time you might not be so lucky."

The scowl as back.

"I didn't do it on purpose this time, either."

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