keeps_a_cool_head

Log 0012

[Infirmary Spam, pre-flood]

[Some time after Gard's unconscious, coma'd body is discovered and moved, Scorpius plants himself on the edge of the man's bed, casually running through his datapad to pass the time. There's no obvious reason to outsiders why he feels the need to watch over his warden in typical creeper fashion, but he does, and presumably will make difficult the lives of anyone attempting to get near to either without a solid reason]

[Public, post-flood]

In some ways, I feel as though a comatose warden is simply not holding up their end of the bargain. The game feels less interesting when one of the players is absent.

I wonder if Hiziki Gard thought to leave anyone in charge of my supervision in the event of his...disposal.

[Private to Horatio]

I believe I have something of yours, Horatio. If you wish to collect it, come to my cabin.

[Private to Crichton]

John. Yet another flood is happening. Be on your guard - I have yet to discover the logic of this one.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That distinction I leave entirely up to you.

[Oh, but he is grinning]

[Games are lovely, but only so long as they serve a purpose. And she's quite done with the cat and mouse for the moment.

She lifts a hand and beckons him with a finger.]

Come. Herrre. Now.

[And then she hangs up. Can't get much clearer than that.]

[Welp. No need to tell him twice.

Scorpius stands, closing off his communicator. In an unhurried but still prompt pace, he heads from his cabin to Catra's. Besides the whole dead-and-a-prisoner bit, Scorpius seems to enjoy how well the Barge anticipates his needs.

Within moments he's at Catra's door, knocking politely and waiting to be granted entrance]

[The door slides open to admit him. Her quarters are an eclectic mix of technological advancement and almost medieval looking decor. Such is the mish-mash of her universe. Science and sorcery are partners.

And the room looks like it's a proper boudoir. The bed is lush, there's a full vanity, and her wardrobe is rather enormous. There is also a privacy screen, from which her voice trails out from behind.]

Make yourself comfortable.

[Oh and on the bed, resting it's little head on a silky pillow, is one of the flood dolls. It probably looks suspiciously familiar.]

[Scorpius enters, checking the door to make certain it's closed behind him. He stands at the threshold, taking in his surroundings. The room is far more plush and comfortable than he's clearly used to, being from a mainly utilitarian aesthetic. Such is life in the military.

Still, even Scorpius can admit the occasional allure of pampering, which is clearly what Catra is all about. He gives a smile at the privacy screen and walks forward towards the bed.

And halts.

By this time, he's already figured out what the dolls do, as well as lost his own doll and Horatio's. He had not even entertained the idea of finding John's own, due to the number of people on the barge and the unlikelihood of having access to anyone else's cabin.

But there it is. Sitting on the bed. Mocking him.

He nears it, his claws delicately sliding up its spine]

[She comes around the screen and watches Scorpius as he lightly claws at her Crichton doll.

She strides toward him, barefoot and dressed in what looks like is nothing more than a long red silk robe, belted at the waist and artfully gaping to show long legs and hint at cleavage. Once she's beside him, she plucks up the little doll.]

Everyone keeps calling them disturbing, but I quite like mine.

[Scorpius' attention is razor sharp, and it's only broken not when Catra comes around but when she pulls the doll into her arms. He turns to her then, glancing at her entire figure once before giving a fanged smile. With care, he wraps a hand around the wrist holding the doll, looking into her eyes]

Do you understand their purpose?

[Her own lips curve, sly and knowing. She lets him keep the hold on her wrist without struggle.]

Of course, I do. I've been making John squirm since it appeared.

[Scorpius' smile only grows wider at that, but it's difficult to tell whether he's pleased or angry. He turns Catra around so that she's caught between him and the bed, his hand inching up to reach for the doll]

Details.

[This is not the first time she's been in such a position, both physically, and mentally. Hordak often smiled when he was angry, and she had to gauge whether or not she was in trouble. Caution was her friend. Caution and a quick mind. And that included tightening her grip on the doll, just in case that inching hand of his was thinking about snatching it away from her.]

Nothing terrible. Just a few irritating scratches here and there, pinching. I didn't want him going on a hunt for the thing.

You've demonstrated a surprising amount of restraint.

[Scorpius is indeed thinking of snatching the doll away. His hand remains on Catra's wrist, while he closes his eyes and moves his face closer to her neck]

Don't you worry about your own doll?

Sometimes little pains are more satisfying than larger ones.

[She has no where to go, and really no reason to anyway. But just in case this tension she's feeling isn't in her favor, she lifts her free hand to his face. A gentle caress, that has those sharp nails of hers nicely close to his eyes. Better safe than sorry.]

I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

[He's found over the cycles that he likes the dangerous ones, but only so far as he can control them. Without his strength, Catra is more likely the one with the advantage. His motions hesitate as she nears his eyes and he opens them again, watching her]

How attached are you to this toy?

And what may I give you in order to entice a detachment?

[Catra has been a functional victim for quite a long time. In her perspective, she's slightly out positioned. She doesn't know how strong he is, or is supposed to be, so she errs on the side of saving her own ass. But she'll gladly turn this from a physical situation to a verbal negotiation. That's better for everyone.]

I'm as attached to as you are eager to take it from me.

[Stealing is unappreciated...when it's stealing from her.]

But if you can offer me something of equal value, I might be willing to part with it amicably.

[Scorpius too prefers verbal negotiation, even as his hand is reaching up gently to stroke Catra's neck.]

I sincerely doubt that.

