Flesh

[Itash Mecetti]

ETTI IV​

[member="Cassandra Paige"]​

​

They soon found a new rhythm.

As comfortable as the previous one, but somehow... better in some aspects.

Intimate maybe.

There were less surprises now that both of them had gotten a glimpse of a true measure. At least until one day Cassandra Paige returned home, just to be greeted by a detachment of Didact personnel. One of them explained to her that Tash had a surprise for her that would trump everything else up to this point. The trip was silent, the Didact men unwilling to spoil the surprise and the trip grew longer.

Refreshments were offered.

Until they had to switch to a shuttle... and they suddenly went up.

It didn't take long for the gargantuan skyhook to loom up past the atmosphere. Everything would be explained, one of the Troopers promised, as the shuttle was accepted by a luxurious shuttle bay integrated in the hull of the hook itself.

Once she stepped out?

One Itash Mecetti stood there and waited. A grin on his lips.

 

[Cassandra Paige]

Cassandra tried, very hard, to curb her irritation. Well, not actually curb it, simply not let it leak out all over the Didact personnel. She saved it all up for Tash in a little mental bottle. Oh, she was curious, yes. But she did not like being barred from her own apartment, because Tash was acting like a five year old with a picture hidden behind his back.

And the length of the trip? It became immediately apparent that they weren't going to Didact HQ or to Tash's apartment- this was in the wrong direction entirely. She accepted refreshment, was no worse than chilly, but her face was closed off. Once it was clear they would not be spoiling their boss's surprise, she did not press them. It wouldn't have done any good and she knew it. Oh, they liked her well enough- some of them were almost gentle and warm when they spoke to her, after Raykka. This wasn't their fault.

A small frown flickered over her lips when she saw their destination, nodding absently when she was assured answers.

She didn't need him to 'assure' her.

She expected them.

Stepping off of the shuttle and into the bay, black heels takked against the durasteel. Still dressed for the office, it was clear immediately to Itash that Cass was not pleased by the situation one bit. She would have preferred to shower, to change before seeing him (which he knew all too well, her habits once she left the office). Instead she had been blocked from her own home and schlepped along for a longer than reasonable shuttle trip.

Cass was not amused.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

"I know... I know, you wanted to change, freshen up, I am sorry." Not really, but that was beyond the point. He wasn't going to let this be ruined just because Cass couldn't step out of her routine every once in a while without going into a tiff.

"I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

This.

It was clear that Cassandra wasn't in the mood to retort and was still waiting for an explanation. How to go around it... how to approach it. "This skyhook? It was build by Didact to serve as a home." A beat next. "For us." One more beat as he tried another smile. "If you want to, of course." He tilted his head when he thought about the possibility she might not want to move here with him.

That didn't actually come up as a possibility.

"I am basically asking you to move in with me."

Itash-style.

 

[Cassandra Paige]

It had been a distressingly long week. They had barely seen each other. She had spent most of it working through dual phases of two separate unveiling of a new GenPals line and a new children's show, all of the merchandise for each and the cross merchandising that went along with it. She was tired and grumpy, and this? All of this didn't help. She was slightly mollified (slightly mind you) by the immediate acceptance of why she was wearing her 'Cass is annoyed' face, and apology, but only just enough to start to close the distance between them.

Of course, then he dropped it.

Cass blinked.

"I- what?"

She paused, processing.

"Did it occur to you to ask me.... before..... you had it built?"

For us. The tone was neutral but dangerous. A tone that could easily go either way.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

"I was trying to surprise you, love, I figured I still had a lot to make up for and didn't think just another jewel would do." He glanced around for a bit, making her look too and maybe she hadn't noticed before.

With just how annoyed she had been.

The cargo bay was larger than either of their apartments and it was made specifically according to the designs she loved. Coruscanti minimalism, every detail adhered to, every corner and angle made to specification. Little did Cass know that Itash had brought over several architects from Coruscant just for that reason. The implication here was that if so much detail and expense went into this place?

Then what else was in store for her deeper into the station.

"I am sorry if that didn't translate. You don't have to accept, of course, if you want I can have the transport bring you home again."

He stepped closer to her, reaching out for her to put her hands in his, a metaphorical reaching out.

