Private The House Always Wins

[Cato Harth]

Cato's worry didn't quite fade, despite Inanna's assurances. But they were all able to walk and talk, which would have to be good enough for now, "Hell if I know," He rubbed his shoulder, smearing a bit of blood. The injury hardly registered after the initial stab, with all the adrenaline surging through Cato's system. It didn't matter until his mom and fiancé were safe. Now, the pain began to creep back in.

"If we can head back home, I've got some first aid there," Serena spoke up. Cato smiled softly. It figured she would stay prepared all this time. Once everyone was ready to go, Cato led the way back up the turbolift. Anything thugs on the main level seemed to have cleared out quick. Whether the gang would actually pick up the pieces and continue operation, Cato couldn't say. Frankly, he was too tired to care. His focus was on his family now. He peeked open the door leading into the casino floor, where the patrons had all seemed to run as well. Likely, the sound of gunshots traveled and caused a panic. Cato shrugged, "Let's go before cops show up."

The knight went out front and revved his speeder bike, taking off once the two women were on board.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

With Mrs. Harth promising first aid when they got home, the trio headed back out the same way they had come. It seemed the shootout down below hadn’t gone unnoticed; the patrons had all vamoosed. The sounds of slot machines and music still filled the deserted casino.

A younger and less scrupulous Inanna might’ve been inclined to steal from the establishment while the opportunity presented itself. But the dead have no use for money, and to be honest, she just couldn’t be bothered anymore.

Outside, it had started to rain a little. Cato climbed onto his bike. His fiancée and mother exchanged glances, before Inanna quirked the corner of her mouth upwards and gestured to the bike seat. “You first,” she assented, climbing onto the back with the elder Serena sandwiched between her and Cato.

---

At the apartment, while Mrs. Harth tended to her son’s shoulder, Inanna went to get herself something to drink. 25 & Light had left the kitchen mostly untouched, apart from signs that one of the thugs may have stopped to make himself a sandwich. Stale bread and an open jar of mayo on the counter being the primary evidence. “Anybody else want anything?” Inanna asked. “Drinks, food…?”

She brewed some caf for herself and anyone who wanted it. “So, uh… Mom." She was allowed to call her that, right? "Now that you’ve taken care of business, what are your plans?”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"I'm fine, dear, thank you."

"Maybe a uh- Ow! That stung-!""Well if you'd just hold still for a-""I am holding still, you keep poking it-""Cato Harth, you're flinching more than a-""Because you keep poking-""I am not!" The topic spiraled into a bout of lighthearted bickering between mother and son, talking over one another until their words became so jumbled they were difficult to make out. In the end, Cato resolved to sit a little stiffer as Serena finished stitching the wound.

He blinked, finally remembering Inanna's question, "Oh, just some caf, if there's any left?" Serena was able to finish cleaning up the wound soon after, evidently experienced with a bit of first aid. No doubt thanks to the antics of her children in their youth. Cato in particular. She smiled warmly when Inanna called her 'Mom'.

"Well… I'm not really sure. I think I could live with moving off Bonadan once and for all. I don't know where, but, it would certainly be nice to be closer to my granddaughter. Speaking of, where is she now?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Smirking at their bickering, Inanna handed a mug of fresh caf to Cato. “Will you have to stitch this one up, too?” she asked his mother, cupping his chin so that she could admire the new gash on his cheek. “I imagine it’ll hurt even more because it’s on his face, poor man.” She planted a gentle kiss against the corner of his mouth, then sat down to drink her caf.

Mrs. Harth gave them the answer they had been hoping for all along. No more Bonadan. “Serena the Younger is on Alderaan, staying with my family in Maranatha,” Inanna replied. “Which is where we plan to settle eventually.”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato pouted at the thought of having his face stitched up, only breaking into a slight smile when Inanna kissed his cheek. Thankfully, his mom delivered a bit of good news, "Mmm… I don't think so. It's a pretty clean cut. I think he'll be alright with just a bit of bacta," She raised a patch and placed it over the wound. The substance seeping into the wound still burned, but was over much more quickly than stitching would be, "You'll get to keep your good looks, after all." Serena chuckled, and ruffled his hair like he were still a kid, before pointing to his old cheek scar, "Where'd this come from?"

Cato smiled sheepishly, "Uh… Sith commando's vibroknife?"

His mother blinked and shook her head, then stood up to put her things away, "Try to avoid any more hits to your face, dear."

"Gee, thanks. I never considered that before," He snorted, and took a sip of his caf.

"Alderaan, hm?" Serena nodded, "I've never been, but I hear it's lovely. If I can find an affordable place, maybe I'll do just that."

"We'll help you sort it out, mom. You're not on your own anymore," Cato looked to Inanna for backup.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“I don’t mind another scar either way,” Inanna murmured around the rim of her mug. Despite the caffeine, she still felt tired. It was pretty late, and they had beaten up a lot of gangsters tonight…

Spotting a holopic frame lying on the floor near the couch, she bent down to pick it up and did a double-take upon seeing the picture. Was that Cato? It couldn’t be—and yet it had to be. A very gawky, gangly Cato, probably a middle school portrait from the look of it.

The giant grin dropped from her face at the mention of a Sith commando’s vibroknife. “Which battle was that?” she asked, setting the frame back where she thought it was supposed to go.