[But he won't directly rip the doll from her hands. It would sour their alliance, and he has so few people he's willing to call friends on this Barge.]

Equal value.

[This might be difficult. He hadn't given much thought to what Catra might want except escape, which he's already promised to deliver. He muses on the idea]

Another toy to keep your attention?

[Oh Scorpius, you underestimate how territorial she can be. And how opportunistic.]

That sounds reasonable. But one that I actually want to play with. Kara's or Iris's.

[He gives a nod, withdrawing his hand]

Iris has asked me to accompany her in a search for dolls. I may find precisely what you're searching for.

We have a deal then. You get John when I get one of those.

[And not before. She's not stupid.]

I will "get" John no matter what flood may say otherwise.

But I will watch for the rest of your prizes.

What is it about him that draws you so?

[She's genuinely curious, because no one is this invested in a person if it's only business.]

[It's a question he's been asked before, here, and eventually Scorpius believes he will grow bored of explaining himself. But here, he only extends his hands out again to grasp Catra by the hips and gently guide her to the side, sitting down on her bet and glancing up towards her. It's an odd position because he's relinquishing the height of command over to her, letting his introspective side through.]

My interest in Crichton varies depending on the role I am playing at any given time.

For example. I am a military commander, and he blew up my base. I am an explorer, and he is the only known one of his species I've seen. I am a scientist, and his mind holds secrets that would propel science cycles forward in time.

I am someone seeking genocidal revenge and he holds the key.

[There's plenty more, but Scorpius isn't fully certain Catra cares to hear it, and he supposes he's not telling her any new or deeply relevant information. He's still slightly annoyed with her that she would not relinquish the doll. Still, as irritating as he is, Crichton will always be a favorite topic to muse on. Scorpius leans back on the bed, considering Catra in front of him]

And I enjoy challenges that force me to think in convoluted, unusual patterns. Crichton defies reasoning. I suppose that's why it's so satisfying when I do finally get him under my thumb. Victory is sweeter when you work for it.

[If he's going to give her the high ground, she'll certainly take it. When he leans back, she slides a knee onto the bed beside his hip, and then the other, until she's settled herself across his lap. The doll she pass to her tail, which whisks the little distraction out of sight.

With her hands free, she slips them onto his shoulders, beginning a light massage. Is she trying to distract him from his annoyance with her? Only if it works, yes. Otherwise, no, this is just an interesting topic of discussion with an interesting man.]

Forgive me if this seems forward, but those reasons sound rather thin. You're surrounded by singular species here on this boat, incredibly advanced sciences, magic, all of which should put him neatly out of your mind, if those were your only reasons for your pointed attention. So your interest in him comes off as a little more personal, dearie.

[Her tone is low and soft, because she is pointing out a flaw in his logic. And if she's learned anything over the years, it's that powerful, intelligent men do not enjoy flaws in their own logic, and they tend to swallow the bitter pill of it better with a little sugar.]

[The extra physical attention is not unwelcome, even though Scorpius is immediately suspicious of her motives. He grasps Catra around the small of her back to hold her steady, permitting the closeness with some degree of control over where she chooses to wander. The doll is not forgotten, but he acknowledges that Catra wishes to take it off the discussion table, so to speak. So his eyes turn instead to her face, watching her heat pattern curiously as his annoyance gradually ebbs away]

[One thing that is different about Scorpius as compared to others Catra might have known: when a point is raised to him, he doesn't dismiss it out of hand. He considers it, and extrapolates from it. Catra is clever enough to tell he's not being entirely forthright with her. But on the other hand, how much truth does he want to let slip out?

She's charming. But there will always be the inevitability of betrayal.]

...Understand this: when John Crichton broke through the outer territory, he had nothing. An insignificant vessel of no military importance, whatever scrap he carried with him from his equally insignificant, backwater planet. He did not speak our languages or understand our customs. He was as much an outsider as was possible to be.

And yet for all the dangers and all the odds stacked against him, John has managed to survive. Look how far he's come in only a matter of a few cycles. He had nothing; he came from nothing. All he possessed was his mind, and his...for lack of a better adjective, Crichton-ness. Nothing about him makes sense. Logically, he ought to have been hunted down in the first few arns of his arrival. Yet he's managed to evade, escape, destroy, or conquer everything set against him.

Like myself.

But while I have the advantage in terms of experience and planning, he adapts to the game more quickly than I do when given unknown variables. When I look to my career and what I was able to accomplish, given the correct motivation and opportunity, I should like to be alive to see what happens when John releases his full potential against his enemies.

I believe his is a force that could render our worlds apart, if only given the opportunity. I believe in John.

Ahh.

[Though the sound isn't just "ahh" it's more of "ahhhprrrrrr" as the sound transitions from resonating verbally into resonating into her chest, where it becomes a purr.]

You see something of yourself in him. Or at least a version of yourself, and you want to influence him. See if he turns out like you.

[Or a better version of Scorpius. But she doesn't say it out loud.]

[The purring intrigues him, as he puts the back of his hand gently against Catra's chest to feel the vibration within. His ancestry tends more towards the scaly side of things, and cats are a broad mystery to Scorpius. With a smile, he leans back against the headboard, keeping her close against him]

In a sense, but John already has a version of myself in him. I influence him even now.

[his hand reaches up to caress Catra's right temple, brushing her hair to the side. Where his thumb grazes her forehead, he taps very gently]

I'm a constant presence in his mind. Not as completely as I'd like it to have been but...enough to influence him, protect him. To keep others from encroaching on what I've claimed.

Log 0012

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