 

[Cassandra Paige]

She had missed it. Her eyes followed his, as he knew they would. And she noticed.

Cass had her own office at GenPals styled the same- her apartment couldn't be helped, but that office was spacious. Empty space was a premium on Coruscant, and rather than a gaudier show of wealth, the elite with taste showed it by the profligate use of open air- hard lines leading up into curves at ceiling level. On a planet so crowded as Corsuscant, what better way to flaunt wealth than to waste space?

"Well," she said grudgingly, meeting him halfway and letting him take her hands.

"You can show me..... but I reserve my decision until after I have seen it."

Which probably meant she would say yes, but that wasn't the point. It also gave her time to mull over the actual realities of living with him. And just what that would mean for them both.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

A modest nod followed that showed nothing of smugness, before softly pulling up her cybernetic hand and leaving a kiss on her knuckle.

He pointed towards one side of the 'bay, turbo-lifts that disappeared into the ground and up through the ceiling. "Those are fast access points, when we are in a hurry and aren't interested in taking the scenic route." But of course they would be taking exactly that today. He offered his arm for her to take, starting to walk not soon after that as Tash guided her.

It wasn't the last time he pointed a thing out.

Some details here, a feature there, only sticking to the things that would raise her interest even more. "These... are the gardens." They stepped on through and would Tash would look up, paying attention to the large glasteel dome over their head. Just as strong as durasteel but transparent. Allowing them to see space itself, the stars and even more.

The gardens were lush and brilliant.

"Droids will keep all of this maintained twenty-four seven."

 

[Cassandra Paige]

If he'd given her the time to shower and change, she would have changed into something liked, instead of still being in business clothes. Well, that was his loss, she decided, slipping her arm into his and settling comfortably at his side.

Despite the fact that Cass couldn't care less about gardens specifically, the aspect of status involved in having a frankly ludicrously sized garden essentially in space was not lost on her. The small smile on her face of course was more remembering their second meeting- the one that sold them both on it being a worthwhile pursuit. A mental pause- would she have done that then, knowing then what she knew now?

Hmmm.

Would that knowledge have made him more or less attractive? Cass honestly wasn't certain.

Her eyes cast over the expanse of green, appreciating it more for what it represented than for what it was. Cass was not a 'flowers' sort of person, and Tash had picked up on that quickly. Too ephemeral, too..... frankly.... cheap.

Of course this 'gift' was proving to be far, far more than anything he'd given to her in the past- and his gifts had been lavish.

"Didact went all out," she murmured softly, then paused for a moment, thoughtful.

Hmmm.

"How big is this place, Tash?"

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

The point of having her wear what he liked wasn't about the clothing.

It was about making her wear what he liked.

Oh, Itash enjoyed how it made her look, but there was more behind it than simple aesthetic pleasures. It was the same here, she was here, because Itash willed it in some way and that was so much more enjoyable than any piece of fabric would have given him. This wasn't something that Tash was going to share with her, of course. Something told him that particular set of mind wouldn't exactly make her happy. This was fine, what she didn't know, couldn't hurt her.

Much.

"Two kilometers in the length and width." Tash replied with a smug smile. This time it was there, because it was a safe kind of smug. The kind where he was spinning about his own accomplishments. "Our largest project to date. Impressed?"

She should be.

It was a marvel of engineering for a burgeoning company such as his.

 

[Cassandra Paige]

She nodded, though the still neutral expression on her face made it clear that she wasn't perhaps as impressed as she could have been.

But then, she'd promised to stop playing games if he asked her to marry him.

Not before.

She was impressed, but it didn't suit her in that moment to show it.

"The gardens," she said idly as they walked. "Just how difficult was it to handle the biologic requirements so high in the atmosphere?"

Oh, she didn't care about the requirements themselves. Soil, water, light, even the simple difference in air pressure this high up could affect the growing of things. But those details didn't matter if it could be replicated. On a much, much larger scale.

"Do you think Didact could manage such a feat on a..... larger scale? The gardens, specifically I mean."

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

Tash looked back curiously when she asked that question.

Then he glanced around the garden, mulling it for a moment or two.