Mrs. Harth was tentatively interested in Alderaan. Cato was quick to reassure her they would help, and he looked to Inanna to back him up. “Yeah,” she agreed lazily, nodding her head. “I know this guy named Senator Alicio Organa, you might’ve heard of him. He could probably hook you up with a nice house there, or whatever you want to live in. An apartment, a cottage, a cabin, a mansion, a shack… an igloo…” She shrugged. "You could even come live with us. Speaking of which, would you mind if we spent the night here?"

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato watched Inanna lift up the photo frame, just barely catching a glimpse of the photo, which he recognized. He chuckled, "I hated that picture," Serena turned around to look at it as well, and smiled, "That was probably… right before I left." Wistfulness touched his tone.

"Why do you hate it? You look so handsome."

"That's one word for it," He smirked, disagreeing with his mother's assessment.

"Everyone has to age into their looks," She patted his shoulder.

“Which battle was that?”

"That woulda been… Voss," Cato said after a moment of thought. It was probably a bad sign if he'd been in enough battles to almost mix them up, "That one did not uh, end on a personal high note," He flashed a pair of finger guns, "But I made it back in one piece."

Inanna backed hi up on the topic of Alderaan, "You think he'd really do that? I-I don't want to be a burden. I can find somewhere small-"

"Relax, mom. We'll get everything sorted out."

She sighed, and nodded, before turning back to Inanna, "Of course. Stay as long as you need. I suppose I should be getting some rest soon, myself. Busy… busy day."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“You were cute back then,” Inanna said, replacing the picture. “But you definitely had a… what do the kids call it these days? A ‘glow up’?”

"That woulda been… Voss. That one did not uh, end on a personal high note. But I made it back in one piece."

“I’m glad.” Scars were tolerable, dismemberment was not.

Mrs. Harth was clearly thinking of much more modest accommodations. “Anywhere you want, you got it,” Inanna said, holding up her mug as if in toast. “I’m also quite tired.” As if it wasn’t obvious from her rambling. “Uh… shall we take the couch?” This was a tiny, tiny apartment. Probably only had one bedroom, and Inanna wasn’t about to take it from the elder Serena.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato shrugged humbly, his views on the photograph warmed by their encouragement, if not quite fully swayed.

“I’m glad.”

"Me too," He smiled thinly. A lot had gone wrong in the final moments of that battle, but he had his allies had survived. The knight likely never would have gotten over it if Risen, or especially Centin, had been killed. Hopefully that pair were still doing alright.

Serena blinked at mention of the couch, "Oh, well, there is a spare room. It's a bit cramped. I-I'll sleep in there for the night. You two are guests, you can have the-"

Cato raised a hand to protest, silencing his mother's above and beyond hosting, "We'll make do with the spare room, mom. Go get some rest, you need it. We'll see you in the morning."

She sighed, and reluctantly nodded, "Okay, okay. Good night, you two," The Harths hugged again. Serena gave him a kiss on the cheek, and Cato gave her a kiss on the forehead, before the elder retired to her bedroom. Once the door had shut, Cato arched back in a stretch, "Welp. Helluva day. Ready to tuck in?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Oh, good. We have a really bad habit of breaking couches—” Inanna broke off, realizing abruptly who she was talking to. Her cheeks darkening with a hot blush, she looked down into her mug, vainly hoping Mrs. Harth would take the statement at face value.

Cato curbed his mother’s generosity and sent her off to her own room for the night. Inanna admired the sight of him stretching. He’d taken his shirt off to tend to his shoulder wound, and never bothered to put it back on.

"Welp. Helluva day. Ready to tuck in?"

Humming in agreement, she set aside her cup, rose to her feet, and reached for his hand. “Is everything finished with 25 & Light?” she murmured softly, looking up at him. “Or do you think there’s a chance they might come looking for revenge?”

More enemies, more problems. Just what they needed. For once, she’d like for things to finish up neatly, with no more loose ends left hanging.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato's face turned beet red, and he ran a hand over in a futile attempt to hide it. Serena glanced back, suspicious or at least confused by what she thought she heard, "Beg your pardon?"

"Nothing, mom. Get to bed, already," He chuckled awkwardly, trying to sweep it under the rug before she could think about it any further. Serena obliged, and retired soon after. Cato spun around, sighed, then smirked, "You trying to get me in trouble?" He joked, though his smile faded ever so slightly when Inanna brought up 25 & Light. He searched her eyes, faint signs of worry creasing his brows, but he spoke with conviction, "I don't think they'll come for us. With what happened to their leadership?" Cato shook his head, "The investment ain't worth a loss like that. Once we leave, it'll be over."

He placed his hands on her arms, and let his smile return, "We can just… be a family."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

"You trying to get me in trouble?"

“It was a slip of the tongue,” Inanna replied with another flushed smile, glad that Mrs. Harth didn’t seem to understand. Or if she did, she was good at hiding it. “If I wanted to get you in trouble, I could do a whole lot worse.”

Cato seemed fairly certain that the gang was finished. Inanna bowed her head beneath his chin and closed her eyes with a contented sigh. “Finally.”

She didn’t quite believe this was really the end. Oh, it was game over for 25 & Light, but the Maw? That was harder to process. Besides, there was always more fighting to be done. Life was a crucible, one conflict after another, an endless struggle. It was hard, but she'd be lying if she claimed they got no joy out of the excitement.

In the meantime, it would be nice to get some rest. “All right, let’s go to bed,” she said, planting a quick kiss against his lips and pulling him by the hand toward the spare room.

Cato Harth​