Private Just Checking In

[Cato Harth]

“Huh. Are you a mechanic? Is that your real job?”

"More or less. Fix stuff, build stuff, sell stuff. Whatever people wanna pay me for."

Once inside Inanna hesitated, to which Cato simply replied, "Don't care how I'm lying, woman, just that I am." He shot a smirk, which quickly dissipated as he sunk into the leather with a groan.

Medkit? He took a second to think, before pointing at the door to the refresher room, "Uhhh… cabinet. Under the sink." His voice was muffled from his face being smushed against the arm of the couch. "Give it to me straight, doc, how much longer I got?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Yeah yeah, I’m sure my half-naked medical examination is a personal fantasy of yours.”

Returning with medkit in hand, Inanna made a show of examining him. “I think you should be fine, provided you avoid getting shot in the ass next time. Although I’ve heard that's actually relatively survivable—for humans, that is, if you’re going to be shot no matter what, it might as well be there…”

A beat passed as she worriedly checked his other injuries. She didn’t think they were that bad, but part of her was afraid they’d turn out to be even worse…

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"You said it, not me."

The wound stung, but with a bit of patching up there would be no lasting damage, "I dunno, without my ass, why else would I wear that tight suit?" He chuckled at his own joke, "Guess I'll just have to put in some extra squats to make up for it."

Cato tentatively rolled over to allow an examination of his other wounds; More blaster hits, similarly non-life-threatening provided they were treated. At worst, a few of them might leave marks when all was said and done, "What's a few more scars, right?" On top of the plenty he already had. Cato studied Inanna through the process, noting that sense of concern she carried, "Aw, you worried about me?" He said with his typical roguish smirk.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

The wounds were little more than superficial. He would be fine.

Inanna was relieved, but the tension was slow to bleed out of her. She could no longer muster up the will to joke around, her expression humorless and drawn.

"Aw, you worried about me?"

She opened her mouth to reply, then closed it. Her head slumped forward as she wrapped an arm around him, hiding her face against his chest. Breathing him in. She didn’t want to alarm him, didn’t want to make him worry, but…

“This is reminding me too much of old times,” she said.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato had initially found her expression endearing and tease-worthy, but her subdued reaction quickly wiped the smile from his face. Inanna hid against him, and he wrapped an arm around her in turn.

“This is reminding me too much of old times,”

He frowned, and squeezed a little tighter, "I'm sorry." Much more sincere than his usual array of quips. It was sometimes easy to forget just how much Inanna had gone through. Cato was hit with a sense of shame.

"I'll be okay, Inanna. Just a few burns," He said, hoping that it might be of some reassurance, "Another day on Nar Shaddaa, y'know?" Time and time again, Cato found his back against the wall. Time and time again, he got out of it one way or another. He had confidence in his skill, but it wasn't exactly hard to see why the possibilities might be scary.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"I'm sorry."

“Don’t be,” she murmured, lifting her head up just long enough to meet his gaze. “You’re all right. That’s all that matters.”

This was her own doing. She relied on dark humor to cope, right up until the jokes stopped being funny. Until she wound up hurting herself and others in the process.

But even if she hadn’t tried to make light of their situation, this would’ve happened anyway. There was no avoiding it, no running away from the past. It always caught up with her, sooner or later.

“A few burns or not, you won’t be gallivanting around Narsh anytime soon,” she said, after some time had passed. “I’d offer to go check out the terrorists’ hideout on my own, but after all that, I’m not sure I can handle it alone.” Her tone was softer than usual, her touch more tender as she nuzzled his chest. “I assume we’ll also have to postpone the mandatory breaking-in of this couch. Oh well.”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato offered a faint smile, and held her closer, soaking in Inanna's presence and nothing more. When she spoke again, he fluttered open already tired eyes. "I wouldn't want you to anyway." He quickly added to the concept of her making a solo effort. Suddenly a fear similar to her own rose back into him, as it had when she first got hurt. Even still her final comment was enough to earn a chuckle, "I'm running dangerously low on furniture to break. Gonna have to start charging you for damages at this rate."

