Advanced Bird Haberdashery, Wednesday, period 2

[betterthanaplan]

Duke, god love him, had honestly thought he might be able to come in and have the class do something other than bird hats, today. Maybe some bird themed yoga poses. Or read a story about a bird! He really ought to have known better.

The whole classroom was full of turkeys. Very unhappy, very aggressive turkeys.

After several moments of fending one of the largest turkeys off with a chair while — again — madly googling on his phone, Duke added a new rule to the class list:

Class rules:
1. Do not eat the birds
2. Do not FEED the birds

"Yeah, so, apparently feeding them can make them more aggressive," Duke said, trying for casual even as he was slowly chased around the front of the room by a 30 pound, belligerent bird. "So if you brought sausages to try to win these guys over . . . sorry?"

The turkey gobbled angrily at him and went after his shoes.

"So we're doing turkeys today!" Duke dropped the chair and scrambled up onto his desk. "They are large and aggressive." He glared at the turkeys. "And taste really good with cranberry sauce!"

The turkeys were undaunted.

"Also, the internet is really into the fact that apparently one of this country's founding fathers thought these guys should be our national bird." One of the turkeys at the back of the room took flight and swooped at him. "And you know what? I'm gonna give it to him. Good ol' Benny Franklin had something going there." He waved at the swooping bird and scowled. "For fucksake, stop it!"

The turkeys, startled by his volume, backed off and/or landed and started scratching at the tile and pecking around, looking for snacks. Duke sat down — still on top of his desk — and looked around for the hat instructions du jour.

"And we're apparently making them . . ." He picked up the paper and looked entirely put upon. "Fezes." He eyed the turkeys. "So . . . good luck with that."

Comments

Re: Talk to Duke

[betterthanaplan]

"I think it was just an easy place to use that the kids aren't technically barred from, but don't really go into that often." Duke shrugged. "Or Diaz is just lazy. I'd buy that, too."

He and Rosa really did not get along, no.

Re: Talk to Duke

[okteiviakom]

Octavia had picked up on that, yes. "I don't think lazy is her style," she drawled, but left it at that. Instead, she nodded down the hall. "Which one's yours?"

Re: Talk to Duke

[betterthanaplan]

"Number 11." Duke found it and opened the door. It was empty of any sign that it might be his, save for a note on the desk, which read:

Students of badass bitchery:
It has come to my attention that your teacher has assigned you to steal a specific item from the teachers' offices. Anyone who steals it and brings it to me instead will receive a cash prize, or item of equivalent personal value.
Cheers,
Duke Crocker, Professor of Piracy

"Yeah," Duke said, picking up the note with a smile. "I still have that hatchet, too."

He was rather proud of how that whole thing had shaken out.

Re: Talk to Duke

[okteiviakom]

Octavia leaned in to read the note, then looked up at him with a quietly amused huff and one eyebrow slightly raised.

"Wasn't this months ago?" she rasped. "Wow, you really don't come in here, ever."

Re: Talk to Duke

[betterthanaplan]

"Halloween, yeah." Duke shrugged. "I guess I could start using it. . . . What do people do with offices if they're not, like, doing payroll or whatever?"

He used his office at Luke's. Mostly to hide from his kitchen staff.

Re: Talk to Duke

[okteiviakom]

Snort. "You definitely shouldn't be asking me that," Octavia replied. "TV tells me they're mostly for intense conversations, or affair-related makeouts, or both."

No one ever actually did their jobs on TV, if you asked her.

Re: Talk to Duke

[betterthanaplan]

She wasn't wrong.

"Well. We can totally do one of those things, anyway," Duke said with a smile. "Though I guess it's not really 'affair-related'."

Re: Talk to Duke

[okteiviakom]

Octavia raised both her eyebrows, this time.

"You don't want to have an intense conversation?"

Color her shocked!

Re: Talk to Duke

[betterthanaplan]

"Not when I could be making out instead," Duke said easily.

They did have their fair share of intense conversations, too. But make-outs were typically much more fun.

Re: Talk to Duke

[okteiviakom]

He wasn't wrong. Still, Octavia snorted, quietly. "You're predictable."

She didn't mind it at all.

Re: Talk to Duke

[betterthanaplan]

"Ouch." Duke pressed his hand to his chest, giving her a mock offended look. "I prefer to think of myself as . . . motivated to enjoy the finer things in life."

Re: Talk to Duke

[okteiviakom]

Octavia, ever the master of mixed messages (including playful ones like this), rolled her eyes as she stepped closer to put her hand over his on his chest.

"That's also predictable, jaka."

Re: Talk to Duke

[betterthanaplan]

"You're mean," Duke said, smiling and leaning in to grab a quick kiss. ". . . Predictably so."

Re: Talk to Duke

[okteiviakom]

Octavia considered making him wait for his quick kiss, but, no. She met him halfway for it.

She hadn't been as off the grid this week, but she'd still managed to miss him.

"Probably, but you like it that way," she retorted. "Would you like me as much if I was nice?"

Re: Talk to Duke

[betterthanaplan]

"I'd have no idea what to do with you if you were nice," Duke said. It was true. Just look at how he reacted when she told him she loved him. "I'd probably think you were up to something."

Re: Talk to Duke

[okteiviakom]

"I wouldn't know how to be nice, anyway."

That was... half true? Thanks, poor socializing!

"Guess that makes you lucky."

Re: Talk to Duke

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shifted to put his arms around her waist, voice turning serious. "You definitely make me lucky."

Re: Talk to Duke

[okteiviakom]

Oh.

The smirk fell out of Octavia's expression as she shifted to loop her arms over his shoulders in turn, leaning further in.

"I could say the same thing."

She kind of already kept saying it.

Re: Talk to Duke

[betterthanaplan]

"Even though I'm 'predictable'," Duke said, some teasing creeping back into his tone.

Re: Talk to Duke

[okteiviakom]

"I like your kind of predictable," Octavia replied, softly though there was something teasing in her tone, too. If you knew how to listen.

She tilted her head a little. "Your kind is..."

She trailed off, not like she was trying to find the right words but rather like she was trying to decide whether she wanted to say them.

Re: Talk to Duke

[betterthanaplan]

"Don't worry," Duke said. "I promise not to let it go to my head."

Re: Talk to Duke

[okteiviakom]

Octavia huffed out a quiet laugh and shook her head, and reached up to snag a quick kiss of her own before saying anything further.

"You're predictable like the sun is predictable," she murmured. "And I don't know, that might sound unremarkable to some because they take it for granted that the sun comes up every morning. But it isn't unremarkable for me."

Not for the girl under the floor.

"I remember when sunlight never touched my skin, and what a difference it makes."

Re: Talk to Duke

[betterthanaplan]

Oh.

Duke blinked and cleared his throat. "Wow. My predictability is downright poetic."

Re: Talk to Duke

[okteiviakom]

Octavia pressed a kiss against his cheek.

"I have my moments."

Re: Talk to Duke

[betterthanaplan]

"You really do," Duke agreed. He leaned back against his desk -- without letting go of her waist, no. "So, we still on for the zoo next week? If you need more Preserve time, I totally get it."