Oh, she was impressed, that much was certain. But she didn't want to tip her hand and that was something that Mecetti could respect. They weren't married yet, after all, the game was still in full swing and he wouldn't want it any other way. Itash wasn't done with her and wouldn't be for quite some time. "Yes, I do think that would be possible, how much larger are we talking about here?"

There was a figment within her mind- he could coax it out, true.

Instead Tash let her come out with it himself. It wouldn't do to get used to snatching things from her mind like that, it would certainly cause some measure of trouble in the future.

Larger meant more expensive too, of course.

 

[Cassandra Paige]

"Oh, nothing unreasonable," she said casually, leaning slightly against his arm. She smiled comfortably.

"A ring perhaps.... that could be walked the entire thing if someone wanted to without stopping..... something..... oh..... four kilometers in diameter?" It sounded like a number she picked out of thin air until- "So 12,560 meters in circumference I should guess. Approximately."

It wasn't approximately anything. It was very specific.

"Would that be outside of Didact's capabilities?" She asked curiously, batting her eye lashes at him. "I wouldn't think so, given what you are showing me now."

They reached the end of the garden path and she showed no indication she wished to linger. Indeed, she was curious now about the rest of it.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

A nod followed.

"We can certainly accommodate that sort of size, yes." Which didn't matter to Tash, because he would be the one getting the money, but it would be GenPals that would have to maintain it in the end. "What are you trying to do with this hypothetical station?" He asked curiously, because it mattered a lot. Size wasn't all that effected it, sometimes large sizes could work detrimental.

Something with gardens?

It sounded like something of a habitation sphere, but Itash wasn't quite sure how GenPals fit into that.

They weren't exactly in that kind of business.

"I assume this is for GenPals, yes?"

 

[Cassandra Paige]

"Mhmmmm," she answered with a closed lipped smile.

"I'm still considering my options, you understand," she drawled casually as they strolled into the next area. "Just a little pet project I've been mulling over in my spare time."

Considering the week he knew she'd had, that was hilarious. If it was on her mind, it wasn't a 'pet project', nor a casual consideration.

"Nothing major. BUT! Before we get into that-"

She paused, and here she let some of her appreciation come through. It wasn't hard.

"Was this modeled off of any place particular? I could swear it looks familiar."

It was reminiscent of a grand receiving hall one might find on one of the traditionally royalist planets. The ceiling soared, interior windows looking out over the gardens they had just left- a grand staircase that would have been perfectly in place at the palace of Naboo. All in neutral and metallic shades- Ivory and taupe, gold and copper accents keeping the space warm despite the size.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

Now it was Itash's turn to act casual.

"Oh, this?" He let himself take a wide glance, almost as if this was the first time that he had laid eyes on it and then some, before smiling. It had the additional effect of making her look just a little bit longer at the sights.

"I had an architect arrive from Tion, this is modelled after the reception hall of their ancient ruler, Xim the Great." His palace had long been considered one of the Galactic Wonders of Pre-Gulag Civilisation, but they could only judge from the digital records.

Anything else was long since destroyed.

"I take it you like it?" Tash asked innocently as he led her up the stairs. The gardens looked beautiful from this angle. It showed that many of the flowers had been arranged with shapes in mind. Something that would be even more evident for visitors flying above.

"This... pet project." He smiled at her joke again. "Why don't you tell me more about it. I am dying to know what has kept you from our dinners this whole time."

 

[Cassandra Paige]

Okay, yes, now she was impressed. They made their way up the curving stairs, Tash pointing out a subtly hidden lift in case it was needed, and she drank in the room. It was, in a word, perfect.

"You know it's been the new launches that's kept me so busy," she murmured absently, her eyes casting over as they moved upward. "Aquatics and the new cartoon. Dual launches are a nightmare, never let me do that again, I don't care about the cross merchandising opportunities."

Which wasn't true in the slightest.

"No this has just been an.... idle thought. A curiosity in passing," she mused. Also not strictly speaking true. The idea had started as a seed that day at the Chase Gala, slowly building since then.

"You are familiar with our Conference Center?" Of course he was, his company handled security for it. "I have been considering.... expanding that. Or at least, the idea of it."

