Private Because the Night

[Katarine Ryiah]

Take me now, baby, here as I am​

Location: Fondor - Law Enforcment Headquarters
Objective: Open New Black Marsh Investigation
Tags: Dean Walker


The interrogation room was thick with tension, the weight of hours pressing down on both participants. Jedi Master Katarine Ryiah's expression was a perfect mask of controlled fury, her hands clasped in front of her as she studied the criminal across from her. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but he still refused to crack. He had already denied everything, despite the circumstantial evidence stacking against him. The bomb that had torn through the orphanage was ruthless, but it was Katarine's anger, not her calm demeanor, that was starting to break through. Her partner in this grim dance, a towering Duro named Virok, had played the role of the sympathetic good cop, offering quiet reassurances and asking gentle questions, only to be overshadowed by Katarine's cold, relentless interrogation. She leaned forward now, her voice low but steely, as she pressed him once more. "You know what you've done," she said, the unspoken weight of a so many lives hanging between them.

Virok bristled at her anger and held up his hands. "Give him a minute! He just needs time to think. We've been here for hours! Please!" His pleading sounded almost sincere, as he was playing his role well. Katarine on the other hand slammed her fist down on the table next to the criminal and leaned even closer.

"Get me a pot of caf and I'll go all night with this bantha scum!"

Suddenly the door of the interrogation room opened and in walked the police commissioner, a burly human male with greying hair. "Ryiah, Virok, now!" He jerked his head out of the room and then closed the door. Katarine and Virok followed into the other room where the suspect would be unable to see beyond the one way mirrors. As soon as they were in the other room Katarine recognized the man standing next to the commissioner. He was a well known criminal attorney who always took clients related to large criminal syndicates. His track record for getting criminals off was impressive, almost as impressive as his complete lack of ethics. She narrowed her deep green eyes at the man as a way of greeting.

"Punk lawyered up." The commissioner said.

"Chief we have to get a confession out of this guy or we have nothing." Virok spoke up, sounding a little worried now, which made the lawyer smile.

"Seems like my client is pretty lucky I arrived when I did."

Katarine stepped closer to the lawyer, bristling with anger. "Your client is the reason thirteen mothers buried their children this week. He's lucky to be feeling anything from the waist down."

"Ryiah!" The police commissioner sounded stern, indicating Kat should back off. For a long moment she held the lawyers eyes, cold rage radiating off her, but finally she walked past him, down the hall and into the first open meeting room she found. Normally she believed in the justice system but there were times when she questioned its effectiveness. Today was one of those days and it was eating at her. She turned and slammed her fist into the wall, the injustice of the situation and the memory of the grieving parents washing over her, making her feel helpless.

"Sithspit!" She cursed, fuming and the pain shot through her tiny delicate hand, and then realized she was not alone in the room. She turned slighttly and was shocked to see none other than Dean Walker leaning casually against the wall. Her irritation at the lawyer earlier evoporated on the spot, replaced with a feeling of butterflies in her stomach. She felt her cheeks blush and inwardly cursed herself. How was it possible that one man could make her feel so awkward? She rubbed her hand gently, blushing at her outburst and the sudden rush of affection she felt towards the man standing in the room with her.

"Dean... what are you doing here?"

Little did she know that he had been tracking for signs of known Black Marsh offenders and they had a lead. Bodies were being dumped on Anaxes, all of them with Enfleurage residue on them, the criminal signature of a nasty piece of work who had been locked up in Black Marsh alongside Katarine centuries ago.

 

[Dean Walker]

Dean pushed off the wall, his sharp gaze never leaving her as he closed the distance between them. Katarine's frustration still hung thick in the air, the tension in her shoulders making it clear just how much this case had gotten under her skin. But as soon as she saw him, that anger flickered, replaced by something else — something softer, something unspoken.

But first things first.

