Private The House Always Wins

[Cato Harth]

The guard raised a brow, and stood still in the face of Inanna's advances. Cato looked between the two of them, unsure of how to feel about his fiancée's tactic (even though it was just for show). But once she was done, the guard just laughed, and shook his head, "Nice try, miss. But ah, you're barking up the wrong tree," He seemed to point at Cato with his eyes, further accentuating his underlying meaning. It took a moment for the Jedi to piece it together, but when he did, he cringed at their unfortunate luck. The guard stepped forward, "I'm gonna have to ask you two to lea-"

Cato stepped forward and waved his hand, "It's fine. We're expected. You can let us in," A mind trick was the last opportunity they had before things risked turning ugly. He watched the guard's reaction nervously, but after a beat, he repeated, "It's fine. You're expected. I can let you in," Cato sighed, and gave the man an appreciative wave, "Thank you much, sir. You can take a break. You've earned it."

"I can take a break. I've earned it," The man nodded to himself, and stepped outside.

Cato shot Inanna an awkward, half-amused look, "Guess you shoulda turned into a dude after all," Through the door was a long grey hall, with several doors. Most seemed to lead somewhere mundane; A break room, a locker room, a security office. "Don't suppose they're keeping my mom in-"

The sound of approaching footsteps and unintelligible voices cut off his quip. Cato opened the door to their immediate left and shoved himself and Inanna inside. The space was cramped, some kind of small closet, leaving them in a slightly awkward positioning. He did his best to listen in, hearing a voice that he could only suspect was the man they saw come in here, "-Bring that guy in. Need to figure out what he's up to," Cato shrugged. It seemed their target had suspicions about them after all.

"You think he's gonna be a problem?"

"Maybe. Just find him. And that broad he was with. I'll handle the rest."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Ah, chit.

Before Inanna could do anything else, Cato swiftly dealt with the guard, who left his post to take a break. She shot Cato a glance. “Thanks for saving me the trouble.”

They headed through the door and into a hallway lined with various rooms. Cato started to speak, only to cut himself off as he heard someone coming. Inanna found herself stuffed into a cramped supply closet with Cato. Good thing she was used to being tangled up with him, or else it would’ve been incredibly awkward.

The two gangsters passing by the closet door made her frown. Not only had their presence been noticed, it sounded like the whole gang was now on high alert. She waited until they were gone before she whispered, “They’re looking for a man and a woman together. Should we split up to throw them off our tails?”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato pursed his lips, "I dunno. Maybe? They probably already know who exactly they're looking for though, right?" Granted, Inanna could disguise herself as whatever. It was a bit more challenging for Cato. "Whatever we do, we should work on finding a lower level. That's probably where they keep their more shady operations, right?" Chances are there was an elevator somewhere in these backrooms that they could gain access to, but as Cato soon realized, "Might need some kind of authorization to access. A keycard or whatever."

They remained stuck in the closest for a little longer to make certain no one else was coming. Cato lightly drummed his fingers against a box, and smirked at Inanna, "Soooo… come here often?"

Once they seem to be fully in the clear, he cautiously opened up the door, letting Inanna squeeze out first before following. The area was empty, and at the opposite end was an intersection with a perpendicular hallway, both of which branch off even further, "Whatcha think?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Oh, he couldn't shapeshift. Right. She totally hadn't just forgotten that fact... "Find a guard, knock 'em out, drag their body into a closet, take their card, masquerade as them... Or use the Force to snag it from their pocket when they aren't looking. Just be mindful of any surveillance cameras."

A sudden noise outside silenced her. They waited a while, making sure no one else was around. Inanna caught Cato's eye, watching the smirk grow across his face. When he spoke, she pressed a finger to his lips. "You're supposed to be quiet," she whispered, letting her hand trail to the nape of his neck as she drew him into a kiss.

In moments like this, where the danger proved more tantalizing than terrifying, it was easy to forget why they were there. "Are you afraid we won't find her?" she asked softly as she pulled away, her cheek pressed to his. She could feel the imprint of his scar against her skin.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"Easy," Cato muttered, The sudden noise outside the door shut them up for a few long moments, until he became impatient to break the silence with a quip. Just as quickly, Inanna hushed him once more with a kiss. Cato made a noise, seemingly about to respond, when he became enveloped in the exchange. He pulled her closer (if that were even possible, given the cramped setting) and let himself enjoy a bit of fun while they were otherwise trapped. The knight chuckled between breaths, "We can't be doing this here of all places…" The circumstances were indeed a little exciting, and provocative. Adventurous, rather than harrowing. But he approached every mission with a bit of that cavalier pluck. And in many ways it was a mask, to hide the stress from both himself and others.