She paused at the top of the staircase and unhooked her arm from his. Casually she swiped the air over the arm, a holographic projection drawing up as if from the tips of her fingers. Much like the projector in her desk, on a smaller scale, the pale aquamarine light emanating from beneath the top layer of synthskin offered up a roughly sketched holo. A space station with a medial ring.

"A GenPals experience," she said, a little smug. Swiping her finger across the holo, it slid to the side, pulling up concept sketches. The ring gardens, holoshow theater, luxury accommodations, and her personal favorite, the 'on display' labs. And then, the aquarium wall.

"But, you know," she murmured, glancing over at him. "Just mulling."

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

Just mulling.

It was amusing to him how she could say that with a straight face when presenting... that. The concept was there, drawn out, sketched, this was most definitely approaching to the implementation area and Cass knew that. "Oh, certainly, just some doodles." Tash said with a neutral expression. Well, almost, there was a hint of a smirk at the corner of his mouth.

Imperceptible, unless you were starting to know him.

Cassandra certainly was starting on that path. The next room they visited was the dining room... it was more a dining hall, truth to be told. Heavy, large crystal chandeliers hanging off the ceiling and shimmering whenever light flickered against them. "I had the diamonds imported from Christophsis, hand-crafted, they make a beautiful light in the evening." Tash informed her with a soft smile, leaning against the doorpost while she watched her eyes out.

"As for the GenPals experience- I'd advice against getting too large with the potential station. That will avoid possible logistic issues." Nobody enjoyed having to walk for hours through the gardens to get somewhere.

 

[Cassandra Paige]

"To be fair," she said, tone a little absent as she drank in the details, "I have no idea what 'reasonable' is for people who..... enjoy that sort of thing."

In this case she meant nature walks specifically, but he knew she disliked (at best) the majority of the things her company offered to the public. She was very good at coming up with things people wanted, even if she didn't understand the appeal herself, apparently.

Cassandra had been in places that rivaled this for splendor or size. But she had never lived in one. Sure, they had their summer home on Spira that was larger than the Paige apartments on Coruscant (space at such a premium there, always), but that was nothing like this. While she didn't say anything, she had already decided that, yes, she fully intended to live here.

Her face remained mostly neutral but even without the force he could see the want for ownership of something like this in her eyes.

"And it just..... goes on like this, does it?" She asked, tone casual as she turned back to look at him- she had paused beside a chair at the long table, fingertips tracing the fine grain of the wood.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

A sad shrug followed soon after.

Neither did Itash, if he was being perfectly honest. It wasn't as if strolling around a garden was a pastime of his. "I can have Didact perform a peer QA throughout the Corporate Sector to scope out the average, Cass, it could give us a better idea what those... people enjoy in their gardens." That way they wouldn't set up a six kilometer habitional sphere and then it turns out the focus groups they are targeting are obese bantha herders who can't walk a mile without huffing and puffing themselves to an early death.

It was truly for the best as far as Tash was concerned.

"Mhm. It does." He stepped forward, his hand brushing her hip, curling in just an inch of ownership. Of possession. It was implied, not spoken yet. "Dining halls, swimming pools, an atrium, library, several private hangar bays with enough space for all our transportation."

A smile played there now.

"Should see the bedroom I have in mind for us."

 

[Cassandra Paige]

She waved off his offer. In direct opposition to her earlier assertion that it was 'just musing,' she murmured, "GenPals is already surveying a number of parks and zoos on several wealthy worlds, and tacking on a small survey to all purchases- encouragement coming of course in the form of a small discount on a future purchase."

It was clear from the vague sneer on her lips just how pedestrian Cass found such things. People doing things for such a paltry 'reward.' It was also clear that Cass was not going to be catering to bantha farmers.

"Mmm." Her smile curved, knowing and a little smug as he moved. Tilting her head to look up at him from the side, regarding.

"What if I don't like it?" She asked innocently. "What if I'd rather sleep in a different room?"

It wasn't as though a place like this would only have one. That was preposterous and didn't even cross her mind. Her hip shifted a little more firmly into his hand.

"Shouldn't I get to pick, since I didn't have a say in any of the decorating?"

As if he hadn't custom tailored this all to her tastes.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]