Without a word, he reached for her hand, his fingers brushing lightly over hers before he took it in his own. His thumb traced slow, deliberate circles over the bruised skin of her knuckles, feeling the residual heat from where she had slammed it into the wall. She was so damn stubborn. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Kat," he said, his voice low and steady, "I've got something that might help with your case. Something big." He let the words linger, but his focus didn't shift. Not yet. Because the moment he touched her, the moment he felt how small and delicate her hand was in his, something else tightened in his chest. The same thing that always did whenever she was around.

His grip stayed gentle but firm as he tilted his head slightly, his gaze locking onto hers. "But first… I wanted to check on you." His voice dipped, quieter now, edged with something more personal. "You've been working a lot."

A beat. A pause just long enough for the weight of it to settle.

Katarine Ryiah
​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Pull me close, try and understand​

Tags: Dean Walker

Like any determined cop, Katarine was consumed by the pursuit of solving the case. She saw the monsters when she closed her eyes, heard the victims' cries echoing in her dreams. Hours slipped by at home as she stared at the case board, re-reading files for the thousandth time, desperately searching for the one clue she might have missed—the connection that would finally make sense of it all. Her obsession with Black Marsh bordered on madness; the dark place haunted her thoughts relentlessly. But everything changed the moment Dean said her name. For the first time in months, Black Marsh no longer lingered in her mind. The man standing before her consumed every thought, every breath.

"Kat," he said, his voice low and steady, "I've got something that might help with your case. Something big."

His words should have sparked her curiosity and sent her investigative instincts into overdrive, but all she could focus on was the feeling of his hand on hers. He was so much larger than she was, built powerfully like his ex girlfriend and the women she feared he desired. His hand easily held her own small one as his warm thumb rubbed circles around the flesh that was likely already starting to bruise from her brash actions.

"But first… I wanted to check on you." His voice dipped, quieter now, edged with something more personal. "You've been working a lot."

He was right. She had thrown herself into her work, determined not to let her emotions spiral out of control as they had in the past. When her husband had left her, it had nearly shattered her. She had sworn she would never let herself break the Jedi Code again. Attachments were forbidden for a reason, and even if this new generation of Jedi didn't fully understand it, Katarine did. She knew the consequences all too well. But standing here, feeling his warm hand close around hers, watching the tension in his shoulders, hearing the low, soothing cadence of his voice, and locking eyes with his piercing silver gaze... her heart raced, betraying her every vow.

Without thinking, she rose onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips gently to his. The instant their lips met, a surge of electricity shot through every nerve in her body. Sure, he had kissed her once before—during a game of strip poker, no less—but that had been playful, nothing more than a fleeting moment. This, however, was different. For Katarine, it was more than just a kiss; it was a deep hunger, a need only he seemed to stir within her. But beneath it all simmered something darker—an intense reluctance, a fear that she couldn't quite shake. She pulled away almost too quickly, her body screaming for more, her heart already retreating behind the walls she had spent years building, and her mind scolding her for her impulsive recklessness.

"I'm sorry... I... shouldn't.. ..." She closed her eyes, still too close to him and took a few steadying breaths. She had missed him more than she cared to admit to herself. She took a step away, trying to ignore how much his body felt like a giant magnet holding her there.

"You said something about a case?" Trying to steer the conversation back into professional waters as her face burned with a pink flush.

 

[Dean Walker]

Dean barely had time to register the warmth of her lips against his before she was already pulling away, a flustered apology tumbling from her lips, her breath uneven. But he had felt it — that spark, that hunger, that tension that had been simmering between them for far too long.

And, hell, he wasn't about to let her run from it now.

The case could wait just a few minutes.

Before she could retreat any further, before she could throw up those damn walls again, Dean stepped in, closing the space between them in one smooth, deliberate motion. His hands found her waist, his touch firm but careful as he drew her back in, and this time he kissed her.

No hesitation. No second-guessing. Just pure, unspoken need.

It wasn't a fleeting moment, not a teasing brush of lips or a casual game. No, this was deeper, slower, something that had been building for far too long. His fingers splayed gently against her back, pulling her just close enough that he could feel the soft hitch in her breath, the way her body melted instinctively into his. The whole galaxy could have burned down around them, and he wouldn't have cared.