Inanna hit the nail on the head with her following question. Cato was silent at first, then puffed through his nostrils, "We'll find her. I'll make sure of it," Despite the confidence of his words, the worry in his eyes betrayed the Jedi's worries. So much had changed with 25 & Light since he left, they were effectively unpredictable. And with someone this important to him at stake, it was impossible to not fear.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

That was not a sound you made when you were trying to say something. Cato crushed Inanna against him, holding her tight as he kissed her back. But he was also the first to pull away.

"We can't be doing this here of all places…"

“You’re right. You’d make too much noise,” Inanna murmured coyly, flicking her tongue just below his ear. “Although you seem like you could use a little stress relief…”

She could feel the tension in him even as he chuckled, like a string pulled taut. Poised to snap. His devil-may-care attitude evaporated as soon as she posed her question, though he dismissed the notion. They would find his mother.

“I don't suppose you can you get a read on her with the Force?” she asked. The answer was probably no—it was too obvious a solution for him to not have already thought of it—but she couldn’t help wondering why not. Some Jedi seemed unable to pick one non-Force User out of a lineup when it came to sensing a particular presence. Though if Mrs. Harth was an NFU, where had Cato and his sister gotten their sensitivity from?

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

“You’re right. You’d make too much noise,”

Cato smirked, "You're one to talk," But despite how funny the concept of turning their lives into an X-rated parody might be, he wouldn't find any stress relief until his mother was safe, "We just need to get this over with," And then they would be done. They could close this chapter of their lives for good. He touched his forehead to her's, and cautiously opened the closet door to find an empty hall way.

"I'm not a very good Jedi," Still, he shut his eyes and tried to focus on a familiar presence, "She's not Force-Sensitive either, which just makes it harder," Eventually he shook his head, sighing, "I can't tell. We'll just have to search," Without further prompting, Cato moved down one of the intersecting hallways. For the sake of any security cameras, he walked with casual composure, like he belonged. It was a surprisingly effective tactic in most situations, and thanks to the tattoos on their neck, they had some tangible evidence to support the lie.

Eventually, he peeked down a hallway, and spotted a guard tapping away at their datapad, seemingly alone. Behind him, there was a camera, but their current position wasn't visible, "There's our guy. Just gotta get him over here somehow," Ideally without them or their takedown being seen on screen.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"My mouth would be preoccupied," she shot back, but smiled obligingly. "One more thing to look forward to when all this is over."

"I'm not a very good Jedi."

"Aw, you're good where it counts most." She tapped his chest with a finger. "Although that doesn't exactly help us at the moment..."

She followed him down the hall, maintaining a similarly casual gait, until they reached the corner. Raising her eyebrows as if she planned to do something spectacular, she peeked around the wall, raised her fingers to her lips, and whistled to attract the guard's attention.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato nearly broke their concealment with a laugh thanks to Inanna’s directness, but merely choked on air instead. He raised his eyebrows as high as they could go, until the importance of the mission finally overtook him once more, and they made their move.

“Maybe if we just-” Cato muttered the beginnings of a plan, only to be cut off by Inanna’s harsh whistle. Though his initial reaction was a wince, the Jedi then just shrugged after he heard, “The hell?” Followed by the sound of approaching footsteps. Sometimes the simplest plan really was the best.

“Something goin' on-?” The man droned, his eyes growing wide as he was immediately yanked out of sight around the corner, and knocked out by Cato just as quickly. He looked around, making sure no one else was coming right away, before kneeling down to search him. Sure enough, there was a keycard badge hanging from his belt, now stuffed in Cato’s pocket.

“Open that door for me,” He cocked his head towards a mystery room, and grabbed the unconscious body by his shirt and dragged him the same way.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

With Cato having knocked the guard unconscious, Inanna then opened the mystery door as requested.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato lugged the body into what appeared to be a boiler room, plopping it down and gently shutting the door like he was trying not to wake a child he had just put to bed. Something he had gotten pretty good at with Serena.