There was a suggestive glint in his eye, before Cato pulled Inanna's lips into his. Initially an excited, steamy kiss, that then melted into something slower, and more tender. He eventually pulled away to voice his own concern, "...How's your wound? Is it… okay?" He shifted as if getting ready to check and treat it himself.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

She made a shrugging gesture. “Sure. I’m loaded, you know. More than a century of investments and interest have accrued in my bank accounts.” Only after she spoke it did she realize how she sounded. “I mean—I donate to charities regularly, and most of it’s been going toward the refugees, of course—”

He shut her up with a kiss. Inanna knotted her fingers in his black hair, making a soft sound when he pulled away, low and wistful.

“Doesn’t hurt anymore,” she replied. But then she straddled him, keeping her weight on her knees, and asked, “How does it look to you?”

Lit by the faint blue glow of the Star hanging around her neck, even the gray scar over her flesh was beginning to fade.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"Show off." He teased as they pulled away from their kiss. She moved on top of him, which earned another impish look, though his attention then turned to the fading scar. Cato's hand grazed gently across the area, before settling on her hip. "As good as ever."

The thought came that regardless of healing, presumably a Shi'ido could simply make scars disappear from their body just by shapeshifting. He shrugged at his own internal monologue. A nice feature, though he wondered if he would even be interested in removing his own. They did add a certain character.

"Thoughts on the apartment?" He asked idly, "Is it everything you dreamed it would be?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"It is very you," she replied, settling comfortably on top of him like a cat. "A little rough around the edges, but… liveable. Enough that I could even grow fond of this place eventually."

He’d asked a similar question about what she thought of his ship. Why? She cupped his face in her hands, fingertips stroking the curve of his jaw. "Were you afraid I'd be disappointed?"

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"I'll take it," He smirked, sinking back a little more into the couch. His free arm flopped off the edge as he finally took the lapse in action to relax. Cato stared blankly at the appealing sight above him, a sight which seemed to be studying him in return. Her question earned a blink as it processed.

Had he made more of a show of it than he thought? He shrugged sheepishly, "Oh- Nah, I was just joking around, I guess." An awkward chuckle, "I dunno. I told you before I was pretty poor growing up. You are-- not. At least not now. Guess class difference is something I've always been pretty conscious of…" Bonadan might as well have been in a constant state of class warfare. Material wealth meant a lot there, more than even most other parts of the galaxy. "It's not much so, I was just overthinking how you might take it." For Cato, it was all he had. On Bonadan they arguably had less. He could see the distaste in their overseer's face even now.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Well, I’m glad you don’t just see me as a sugar mommy who can buy you stuff,” she said with a smile. “Just like I’m glad you haven’t asked me to change my form to something that pleases you more.” Although she probably would be willing to do both if he asked nicely…

“Anyway, I don’t mind this. I’m just happy to be here with you. You might as well be the only thing I see in any room you’re ever in.”

She sighed, biting her lip as she cast a longing gaze over his face. Cato was good looking, but not in a conventional, generic way—and that only made him all the more appealing. Hal had been like that, too, only with Zeltron pheromones thrown into the mix…

“You should probably rest,” she suggested, stopping her train of thought before it could go any further. “Do you want me to carry you to bed, or stay out here?”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Her sincerity made him smile back. Even blush a little. It wasn't the kind of thing he got to hear often. Certainly not on Nar Shaddaa, where the majority of words thrown at him were slurs or death threats. "Can't get much out of my sugar mommy when she keeps breaking my stuff. At best it's a net-zero gain." He teased, "And yes, you are… super hot, but… those things are just bonuses." It would be a lie to say that wealth didn't have value, though for him all he ever wanted out of credits was genuine stability. And as interesting as her taking on another form might be, she was plenty enough as is. "You're one of the only people in this galaxy that gives a damn."

