Some days, Octavia’s heart’s desire is to ease into the morning with a quiet cup of tea. But as the saying goes: desire is the root of suffering. Especially when her roommate gets involved...

Additional tags: Epic Wub Time, gratuitous ascension, liquid-based coping mechanisms

This story was expanded from its original appearance as a finalist in the July 2018 Writeoff, "It Could Have Gone Better," with the assistance of Georg and Moosetasm! Cover art by Ars-Daemonium and moondragon0494, used with permission — but if you look closely you’ll see a DA watermark that I missed until late in the game. :-( I’ve requested a clean copy, and I’ll update it if I get one!