Once the door shut, he sighed, and dusted off his palms, "Cool. We got what we need. Probably," Cato held up the card again to examine it, when the sound of more shuffling feet and muffled voices heading from the way they came put him on alter, "Let's go," He took Inanna's hand, pressing further down the halls until he spotted an industrial turbolift at the far end. Getting in, inserting the card, and pressing the buttons was a scramble, but the lift soon shifted downward without interruption.

"We probably don't have much time before someone checks down here, sounded like they were moving quick," Either 25 & Light knew they were in the back somewhere, or didn't know, and were getting nervous about it. Either way, there was a good chance they'd run into more trouble. Cato rested his head against the back of the wall, and smirked, "What do you think Serena's doing right now?" Thinking about her was a good fallback in face of all the nervousness.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna eyed the keycard Cato had filched from the guard, though she too was spurred into action by the sound of shuffling feet. Cato led her by the hand down to the lift, where he inserted the keycard.

Waiting for the elevator to rise was nerve-wracking. She kept glancing over her shoulder, expecting to see another thug (or several) turning the corner. When the doors finally opened, she was the first inside, dragging Cato with her and frantically tapping the button that would take them down.

“Right,” she muttered with a sigh of relief. “We’ll have to start knocking heads together. Is this a no-kill zone, or can I vape a few of these old lady-abducting veshyasuta?"

"What do you think Serena's doing right now?"

Saying her first word or taking her first steps with us not there to see it was the first snarky response that came to mind. But she couldn’t say that. Especially not now. So instead she said, “Uh, I dunno. Eating something, maybe? Grandmas fattening up their grandkids is a universal concept, you know.” And hey, Lilith was a pretty good cook.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato remained silent for a moment, before answering, "…Just do what you have to," As a Jedi, he didn't set out to kill his enemies, but neither did he have qualms about resorting to lethal methods when presented with the ultimatum. It was basic self-defense, and if they had hurt his mother, they were already on very thin ice.

“Uh, I dunno. Eating something, maybe?

Cato smirked, "Which is to say she's probably smushing the food against her face over and over again?" Not always the cleanest of eaters, that one. It was a cute little vignette, for a bit of momentary escapism. But the lift came to a stop soon after, and his expression dulled just as quickly.

They were in some sort of basement (obviously), a large, spartan warehouse decorated with little more than stocks of crates. At the moment, it was seemingly unoccupied. Cato kept his hand on the hilt of his saber, alert for any signs of trouble, "C'mon…" If this had all been a waste of time, he would only fall deeper into despair.

The Jedi wandered to a small office, where multiple datapads were strewn about the desks. Most displayed business ledgers, containing what seemed, on the surface, to be all legal transactions. Cato scrunched his nose in doubt, and was ready to move on when he heard a muffled noise from the back closet. Carefully, he opened the door to see his mother, gagged and bound to a chair. She gasped in a mixture of shock and relief. Cato immediately removed the gag and knelt down to work on the bindings.

"C-Cato?!"

"Hey mom,"

"Inanna?! What are you two doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" He asked back, to which she fell silent, "…Did they hurt you?"

"Just some bumps and scrapes from when they first grabbed me, nothing else."

Cato took a closer look for himself, noting a bruise on her forehead. He became visibly angry, "I promise," She said, trying to calm him.

"You really don't know why they took you?"

Serena sighed, "…After your father died, money was tight. I had to seek the house and move into that apartment just to keep going, but the way things were, I was getting desperate to stay afloat."

"It was at the bank, just by chance actually, that I met one of the dealers. Or maybe they were there keeping a lookout for people like me all along. But they overheard my dispute with the banker, and offered an easy loan. Looking out for the community, or some shit. I knew it was risky, but as I said, I was desperate." Cato undid the binds, and sighed himself. He understood the mindset all too well, but it still hurt to see his mother fall into the same trap many others did, "Next thing you knows they're calling for interest. The interest goes up. The demands get harsher. I guess they finally got tired of waiting on me."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna preemptively let her lightsaber hilt slip into her hand, ready to face whatever might be lurking on the other side of the lift doors. They were both still counting on Mrs. Harth being alive and well, otherwise she would have resorted to violence from the get-go. Cato may have done the same. It was his mother, after all.

“Oh yeah,” she murmured, letting herself smile a little at the thought. “Much better having a messy eater than a picky one.”

The elevator doors opened to reveal… nothing more than a bunch of stacked storage crates. Cato and Inanna maneuvered through the maze of boxes together. She could see the tension building in him again, the desperation climbing like a wave that would crash into despair with nothing there to stop it.