When they finally broke apart, Dean didn't pull away. His forehead rested lightly against hers, a slow, satisfied grin curving his lips as he lifted a hand to brush a stray lock of her two-toned hair behind her ear. His thumb traced a feather-light path along her cheek, lingering as he met her gaze — warm, steady, completely unwavering.

"You've been working too damn hard, Kat," he murmured, his voice dipping into something softer, something meant just for her. "You needed that." His grin deepened as he tilted his head slightly, silver eyes gleaming with something knowing, something fond.

They needed that.

And he wasn't about to pretend otherwise.

Katarine Ryiah
​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Desire is hunger, is the fire I breathe​

Tags: Dean Walker

Before she could retreat further she felt his strong hand grip her waist and pull her towards him. He kissed her deeply and she met his lips greedily, a soft sigh escaping her lips. Her hand traced the tight muscles in his back, her nails softly pressing into his flesh just slightly. She felt herself melt into the embrace and for a fleeting second her worries were put at bay. There was nothing except him and his strong presence.

Too soon, he pulled away, his forehead gently resting against hers. His fingers brushed her cheek, and she took a shaky breath, her deep green eyes locking with his steady, unwavering gaze. Her own gaze, a mix of uncertainty, fear, and undeniable desire, met his with a silent intensity.

"You've been working too damn hard, Kat,"

His voice was soft, deep, laced with an undeniable hint of his own longing. Katarine offered him a weak smile, her body still trembling from the weight of all her unspoken emotions. In his powerful embrace, she felt simultaneously small and vulnerable, yet wrapped in a sense of safety and quiet contentment.

"You needed that."

She inched closer, resting her head against his chest, inhaling the warmth of his scent. "I missed you," she whispered, the words slipping out before she could stop them, knowing full well they weren't the wisest to speak. Did he know the truth of her past? Did he understand how far removed she was from the world he knew? Did he realize she came from a time when the Jedi were forbidden attachments? He couldn't possibly know the storm of thoughts racing through her mind in that moment.

She pulled away gently this time, though she didn't fully retreat, keeping a sliver of closeness between them as she smiled, her bravado returning to mask her fleeting vulnerability. "You certainly know how to make a girl want to take some time off," she teased, her grin playful. Even as the words left her lips, she found herself imagining them on a beach somewhere, or locked in a cozy mountain lodge, away from everything else. The thought, surprisingly, felt more appealing than she cared to admit.

"So.. how about that case?"

 

[Dean Walker]

Dean let out a slow breath, his arms tightening around her just a little more before he dipped his head and pressed a lingering kiss to the top of her head. Yeah, he'd missed her too. More than he'd admit outright, but in this moment, wrapped up in the warmth of her against him, he figured she already knew.

"Good," he murmured against her hair, his voice a little rougher now. "Because after this case, we're taking some time off. No excuses." And he meant it. Kat worked herself too hard, buried herself in missions and responsibilities like she was trying to outrun something. But that wasn't happening this time. Not with him here.

For now, though… business first.

Reluctantly, he loosened his hold on her just enough to grab a datapad from the inside pocket of his jacket. "I got something for you," he said, holding it out with a small smirk. "Intel on our guy. Ship records, movement logs, a few names that keep popping up in connection to him. Not a full picture yet, but it's enough to keep us moving."

His silver eyes studied her face for a moment, catching the way she still seemed just a little off-balance. He didn't blame her — hell, he wasn't exactly steady himself after that kiss. His fingers brushed lightly over hers as he handed her the datapad, lingering a second longer than they needed to.

"But," he added, his smirk deepening just a fraction, "If you wanna call it for the night, I won't argue." He tilted his head slightly, eyes gleaming with something knowing. "I got a room in a hotel nearby." A slow pause. "Good view. Comfortable bed. Could be a good place to… debrief."

The teasing edge in his voice was unmistakable, but there was something real under it, too. He wasn't about to push her into anything, wasn't going to pull her away from work if she wasn't ready to step back. But if she was? He wasn't going anywhere.

Katarine Ryiah
​