The Marina, Cat Island, Tuesday Night

[my_own_advocate]

They had traditions out here on Cat Island - or, well, ways to entertain the tourists that came through here week after week. Spirits had flowed freely well into the evening, and dances and costumes and all sorts of razzle dazzle had come through the diner and engulfed the docks in light.

But somewhere near the end of the evening, close to the big finale, three people wandered further and further away onto the beach. Lucifer, of course, was carrying a cooler in one hand, and his long, thin teal shirt hung loose and open around his body.

He was smiling a bit.

"I think we're almost far enough away," he said.

[[ for them ]]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

“We are,” Duke agreed. “They won’t be able to hear us over the music, either.”

[my_own_advocate]

"Shall we sit, then?" Lucifer asked, turning his head towards the beach. "Look at those gorgeous waves..."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia shrugged, with another lingering glance back towards the party. "I'm okay with it?" she offered.

A lot of the past week or so had involved Octavia making some attempts at being agreeable, but in this case she actually meant it.

[betterthanaplan]

"I'm definitely game." There'd been a fair amount of mild agreement between the two of them. Neither was trying to set off another argument.

He took a few more steps, then sat, legs bent, facing the water, though he was looking up at his partners instead.

"This looks like a great place to ring in the new year."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer set down the cooler next to Duke, and then flopped over in the sand right by it.

Possibly in front of it. He hadn't decided yet if, how and who was going to snuggle in the next few minutes. "Together," he sighed happily, "With just us and the ocean." Beat. "And some excellent wine."

[okteiviakom]

For her part, Octavia wasn't flopping down anywhere at all just yet.

She was toeing her shoes off so she could get her feet on and in the sand.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke slid his own feet into the sand, still watching her.

"Anyone have any resolutions to share?"

[my_own_advocate]

"Have more good wine and more good sex in the new year?" Lucifer offered.

[okteiviakom]

"I don't think I've ever had a resolution," Octavia added, watching the waves.

Well, maybe her resolution had been just to keep surviving, for many years of her life.

[betterthanaplan]

"I don't usually bother with anything serious," Duke said, nodding. He leaned back on his hands and looked at the water. "And anyway, I already have a pretty solid list of goals to work through right now. I think I'm with Luce on this one."

[my_own_advocate]

"I suppose I could also add," Lucifer mused, stretching his legs out across the sand, "'to a happier, healthier, more stable year'."

[okteiviakom]

Oh. That was probably something Octavia shouldn't stay quiet on.

"Yeah," she murmured. Very soft, digging her toes further into the sand.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke picked up one foot to poke her playfully in the leg with his toes.

"Whatcha thinking about, gona?"

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer leaned back. And perhaps quietly flipped open the cooler.

[okteiviakom]

"Nothing, really," Octavia murmured, as she gave Duke's foot a little nudge back with hers. "Just..."

She nodded towards Lucifer.

"What he said."

[betterthanaplan]

"Happiness, health, and peace," Duke said. He ran his toe gently down her leg. "Good plan."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer grinned. He scooted to the side a bit, until he was pressed up against Duke's side, and then flung an easy arm around the man's shoulders.

"With more island getaways," he said. "And a bit better communication."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia finally turned a little more towards them, although she was looking at her feet as she did, to keep from jostling the little connection she had going with Duke.

"Think that takes more than just saying 'better communication'," she noted, soft.

[betterthanaplan]

“Yeah?” Duke said, trying to encourage her to keep talking.

He kept his toe against her leg as she turned, leaving little trails of sand against her calf.

[my_own_advocate]

"Obviously," Lucifer said, but he was looking over at her with interest. "But that's something we can work on."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was oblivious to how they were looking at her. Or at least seemed to be.

She gave another one of her little hums as she sat down, cross-legged, more or less where she'd been standing. It was convenient for pulling Duke's foot to rest on her lap.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke wiggled his sandy toes at her.

“Baby steps.”

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer nodded. "Mhm," he added, in concurrence.

Then fished a bottle of homemade lemonade out of the cooler.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave another soft hum as she gently brushed some sand off of Duke's foot. It sounded a little far away, distracted. Like maybe she was listening to the distant noise from the party they'd left behind, more than she was listening to them.

And maybe she was.

But what it was doing was making her think about the end of the year, beginning of the next one, rituals and symbols and turning over a new leaf. She thought about what she'd got from one of the tourists and stuffed down her top, and cycles and paths and them.

And she said, "I miss us."

It sounded a little more present.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke blinked at her, a little furrow between his brow. He didn’t want to derail her if she was having deep thoughts, though, so he hummed a little and wiggled his toes again. Trying to give her space without making it weird.