A noise from a closet proved the obstacle they needed. Inanna stood guard by the door as Cato began to untie his mother’s bindings, giving the younger woman a small wave in greeting.

She listened to Mrs. Harth’s explanation of why 25 & Light had abducted her. Even with her back turned, Inanna could feel Cato’s anger like a star about to go supernova. These gangbangers were fethed ten ways till Tuangsday unless they stayed far the hell out of their way during the escape…

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"This is why you couldn't just leave?" Cato said, realization lighting his expression.

His mother nodded slowly. "If I ran, I was afraid things would only get worse. And then I'd be bringing you two into it. I'd be bringing my grandbaby into it," She looked up Inanna, almost apologetically. The distance she showed before was never for lack of care. Serena couldn't bear the thought of her mistakes hurting what few people she had left to worry about.

"Well it's ending now. We're leaving it all behind," Cato helped her up. She wobbled a bit, having been tied down for so long, but otherwise was able to move on her own, "I'll keep you safe. All of us, safe," He affirmed with steely-eyed conviction.

The turbolift came back down. The sound of the door opening was followed by the shuffling of several sets of boots. Cato grabbed his mom and pulled her down behind a wall with him and trusting Inanna to handle herself in the moment. But a voice called out, "Cato fucking Harth."

The Jedi blinked, his thoughts entering the liminal space between recognition and uncertainty. Apparently they had already pieced together some info about their intruders, "Thought I recognized that baby face of yours. You were just a little runt then, but those eyes of yours? Unmistakable," By the traveling of his voice, the man seemed to be meandering around the open space, rather than heading right for them. Perhaps he didn't know exactly where they were hiding. Or he was simply toying with his prey, "Don't worry, I ain't offended if you don't remember me. It's been a while. Hell, I practically forgot all about you till I did some research on that old bird. That name: Harth. It was too familiar. Small world, huh?"

There was a pause, followed by a sigh, "It's Lex, alright? There, I spoiled the surprise. Ring any bells?" It certainly seemed to. Cato's eyes flashed. Lex had been distant when the young Jedi joined the gang, but was quick to push him into the deep end. Lex was unforgiving, but he had made Cato into a survivor.

"Just let us go, Lex. This is over. We don't wan't any trouble." He finally called out from behind cover.

Lex barked a laugh, "Oh? Oh you don't want trouble? Seeing as how broke into our little setup, knocked out one of our men, I have a hard time believing that."

"You started it when you took my mom."

"Just recouping an investment, kid. You know how it goes here. It's business."

"We're leaving. If you're as smart as you used to be, you'll let us out without a fight."

Another laugh, "This is how you wanna repay us, boy? Repay me? I taught you how to survive! Then you run off and disappear, just to come back and steal what's ours?!"

"We'll pay the debt, dammit! If that's what it takes!" Cato's fist was clenched. It was taking all of his willpower to restrain himself right now. Maybe deep down, some part of him hoped Lex would give him an excuse to not.

"…Nah. Nah, I think we're way past that, Cato. We'll take the payment ourselves once you're all out of the way. But tell ya what, come out quietly, and I promise I'll make it quick for your mother. And that chick you brought with ya. Can't say I got as long of a look as I'd like but damn, I'm impressed you pulled a piece like that." Lex began chuckling once more, and Cato gave Inanna a single look, before breaking cover to take a shot at the first body he saw.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Of course, they couldn’t just leave unmolested. The Will of the Force wouldn’t allow that. As several gangsters rushed into the area, Inanna rolled into cover, taking up a position behind a crate across from the closet where Mrs. Harth and Cato were hiding.

"Cato fucking Harth."

Oh, great. Inanna was too irritated at this point even to snicker at this loser’s monologue. She let Cato do his Jedi thing, trying to get Lex to stand down, but of course he wasn’t interested in anything other than settling the score. Before Cato started shooting, the piece he had pulled seized hold of Lex, lifting him in the air and clobbering a few of his comrades with his body. Her goal was less to damage him and more to create panic and chaos in the ranks—if Lex was indeed the leader of this pathetic little posse, she was inclined to leave his fate up to Cato.