Her question hardly registered, and he started to pull himself up into more of a sitting position, with her still on his lap, "Here is fine." Cato groaned a bit at the initial pain, but shrugged it off, running a hand through her white hair. He leaned in, wrapping arms around her waist, kissing her neck, "I just want you." A line repeated from earlier, but no less true now.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

She laughed. “You’re partly to blame for breaking all the furniture, you know. Maybe you should stop being so good at what you do.”

One of the only people in this galaxy that gives a damn. Ain’t that the truth. But it occurred to her that he wasn’t just referring to her caring in general, but caring about him specifically. Oh. That was… rather sad, actually, if he felt that way.

His breath was hot against her neck, driving all other thoughts from her mind. “Hey, don’t hurt yourself,” she whispered. But his need matched her own, and there seemed to be no deterring them. They’d just have to take things slow and gentle. Maybe the couch would even survive this time…

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"Heh. You make a good point." He exhaled, "That wouldn't be very fun, though, would it?"

Cato was already getting caught up in the moment. It was too easy to. Suddenly the state of his couch was of complete disinterest. Her concern received a breathy chuckle, "Nah, I'm pretty sure this'll make me feel a lot better…" A slow burn would be a nice change of pace from their previous exploits. He continued to pepper her neck with kisses, trailing gradually down her body…

---

The nap after was much needed. Cato hardly so much as left the couch since he had first been dropped there, and during that time it may has well been the most lavish bed in the galaxy, as far as he was concerned. It had indeed survived this time, although it seemed a bit more squeaky than he remembered it being before. Oh well.

Cato stirred from his resting, only craning his head up to look around, "Inanna?" The first thing out of his mouth. A faint grimace flashed across his face. His injuries still ached, but they had been treated well and were of no lasting concern. He could move, he could fight. That was enough.

Inanna Harth

 

[Inanna Harth]

There was no response.

Inanna had seemingly vanished from the apartment. The only sign that she had ever been there was the Star she had left hanging around Cato’s neck while he slept… and a note.

I know I said I wouldn’t go alone, but something came up. I’d also say don’t follow me, but I know you probably won’t listen. Hopefully I’ll be back before you wake up. - Inanna

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato groggily read her note, the contents of which launched him into wakefulness, "Naaaw, shit-" He practically fell off the couch, scrambling to pull himself back onto two feet and run for his closet.

"C'mon…" There, he threw back a rack of clothes and ran his hand along the back wall, where a false panel gave way to reveal his hidden suit. He donned the costume, and put on a set of regular clothes over top, tucking away the mask in his jacket. Then it was up the stairs, out the door, and into an alley, where he fired his grappling hook at the nearby roof and swung up. Off to find Inanna before something bad happened.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna hadn’t exactly left a trail to follow, but the terrorist hideout was an easy enough guess. It had been completely abandoned by now, with nothing but trash remaining inside the building.

Cato should be able to sense Inanna somewhere inside, though it wasn’t immediately apparent where she was. However, a trapdoor on the first floor had recently been disturbed. Opening it would reveal stairs leading down into the basement…

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato returned to the same house as before, like they had planned before those Badges got in the way. He took a few cautious steps in, finding nothing beyond the general sensation of Inanna's presence. She was here, that much was certain. For now he remained quiet, not wanting to take any chances in the event they weren't alone after all.

His gaze soon caught note of the trap door, which he opened slowly, the sound creaking a little more than he would've liked, just hopefully not enough to draw unwanted attention. His steps down were equally methodical, until he eventually reached the basement floor.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

It was virtually pitch black in the basement, but far from silent. Voices could be heard talking. One of them was Inanna.

“... a complete and total failure, if you don’t start talking now,” she growled.

The second voice was male, and sounded like he was barely keeping it together. “Okay, okay—just don’t hurt me, please.”

“As long as you don’t feth around and find out, you should be fine. For now. Talk.”

Cato Harth​