Once the shootout began, she hopped up on top of a large crate and ignited her lightwhip. The weapon snapped forward, the end of the coil of energy wrapping around the throat of a gangster down below. She swung him in an arc over her head. He was likely dead before he hit the hard duracrete floor on the other side, the whiplash having broken his neck—a fairly quick and painless way to die, ironically—but Inanna didn’t stay long enough to watch. She was already running and jumping across the boxes, evading blaster bolts and tearing weapons from the hands of her foes.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

It became immediately clear that these gangsters did not realize the full extent of the fight they had picked. If not when their leader was tossed about like a rag doll, then definitely when Inanna revealed her lightsaber. "Aw, shit!" One seemed to say, before any other noise was filtered out by gunfire.

Cato fired off a few more shots of his own before handing the gun over to his mother, "Stay here. This is just in case," Rather than give her a chance to protest, he leapt out and ignited his own saber, joining the fray. Cato cut the barrel of one thug's pistol, and kicked him back into a crate, which spilled open to reveal a stock of narcotics.

Between two Force users, there was little the gangsters could actually do to compete, even with superior numbers. That advantage quickly thinned, giving Cato the chance to focus his ire on Lex, tackling him to the ground. "You types just gotta ruin everything, don't ya?" He hissed. Cato punched him in the face, "We had a good gig going here! You coulda been a part of it!" From his sleeve, Lex swiftly drew a thin bladed dagger, cutting Cato's cheek, surprisingly close to his already-existing scar. The knight grabbed his wrist, but it wasn't enough to stop a second strike from embedding the blade in his shoulder.

Cato shouted angrily, but continued to pummel Lex until the man spat up blood, "You hurt my mom," Was all he said back, pulling the knife from his own flesh before plunging it into Lex's chest. The gangster gasped as air was driven from his body, his stranglehold on Cato's neck weakened with the last of his vitality, "Damn you, kid…"

Lex had fallen, and the rest of the thugs were either beaten, or had escaped while they still had the chance. Cato stood up groggily, clutching his forehead, then arm. But before he could take another step, a voice called out, "Stop!" One final loyalist stepped out of the corner where his mother hand been hiding, now pointing the gun Cato gave her at her head, "Don't do anything stupid, or she's toast." Carefully, Cato raised his hands in surrender, not wanting to risk his mother's safety any further.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

To her credit, Inanna managed to maintain a (mostly) dispassionate approach toward the fight, dispatching the thugs with an efficiency that bordered on ruthless, but never sought to prolong their suffering. She just needed them stopped, out of the way, taken care of. The safety of her family depended on it.

But it inevitably became harder to keep up the detached attitude, especially when she caught a glimpse of Cato fighting for his life against Lex. Another gangster came at Inanna with a knife while she was distracted, managing to puncture the soft flesh just below her breast. She responded by nearly ripping his head off his shoulders with her bare hands.

25 & Light wised up eventually, as more and more of their men began fleeing the scene. Inanna transformed into a giant serpent and coiled around three stubborn stragglers. She squeezed until they went limp, then tossed them aside.

"Stop!"

Inanna whirled around, facing the man who had taken Mrs. Harth hostage. With a fanged snarl, she melted back into the form of a woman. “You do realize that if you hurt her, you’re definitely dead,” she growled. “Let her go, and maybe we’ll let you have a running start.”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

The man looked back and forth between Cato and Inanna, the former nodded firmly, “She’s right. And it’s not like your boss is around to keep paying you, either. Now do the smart thing before this gets way messier…”

The combined message seemed to stick. After another beat, the thug pulled the gun away and laid it on the floor, shuffling away shamefully before making a full run for the turbolift. Cato had half a mind to take a petty shot at him, but choked down his more violent urge. He was tired, and he wanted it to be over.

Now, it was.

Cato approached his mother, “You okay? You hurt?”

“I-I’m okay. I’m fine. A little… frayed,” She chuckled anxiously, “But I’m fine.” It was probably the most action she had ever been involved in, and having a gun to one’s head was never exactly an enjoyable experience. The Harths embraced, finally able to take a moment and celebrate their reunion.

“It’s over now. We can leave this place behind for good,” Cato pulled away, and turned his attention to Inanna, once again shifting into worry, “Are you okay?”

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna watched the thug run with a sneer, then turned back toward her fiance and future mother-in-law. She glanced down at the stab wound below her breast, touching it with tentative fingers, only to pull back with a wince. Black blood dripped down to the duracrete floor.

“Eh, I’ve had worse.” She clamped a hand over the puncture regardless, then nodded to Cato. “I saw you get stabbed in the shoulder. Do you think any of these goons had medkits on them?” With her free hand, she gestured to the dead gangsters around them.

Cato Harth​